Uranium isotopes in groundwater from the continental intercalaire aquifer in Algerian Tunisian Sahara (Northern Africa)

The disequilibrium between U-214 and U-238 is commonly used as a tracer of groundwater flow. This paper aims to identify uranium contents and uranium isotopic disequilibria variation in groundwater sampled from deep Continental Intercalaire aquifer (southern Algeria and Tunisia). Large variations in both U contents (0.006-3.39 ppb) and U-234/U-238 activity ratios (0.4-15.38) are observed. We conduct a first assessment in order to verify whether the results of our investigation support and complete previous hydrogeological and isotopic studies. The dissolved U content and U-234/U-238 activity ratio data were plotted on a two-dimensional diagram that was successfully utilized on sharing the CI aquifer into different compartments submitted to different oxidising/reducing conditions and leads also to distinguished two preferential flow paths in the Nefzaoua/Chott Fejej discharge area. Uranium isotopes disequilibrium indicate that ranium chemistry is mainly controlled by water-rock interaction enhanced by long residence time recognised for this aquifer. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.