EVALUATION OF AQUEOUS GASTROPOD SHELLS AS GROUNDWATER RADIOCARBON PROXIES ACROSS SPECIES AND SITES

We evaluate carbonate gastropod shells as 14C proxies for groundwater discharge at springs. Groundwater 14C is commonly used to estimate groundwater transit times, and a carbonate shell proxy would present a different way of collecting groundwater 14C data. Specifically, we test the hypothesis that...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inRadiocarbon Vol. 65; no. 2; pp. 443 - 462
Main Authors Lerback, J C, Bagge, S, Bowen, B B
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New York, USA Cambridge University Press 01.04.2023
Subjects
Aquifers
Carbon
Groundwater
Groundwater discharge
Groundwater recharge
Hypotheses
Mineralogy
Ponds
Seasonal variations
Sediments
Shells
Transit time
Water temperature
Blue Lake
United States > US
Utah
Nevada
groundwater
gastropods
hydrology
isotopes
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Summary:We evaluate carbonate gastropod shells as 14C proxies for groundwater discharge at springs. Groundwater 14C is commonly used to estimate groundwater transit times, and a carbonate shell proxy would present a different way of collecting groundwater 14C data. Specifically, we test the hypothesis that in exclusively groundwater-fed spring systems, water 14C is preserved in carbonate shells at multiple sites, species, and water 14C. We first present isotopic and water temperature variability over several years at three spring sites in Utah. We then compare the 14C of contemporaneously collected water, sediment, and shells of benthic gastropods (Melanoides tuberculata, Pyrgulopsis pilsbryana, and Physella gyrina). We show that water and shell 14C activities at each site are correlated (slope = 1.00, R2 = 0.999, n = 22). These results support the hypothesis that 14C from groundwater is preserved in carbonate shells, and that aqueous gastropods a viable groundwater 14C proxy. Finally, we describe the utility and limitations of using gastropod shells as a groundwater 14C proxy.
ISSN:0033-8222
1945-5755
DOI:10.1017/RDC.2022.103