77 255 



In the following table, the volume of the argon in some spring gases is 

 referred to in the second column in the percentage of the entire volume of nitrogen 

 plus argon. In the 3rd. and 4lh. columns the percentage of helium plus neon is 

 given respectively in proportion to the nitrogen plus argon and to the argon plus 

 helium. 



Table VI. 



Argon, 

 Gas sample in percentage of 



Nitrogen + Argon 



Reykir No. 1 1-50 "h 



Reykir No. 2 1-63 - 



Reykir No. 5 164 - 



Hveravellir No. 2 . . . 1-75 - 



Hveravellir No. 25 . . 210 - 



Grafarbakki No. 1 . . 1-83 - 



Grafarbakki No. 2 . . 230 - 



Laugaras No. 1 194 - 



Laugaras No. 3 211 - 



Reykjafoss No. 1 ... 1-96 - 



Hengill No. 1 0-63 - 



Hengill No. 3 221 - 



As could be expected, this table throws little light on the origin of nitrogen 



rr,, .■ volume of argon . ,i . 1 1 



in the spring gases. The proportion — -, ^ -, ^ ^ is, as the table 



f ° ° ^ '^ volume of nitrogen -j- argon 



shows, with one exception always greater in the spring gases examined than in 

 the atmosphere. The gas sample Hengill No. 1 proved to have only half as much 

 argon in proportion to nitrogen as the atmosphere. From this fact one deduces 

 that a great deal of the nitrogen in the hot spring in question originates from the 

 soil, or from the seat of the thermal activity of the spring. Another gas sample 

 from the same district, i. e. Hengill No. 3, shows, however, quite a different pro- 

 portion between argon and nitrogen. But unfortunately this gas sample was mixed 

 with the atmosphere. I corrected the final result by determining the amount of 

 oxygen in the gas sample used in the investigation, and calculated from this how 

 much atmospheric nitrogen and argon corresponded to the oxygen found. The 

 volumes of nitrogen and argon thus calculated were then subtracted from those 

 directly measured by the experiment, in order to find the volumes of argon and 

 nitrogen originally in the spring gases. Of course all this tended to make the final 

 determination of the volume of argon in this sample rather uncertain. 1 therefore 

 attach less weight to this result, especially as it is not in harmony with the 

 measurements of the gas sample Hengill No. 1, which are, in my opinion, quite 

 trustworthy. 



