US EPA

81760 

Journal Article 

Determining the ages of recent sediments using measurements of trace radioactivity 

Jeter, HW 

2000 

0 

Terra Aqua 

78 

21-28 

Laboratory analyses of sediment cores can determine sedimentation rates and the calendar dates associated with various depths within sediments. These chronology results can be used for characterising the deposition environment of a water system, which is pertinent to the planning of dredging operations. The methods are particularly useful for water systems which contain buried toxic substances. Measurements of different radioactive species give chronology information for time frames from a half year to 100 years before the present. Recent studies in the 1990s where this method has been applied include the Kalamazoo River in Michigan, the Housatonic River in Connecticut, the Passaic River in New Jersey, the Hudson River and Grasse River in New York. This paper presents the practical application of three geochronology methods which have been used. This subject was presented at a Workshop of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Region 1, in June 1999, in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.