Radiocarbon dating of groundwater in tertiary sediments of the eastern Murray Basin

The Tertiary sediments located in the eastern part of the Murray Basin contain one of the most important low salinity groundwater resources in New South Wales. It is imperative that the hydrogeological environment in which the groundwater occurs be thoroughly understood to allow adequate management of the resource. A radiocarbon dating project was carried out on 37 groundwater samples from bores screened in these unconsolidated sediments. The results indicate water ages in the range 'modern' to 15 800 years. Groundwater recharge areas are indicated and rates of groundwater recharge and movement determined. The latter shows close correlation with velocity values quantitatively determined by Darcy's law