Evidence for tritium production in the Earth's interior
kiloVolts
Evidence for tritium production in the Earth's interior
Journal Chinese Science Bulletin
Publisher Science Press, co-published with Springer-Verlag GmbH
ISSN 1001-6538 (Print) 1861-9541 (Online)
Issue Volume 53, Number 4 / February, 2008
Category Articles
DOI 10.1007/s11434-008-0032-z
Pages 540-547
Subject Collection Biomedical and Life Sciences
SpringerLink Date Thursday, February 07, 2008
Jiang SongSheng 1 and He Ming 1
(1) Department of Nuclear Physics, China Institute of Atomic Energy, P.O.
Box 275(49), Beijing, 102413, China
Received: 13 November 2006 Accepted: 3 June 2007
Abstract
We have made a new investigation on the vertical profiles of tritium and
helium isotopes in Lakes Van and Nemrut (Eastern Turkey), using experimental
data from the reference by Kipfer et al. for study of long-term vertical
mixing and deep water renewal in Lake Van. Lakes Van and Nemrut are crater
lakes. Lake Nemrut is at the western border of Lake Van. The 3He and 4He are
injected at the bottom of Lakes Van and Nemrut, and the both helium isotopes
are confirmed from the mantle source. From 3H (tritium) data in Lakes Van
and Nemrut, we have observed "3H anomaly" at the vertical profile of 3H
concentrations in Lake Nemrut. The 3H concentration at the lake bottom is
10% higher than at the surface. The difference of 3H concentrations between
surface and bottom is about 3.7ą1.2 TU. This excess 3H should be injected
from the lake bottom. An investigation on the origin of the injected tritium
has been made. The results show the conventional origins are excluded, such
as residence of precipitation tritium from nuclear testing in the early
1950s-1960s and tritium from known nuclear reactions. Based on the
correlation of excess 3H with 3He and heat flow in Lake Nemrut, we infer
that the 3He and 3H might be all from the mantle source, and produced by the
supposed natural-nuclear-fusion, which might occur in an environment rich in
water (H) and (U + Th) at high temperature and high pressure in the deep
Earth. Detection of tritium in the Earth's interior is a key evidence for
exploration of natural nuclear fusion in the deep Earth. Based on the
published data, we have found that the excess 3He and 3H injected at the
bottom of Lake Laacher (Germany) were also released from the mantle source.
The present work will be helpful to the further study of mechanism of
natural nuclear fusion in the Earth's interior.
Keywords tritium - Earth's interior - natural nuclear fusion - crater lake
Supported by the President Foundation of the China Institute of Atomic
Energy