DISSOLVED COMMON GASES IN GROUNDWATERS OF THE APPALACHIAN REGION

Measured concentrations of nitrogen and argon in water from wells and springs along the Appalachian mountain chain in the eastern U.S.A. show large excesses relative to the expected equilibrium values with air. In several formations, water samples taken along the flow gradient show an increase in the excess of N2 and Ar with depth. The N2/Ar ratios in these water samples are close to 35, indicating that the excess of N2 and Ar originate from gases that were dissolved in water in contact with the atmosphere. It is suggested that the excesses of N2 and Ar originate in deep-seated (at least several kilometers depth) meteoric or sea water which may have reached the critical point of water.