2002A&A...396L..21M

We report on a 3600s spectrum of GRB 021004 obtained with the Nordic Optical Telecope on La Palma 10.71 hours after the burst. We identify absorption lines from five systems at redshifts 1.3806, 1.6039, 2.2983, 2.3230, and 2.3292. In addition we find an emission line which, if due to Lyα from the host galaxy, gives a redshift of 2.3351. The nearest absorber is blueshifted by 530km/s with respect to this line, consistent with shifts seen in Damped Lyα and Lyman-Break galaxies at similar redshifts. The emission line flux is 2.46±0.50x10^–16erg/s/cm². Some of the absorption systems are ``line-locked'', an effect often seen in QSO absorption systems believed to originate close to the QSO central engine.