Apatite dating

Absolute age dating using apatite is only possible in very restricted circumstances and has been applied to volcanic and shallow intrusive rocks, meteorite impact events and contact metamorphism. The fundamental requirement is that samples cooled rapidly and subsequently remained thermally undisturbed and close to or at the surface. Due to its relatively low uranium content and restricted occurrence, apatite dating of Quaternary... 

Hassan, A. A., Termine, J.D. and Haynes, C.V. 1977 Mineralogical studies on bone apatite and their implications for radiocarbon dating. Radiocarbon 19 364-374. 

Johnson, K. (1997), Chemical dating of bones based on diagenetic changes in bone apatite, /. Archaeol. Sci. 24, 431-437. 

Hass, H., Banewics, J. J., Radiocarbon Dating of Bone Apatite Using Thermal Release of C02, Radiocarbon, 1980, in press. 

Protein comprises about 10% by weight of the organic matrix. The proteins are phosphorylated, and are enriched in aspartic acid, glutamic acid and glycine. Some of the proteins and the chitin are intimately associated. The carbonated apatite layer contains much more protein than the magnetite layer [22]. To date, nothing is known about the individual proteins within the framework. 

Wilhgers B. J. A., Baker J. A., Krogstad E. J., and Peate D. W. (2002) Precise and accurate in situ Pb-Pb dating of apatite, monazite, and sphene by laser ablation multiple-collector ICP-MS. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 66, 1051-1066. 

---