TY - JOUR A1 - Hopp, Jens A1 - Vogt, Manfred A1 - Schwarz, Winfried H. A1 - Trieloff, Mario T1 - A Reappraisal of the 40Ar/38Ar Dating Technique via Irradiation with γ‐Rays Y1 - 2023-05-07 VL - 47 IS - 3 SP - 579 EP - 594 JF - Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research DO - 10.1111/ggr.12489 PB - N2 -

In a reconnaissance study, we investigated the potential of γ‐ray induced production of 38ArK from 39K for geochronological applications. For this purpose, various age monitors commonly in use for the established 40Ar/39Ar‐method were co‐irradiated for 60 h at 17.6 MeV maximum energy in the ELBE facility, Dresden‐Rossendorf, Germany. Because the available energy was low, total production of 38ArK was depressed, leading to low J38‐values of (2.1–4.1) × 10‐6 and hence resulted in only minor 38Ar excess when compared with atmospheric 38Ar/36Ar ratios. In spite of these restrictions, ages of younger monitors could be reproduced within error, whereas older age reference materials showed discrepancies due to the low production rate. We observed Ca‐derived contributions on 36Ar in analysed CaF2 reference materials, and calculated a limit for Ca‐interference on 38ArCa of (38Ar/36Ar)Ca = 0.07 ± 0.03 (1s). In addition, we investigated a potential recoil redistribution of 38Ar by stepwise heating experiments, but could not quantify this further because of concurring processes. More work at higher photon energies is necessary to resolve other open issues, in particular the potential of utilising 40Ar/37Ar ratios for age determination and the possibility of 42Ar production from 44Ca, which would allow correction for Ca‐interference reactions on other Ar isotopes. This would be a pre‐requisite for dating extra‐terrestrial rocks.

UR - http://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?gldocs-11858/11101 ER -