Strontium isotopes as indicators of the dissolving phase in a carbonate aquifer: Implications for 14C dating of groundwater

The calculation of model 14C ages for groundwater often relies on a correction being made for the incongruent dissolution of aquifer carbonate. Correction equations are particularly sensitive, in certain ranges, to variation in the δ13C value input for dissolving carbonate. This study uses a combined 87Sr/86Sr and δ13C approach to define the source and mean δ13C value of dissolving carbonate in the Lincolnshire Limestone aquifer of eastern England. This δ13C value is most appropriately used in 14C correction equations and yields the most potentially accurate groundwater model ages