Journal article

Interpreting and reporting 40Ar/39Ar geochronologic data

AJ Schaen, BR Jicha, KV Hodges, P Vermeesch, ME Stelten, CM Mercer, D Phillips, TA Rivera, F Jourdan, EL Matchan, SR Hemming, LE Morgan, SP Kelley, WS Cassata, MT Heizler, PM Vasconcelos, JA Benowitz, AAP Koppers, DF Mark, EM Niespolo Show all

Bulletin of the Geological Society of America | Published : 2021

Abstract

The 40Ar/39Ar dating method is among the most versatile of geochronometers, having the potential to date a broad variety of K-bearing materials spanning from the time of Earth’s formation into the historical realm. Measurements using modern noble-gas mass spectrometers are now producing 40Ar/39Ar dates with analytical uncertainties of ~0.1%, thereby providing precise time constraints for a wide range of geologic and extraterrestrial processes. Analyses of increasingly smaller subsamples have revealed age dispersion in many materials, including some minerals used as neutron fluence monitors. Accordingly, interpretive strategies are evolving to address observed dispersion in dates from a singl..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Grants

Awarded by Natural Environment Research Council


Funding Acknowledgements

This work was funded in part by a National Science Foundation EARTHCUBE grant, EAR-1740694. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. government. We appreciate constructive comments from Bob Fleck, Jim Ogg, and one anonymous reviewer.