Dating techniques strontium isotope

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. 

Artifact exportation limits, 506-507 Augustus. See Octavian Australia, Katipiri Formation, ESR dating of teeth, 3,5,61 Ayacucho, strontium isotope ratios, modem guinea pigs, 104-106 Aztec human sacrifices, sex determination by aDNA techniques, 79-80... 

The duration of chemical exchange between seawater and basalt can also be determined by isotopic studies of hydrothermal minerals. A variety of techniques have been used, ranging from direct dating by K/Ar and Rb/Sr isochron techniques to comparisons of the initial strontium isotopic composition of alteration minerals with the isotopic evolution of seawater (Gallahan and Duncan, 1994 Richardson et al., 1980). 

There are two basic ways to apply the 87Rb-87Sr technique to natural samples. The original method is to simply measure the isotopic composition of strontium and the abundance of rubidium in a rock and then calculate a date. If the rock contains no common strontium, a date can be calculated from ... 

The rubidium isotope Rb is radioactive and makes up 27.8% of all natural rubidium. Because of that it is used in the rubidium/strontium technique for dating rocks. 

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