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The isotopic composition of uranium and lead in Allende inclusions and meteoritic phosphates

The isotopic compositions of uranium and lead in Ca-Al-rich inclusions from the Allende chondrite and in whitlockite from the St. Severin chondrite and the Angra dos Reis achondrite are reported. Isoptopic analysis of acid soluble fractions of the Allende inclusions and the meteoritic whitlockite, which show isotopic anomalies in other elements, reveals U-235/U-238 ratios from 1/137.6 to 1/138.3, within 20 per mil of normal terrestrial U abundances. The Pb isotopic compositions of five coarse-grained Allende inclusions give a mean Pb-207/Pb-206 model age of 4.559 + or - 0.015 AE, in agreement with the U results. Pb isotope ratios of two fine-grained inclusions and a coarse-grained inclusion with strong mass fractionation and some nonlinear isotopic anomalies indicate that the U-Pb systems of these inclusions have evolved differently from the rest of Allende. Th/U abundance ratios in the Allende inclusions and meteoritic phosphate are found to range from 3.8 to 96, presumably indicating an optimal case for Cm/U fractionation, although the normal U concentrations do not support claims of abundant live Cm-247 or Cm-247/U-238 fractionation at the time of meteorite formation, in contrast to previous results. A limiting Cm-247/U-235 ratio of 0.004 at the time of meteorite formation is calculated which implies that the last major r process contribution at the protosolar nebula was approximately 100 million years prior to Al-26 formation and injection.

Chen, J. H.

Age and isotopic relationships among the angrites Lewis Cliff 86010 and Angra dos Reis

The paper presents results of a wide-ranging isotopic investigation of the the Antarctic angrite LEW-86010 (LEW), and reassesses the type angrite Angra dos Reis (ADOR) in order to obtain precise radiometric ages and initial Sr isotopic compositions, and to search for the erstwhile presence of the short-lived nuclei Sm-146 and Al-26 via their daughter products. The isotopic compositions of Sm, U, Ca, and Ti were measured to allow a detailed appraisal to be made of the relations between, and the geneology of, these two angrites. LEW proves to be severely contaminated with modern terrestrial Pb, which is shown to result from terrestrial weathering. Concordant Pb-Pb model ages of pyroxene separates are obtained; uranium isotopic compositions are normal within error. Overall, striking age and isotopic similarities between LEW and ADOR were found, suggesting almost simultaneous production on the same asteroid, even though recent experimental studies imply that the two are not comagmatic.

Lugmair, G. W.

Helium-uranium dating of corals.

Fanale and Schaeffer (1965) determined He/U ages of corals and other aragonitic fossils, and found that the results generally agreed with independent age estimates. As a more extensive and rigorous test of the reliability of He/U ages of fossil corals, I have determined He/U ages of forty-five independently dated Cenozoic corals. Uranium and thorium isotope compositions and Rn-222 retentivities were also determined as consistency checks. The results indicate that reliable ages are obtained when certain consistency tests are met and specified corrections are made.

Bender, M. L.

TREK - A cosmic-ray experiment on the Russian space station Mir

The goals of the TREK experiment, now in place on the Mir space station, are to resolve and measure the composition of both odd-Z and even-Z cosmic-ray nuclei up to uranium, to measure the isotopic composition of Fe-group nuclei, and to search for transuranic nuclei and exotic particles such as strangelets. To collect tracks of ultraheavy cosmic rays, exterior panels holding an array of BP-1 phosphate glass 1.2 sq m in area and 16 plates thick are now mounted outside the Kvant-2 module on Mir. Heaters and relays regulate the temperature of the glass at 25 +/- 5 C. The detectors will record about 1000 cosmic-ray tracks with Z greater than or equal to 50 during about 2.5 years. An interior panel consisting of an array 0.09 sq m in area and 32 plates thick and mounted on the inside wall of the Soyuz spacecraft will collect tracks of about 13,000 Fe and 500 Ni nuclei.

Price, P. B.

Uranium in NIMROC standard igneous rock samples

Results are reported for analysis of the uranium in multiple samples of each of six igneous-rock standards (dunite, granite, lujavrite, norite, pyroxenite, and syenite) prepared as geochemical reference standards for elemental and isotopic compositions. Powdered rock samples were examined by measuring delayed neutron emission after irradiation with a flux of the order of 10 to the 13th power neutrons/sq cm per sec in a nuclear reactor. The measurements are shown to compare quite favorably with previous uranium determinations for other standard rock samples.

Rowe, M. W.

Seventh Annual V. M. Goldschmidt Conference

Topics considered include: Subduction of the Aseismic Cocos Ridge Displaced Magma Sources Beneath the Cordillera de Talamanca, Costa Rica; Topography of Transition Zone Discontinuities: A Measure of 'Olivine' Content and Evidence for Deep Cratonic Roots; Uranium Enrichment in Lithospheric Mantle: Case Studies from French Massif Central; Rare-Earth-Element Anomalies in the Decollement Zone of the nankai Accretionary Prism, Japan: Evidence of Fluid Flow?; Rare Earth Elements in Japanese Mudrocks: The Influence of Provenance; The Evolution of Seawater Strontium Isotopes in the Last Hundred Million Years: Reinterpretation and Consequences for Erosion and Climate Models; From Pat to Tats: The Lead Isotope Legacy in the Studies of the Continental Crust-Upper Mantle System; Geochronology of the Jack Hills Detrital Zircons by Precise Uranium-Lead Isotope-Dilution Analysis of Crystal Fragments; Iridium in the Oceans; The Helium-Heat-Lead Paradox; Control of Distribution Patterns of Heavy Metals in Ganga Plain Around Kanpur Region, India, by Fluvial Geomorphic Domains; Geochemical and Isotopic Features of Ferrar Magmatic Provience (Victoria Land, Antarctica); Rare Earth Elements in Marine Fine-Grained Sediments from the Northwestern Portuguese Shelf (Atlantic); Aspects of Arc Fluxes; General Kinetic Model for Dolomite Precipitation Rate with Application to the Secular History of Seawater Composition; High-Precision Uranium-series Chronology from Speleothems; Trace-Element Modeling of Aqueous Fluid-Peridotite Interaction in the Mantle Wedge of Subduction Zones; Rainfall Variations in Southeastern Australia over the Last 500,000 Years from Speleothem Deposition; The Role of Water in High-Pressure Fluids; The Kinetic Conditions of Metamorphic Minearogenesis: Evidence from Minerals and Assemblages.

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Genetic relations between the moon and meteorites

The moon is shown to have an oxygen isotope distribution similar to that of the earth and the differentiated meteorites (achondrites, mesosiderites, pallasites, irons) but, according to the same criterion, the moon is unrelated to the ordinary chondrites or carbonaceous chondrites. The principal differences between the inferred chemical composition of the moon and that of chondritic meteorites is the depletion of volatile and semivolatile elements, the enrichment of uranium by a factor of 10-15, and the enrichment of the source regions of mare basalts in LIL elements by a factor of 5-10. The reported data support the theory that the moon was formed by the capture of differentiated meteorites. Volatile-element depletion and 'refractory' element enrichment are considered.

Clayton, R. N.

U-Th-Pb and Rb-Sr measurements on some Apollo 14 lunar samples.

The concentrations of selected elements and elemental ratios in some Apollo 14 samples are presented in a table. Another table shows the isotopic composition of lead and strontium in some Apollo 14 samples. Graphs are provided with lead isotope ratio plots and a strontium evolution diagram. Rb-Sr ages are discussed together with isochron age methods of U-Th-Pb, a primary Pb-Pb isochron, a secondary Pb-Pb isochron, U-Pb concordia age relations, and U-Th-Pb concordia relations. Breccias and some soil samples as well as a basalt sample give evidence of significant enrichment of lead relative to uranium and thorium billions of years ago at the Fra Mauro site.

Tatsumoto, M.

Lead isotope systematics of mare basalt 75075

Uranium, thorium and isotopic lead data are reported for two bulk samples and separated pyroxene, ilmenite and plagioclase from basalt 75075. In a concordia diagram the whole rock, ilmenite and four pyroxene samples define a chord intersecting the concordia curve at approximately 4.25 and 2.8 AE. Three plagioclase samples plot distinctly off the chord. The crystallization age of 75075 is accurately determined at 3.74 AE by Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd and K-Ar measurements from other laboratories. It is not possible to adjust the isotopic composition of initial lead so as to reconcile the U-Pb data with a crystallization age of 3.74 AE. The data therefore indicate some type of post-crystallization disturbance of the U-Pb system that is not detected by the other systems. The 75075 data are one of the few examples of this type of age pattern found on the moon. If the disturbance was a single event, it probably occurred around 2.8 AE ago, the time indicated by the pyroxene, whole rock and ilmenite data.

Chen, J. H.

Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVI, Part 13

Contents include the following: A Fast, Non-Destructive Method for Classifying Ordinary Chondrite Falls Using Density and Magnetic Susceptibility. An Update on Results from the Magnetic Properties Experiments on the Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. Measurement Protocols for In Situ Analysis of Organic Compounds at Mars and Comets. Piping Structures on Earth and Possibly Mars: Astrobiological Implications. Uranium and Lead in the Early Planetary Core Formation: New Insights Given by High Pressure and Temperature Experiments. The Mast Cameras and Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) for the 2009 Mars Science Laboratory. MGS MOC: First Views of Mars at Sub-Meter Resolution from Orbit. Analysis of Candor Chasma Interior Layered Deposits from OMEGA/MEX Spectra. Analysis of Valley Networks on Valles Marineris Plateau Using HRSC/MEX Data. Solar Abundance of Elements from Neutron-Capture Cross Sections. Preliminary Evaluation of the Secondary Ion/Accelerator Mass Spectrometer, MegaSIMS. Equilibrium Landforms in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica: Implications for Landscape Evolution and Climate Change on Mars. Continued Study of Ba Isotopic Compositions of Presolar Silicon Carbide Grains from Supernovae. Paleoenviromental Evolution of the Holden-Uzboi Area. Stability of Magnesium Sulfate Minerals in Martian Environments. Tungsten Isotopic Constraints on the Formation and Evolution of Iron Meteorite Parent Bodies. Migration of Dust Particles and Volatiles Delivery to the Inner Planets. On the Sitting of Trapped Noble Gases in Insoluble Organic Matter of Primitive Meteorites. Trapping of Xenon Upon Evaporation-Condensation of Organic Matter Under UV Irradiation: Isotopic Fractionation and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Analysis. Stability of Water on Mars. A Didactic Activity. Analysis of Coronae in the Parga Chasma Region, Venus. Photometric and Compositional Surface Properties of the Gusev Crater Region, Mars, as Derived from Multi-Angle, Multi-Spectral Investigation of Mars Express HRSC Data. Mapping Compositional Diversity on Mars: Spatial Distribution and Geological Implications. A New Simulation Chamber for Studying Planetary Environments. Folded Structure in Terra Sirenum. Mars. Nitrogen-Noble Gas Static Mass Spectrometry of Genesis Collector Materials. Neon Isotope Heterogeneity in the Terrestrial Mantle: Implication for the Acquisition of Volatile Elements in Terrestrial Planets. The Cosmic Clock, the Cycle of Terrestrial Mass Extinctions.

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U-Pb ages and Sr, Pb and Nd isotope data for gneisses near the Kolar Schist Belt: Evidence for the juxtaposition of discrete Archean terranes

Uranium-lead ages and Sr, Pb, and Nd isotopic data for gneisses near the Kolar Schist Belt and their interpretation as evidence for the juxtaposition of discrete Archean terranes were presented. The granodioritic Kambha gneiss east of the schist belt has a zircon age of 2532 + or - 3 Ma and mantle-like initial Sr, Pb, and Nd isotopic ratios. Therefore these gneisses are thought to represent new crust added to the craton in the latest Archean. By contrast, more mafic Dod gneisses and leucocratic Dosa gneisses west of the schist belt (2632 + or - 7 and 2610 + or - 10 Ma) show evidence for contamination of their magmatic precursors (LREE-enriched mantle-derived for the Dod gneisses) by older (greater than 3.2 Ga) continental crust. Fragments of this older crust may be present as granitic and tonalitic inclusions in the 2.6-Ga gneisses and in shear zones. The antiquity of these fragments is supported by their Nd, Sr, and Pb isotopic compositions and by 2.8 to greater than 3.2 Ga zircon cores.

Krogstad, E. J.