Isotopic dating

At middle and southern European latitudes, farther from the immediate impact of glacier advances and retreats, well-dated isotope records from speleothems from widely spaced caves allow comparison of regional climate shifts. McDermott et al. (1999) found, for example that early Holocene warm conditions prevailed on the Atlantic seaboard (southern Ireland) while relatively cool conditions occurred in the Mediterranean region of southern France. At 3500 years these conditions were shown to reverse. In the eastern Mediterranean, oxygen and carbon isotope ratios have been used to determine wet and dry periods (Frumkin et al., 1994 Frumkin et al., 1999a, b Bar-Matthews et al., 1996). The wetter climate of the Holocene is recorded in the speleothems. 

Examples of useful dating isotopes are listed in Table 10.3. 

The isotopes, and give complementary information to this problem. The radiocarbon dating isotope with its nuclear half life of 5730 y, clearly allows to differentiate between fossil and biospheric feedstocks (98). 

SIMS is used to determine isotopic ratios and to date isotope-containing solid samples. SIMS uses a high-energy (approximately 10 kV) primary ion beam to sputter secondary atomic, molecular, and molecular... 

Keep a record of dates, isotopes and approximate activity. Some institutions require separation of isotopes. 

Carbon has seven isotopes. In 1961 the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry adopted the isotope carbon-12 as the basis for atomic weights. Carbon-14, an isotope with a half-life of 5715 years, has been widely used to date such materials as wood, archaeological specimens, etc. 

Monna and co-workers studied the use of radioactive isotopes as a means of dating sediments collected from the bottom of lakes and estuaries. To verify this method they analyzed a 208po standard known to have an activity of 77.5 decays/min, obtaining the following results... 

One example of a characterization application is the determination of a sample s age based on the kinetics for the decay of a radioactive isotope present in the sample. The most common example is carbon-14 dating, which is used to determine the age of natural organic materials. 

Other isotopes can be used to determine the age of samples. The age of rocks, for example, has been determined from the ratio of the number of radioactive atoms to the number of stable gfPb atoms produced by radioactive decay. For rocks that do not contain uranium, dating is accomplished by comparing the ratio of radioactive fgK to the stable fgAr. Another example is the dating of sediments collected from lakes by measuring the amount of g Pb present. 

This accurate measurement of the ratio of abundances of isotopes is used for geological dating, estimation of the ages of antiquities, testing athletes for the use of banned steroids, examining fine details of chemical reaction pathways, and so on. These uses are discussed in this book under various headings concerned with isotope ratio mass spectrometry (see Chapters 7, 14, 15, 16, 17, 47, and 48). 

Isotopes of an element are formed by the protons in its nucleus combining with various numbers of neutrons. Most natural isotopes are not radioactive, and the approximate pattern of peaks they give in a mass spectrum can be used to identify the presence of many elements. The ratio of abundances of isotopes for any one element, when measured accurately, can be used for a variety of analytical purposes, such as dating geological samples or gaining insights into chemical reaction mechanisms. 

By using K/Ar isotope ratios, potassium-containing rocks can be dated to their first formation, even through millions of years. 

Accurate, precise isotope ratio measurements are important in a wide variety of applications, including dating, examination of environmental samples, and studies on drug metabolism. The degree of accuracy and precision required necessitates the use of special isotope mass spectrometers, which mostly use thermal ionization or inductively coupled plasma ionization, often together with multiple ion collectors. 

Special isotope ratio mass spectrometers are needed to measure the small variations, which are too small to be read off from a spectrum obtained on a routine mass spectrometer. Ratios of isotopes measured very accurately (usually as 0/00, i.e., as parts per 1000 [mil] rather than parts per 100 [percent]) give information on, for example, reaction mechanisms, dating of historic samples, or testing for drugs in metabolic systems. Such uses are illustrated in the main text. 

Accurate, precise isotope ratio measurements are used in a variety of applications including dating of artifacts or rocks, studies on drug metabolism, and investigations of environmental issues. Special mass spectrometers are needed for such accuracy and precision. 

Most chemical iavestigations with plutonium to date have been performed with Pu, but the isotopes Pu and Pu (produced by iatensive neutron irradiation of plutonium) are more suitable for such work because of their longer half-Hves and consequendy lower specific activities. Much work on the chemical properties of americium has been carried out with Am, which is also difficult to handle because of its relatively high specific alpha radioactivity, about 7 x 10 alpha particles/(mg-min). The isotope Am has a specific alpha activity about twenty times less than Am and is thus a more attractive isotope for chemical iavestigations. Much of the earher work with curium used the isotopes and Cm, but the heavier isotopes... 

Among the rarest of all meteorites are the lunar meteorites. Isotopic, mineralogical, and compositional properties of these samples provide positive identification as lunar samples because of the unique properties of lunar materials that have been discovered by extensive analyses of lunar materials returned by the manned ApoUo and unstaffed Luna missions. AH but one of the lunar meteorites that have been found to date have been recovered from Antarctica. 

Radiocarbon dating (43) has probably gained the widest general recognition (see Radioisotopes). Developed in the late 1940s, it depends on the formation of the radioactive isotope and its decay, with a half-life of 5730 yr. After forms in the upper stratosphere through nuclear reactions of... 

Trace-element analysis of metals can give indications of the geographic provenance of the material. Both emission spectroscopy (84) and activation analysis (85) have been used for this purpose. Another tool in provenance studies is the measurement of relative abundances of the lead isotopes (86,87). This technique is not restricted to metals, but can be used on any material that contains lead. Finally, for an object cast around a ceramic core, a sample of the core material can be used for thermoluminescence dating. 

Rhenium, atomic wt 186.2, occurs in nature as two nucHdes Re [14391-28-7] mass 184.9530, in 37.500% abundance and Re [14391-29-8], mass 186.9560, in 62.500% abundance. The latter isotope is radioactive, emitting very low energy radiation and having a half-life estimated at 4.3 ( 0.5) X 10 ° yr. The radioactive decay of this isotope has been used to date accurately the time of Earth s formation. 

Rubidium-87 emits beta-particles and decomposes to strontium. The age of some rocks and minerals can be measured by the determination of the ratio of the mbidium isotope to the strontium isotope (see Radioisotopes). The technique has also been studied in dating human artifacts. Rubidium has also been used in photoelectric cells. Rubidium compounds act as catalysts in some organic reactions, although the use is mainly restricted to that of a cocatalyst. 

Thorium isotope concentrations and ratios, as well as parent and daughter isotope concentrations, are used to date and study the formation and metamorphosis of rocks and sediments. For example, has been used to date coral reef terraces (4). / Th disequiUbria and Th/ Th... 

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