K-Ar Ages of Granitic Magmatism and Related Pegmatite Formation at the Umanotani-Shiroyama Mine, Shimane Prefecture, SW Japan and Their Bearings on Cooling History

Abstract. The Umanotani-Shiroyama pegmatite deposits, the largest producer of K-feldspar and quartz in Japan, are of typical granitic pegmatite. Ilmenite-series biotite granite and granite porphyry, hosting the ore deposits, and biotites separated from these rocks yielded K-Ar ages ranging from 89.0 to 81.4 Ma and 95.2 to 93.7 Ma, respectively. Muscovite and K-feldspar separated from the ore zone yielded K-Ar ages with the range of 96.2 to 93.1 Ma and 87.3 to 80.7 Ma, respectively. Muscovites from quartz-muscovite veins in the ore zone and in the granite porphyry yielded K-Ar ages of 90.4 and 76.3 Ma, respectively. K-feldspar is much younger in age than coexisting muscovite. It is noted that the K-Ar ages of biotite separates and the whole-rock ages are identical to those of muscovite and K-feldspar in the ore zone, respectively. These time relations, as well as field occurrence, indicate that the formation of the pegmatite deposits at the Umanotani-Shiroyama mine is closely related in space and time to a series of granitic magmatism of ilmenite-series nature. Using closure temperatures of the K-Ar system for biotite and K-feldspar (microcline), cooling rate of the pegmatite deposits is estimated to be about 82C/m.y. at the beginning, but slowed down to about 15C/m.y. in the later period.     

Oxygen isotope exchange and closure temperatures in cooling rocks

Retrograde exchange of oxygen isotopes between minerals in igneous and metamorphic rocks by means of diffusion is explored using a finite difference computer model, which predicts both the zonation profile of δ¹⁸O within grains, and the bulk δ¹⁸O value of each mineral in the rock. Apparent oxygen isotope equilibrium temperatures that would be observed in these rocks are calculated from the δ¹⁸O values of each mineral pair within the rock. In systems which cool linearly from a sufficiently high temperature or at a low enough cooling rate, such that the final oxygen isotope values are not dependent upon the initial oxygen isotope values ('slow cooling'), the apparent oxygen isotope temperature derived for a rock composed of a single mineral pair can be shown to be simply related to the Dodson closure temperatures ( T _c) for the two phases and the mode of the rock. Adding a third phase into a system which undergoes 'slow' cooling will cause the apparent temperature derived for the two minerals already present to differ from the simple relationship for a two-phase system. In some systems oxygen isotope reversals can be developed. If cooling is not 'slow', then the mineral δ¹⁸O values resulting from cooling will be partly dependent upon the initial temperature of the system concerned. The model successfully simulates the mineral δ¹⁸O values that are often observed in granitic rocks. Application of the model will help in assessing the validity of oxygen isotope thermometry in different geological settings, and allows quantitative prediction of the oxygen isotope fractionations that are developed in cooling closed systems.     

Hydrothermal Alteration, Fluid Inclusion and Stable Isotope Studies of the North Roby Zone, Lac des Iles PGE Mine, Ontario, Canada

The Archean mafic–ultramafic complex of Lac des Iles, Ontario, Canada, hosts economic platinum group elements (PGE)-Au-Cu-Ni mineralization in the Roby Zone. All lithologies in the North Roby Zone have been affected by hydrothermal alteration. The alteration products include talc (the most dominant mineral), anthophyllite, serpentine, actinolite, tremolite, chlorite, hornblende, zoisite, clinozoisite, epidote and sericite. In the altered rocks, light rare earth elements (La, Ce, Nd, Sm), Pb, Rb, Ba, Cs, S and possibly Y have been added by hydrothermal solution whereas Eu and heavy rare earth elements (Yb, Gd, Dy, Er) remained immobile. There are five types of fluid inclusions in the pegmatitic plagioclase with homogenization temperature and salinity ranging from 240°C to 445°C and 15.37 to 48.52 wt% equivalent NaCl, respectively. The δ¹⁸O and δD of talc range form 6.2‰ to 6.9‰ and −28‰ to −48‰, respectively. δ¹⁸O and δD water in equilibrium with talc during the hydrothermal alteration suggest a modified source for the hydrothermal solution. Microthermometry and stable isotope studies suggest that high temperature–high salinity fluid was diluted by, and mixed with, low temperature–low salinity meteoric solution. This mechanism precipitated the hydrothermal assemblage and redistributed trace elements during and after pegmatite formation in the North Ruby Zone.     

The flow of surface-derived fluids through Alice Springs age middle-crustal ductile shear zones, Reynolds Range, central Australia

The south-east Reynolds Range, central Australia, is cut by steep north-west-trending Alice Springs age ( c. 334  Ma) shear zones that are up to hundreds of metres wide and several kilometres long with reverse senses of movement. Amphibolite facies (550–600  °C, 500–600  MPa) shear zones cut metapelites, while greenschist facies shear zones (420–535  °C, 400–650  MPa) cut metagranites. The sheared rocks commonly underwent metasomatism implying that the shear zones were the pathways of significant fluid flow. Altered granites within greenschist facies shear zones have gained Si and K but lost Ca and Na relative to their unsheared counterparts, suggesting that the fluid flowed down-temperature (and hence probably upward) through the shear zones. Time-integrated fluid fluxes calculated from silica addition are up to 2.1×10¹⁰ mol  m⁻² ( c. 4.2×10⁵  m³  m⁻²). Similar time-integrated fluid fluxes are also estimated from changes in K and Na. The sheared granitic rocks locally have δ¹⁸O values as low as 0 which is much lower than the δ¹⁸O values of the adjacent unsheared granites (7 to 9), implying that the fluid which flowed through these shear zones was derived from the surface. For the estimated time-integrated fluid fluxes, the fluids would be able to retain their isotopic signature for many tens to hundreds of kilometres. The flow of surface-derived fluids into the ductile middle crust, with subsequent expulsion upwards through the shear zones, may have been driven by seismic activity accompanying the Alice Springs deformation.     

Fluid inclusion evidence for basement decompression during Permo-Triassic extension, SE New England, USA

Abstract CO₂-bearing fluid inclusions in strongly lineated but weakly foliated late Precambrian gneisses within the Hope Valley Shear zone of Connecticut and Rhode Island are of mixed composition ( X _co2± 0.1; 7 wt% NaCl equivalent) and variable density (0.59–0.86 g/ml) and occur mainly as isolated inclusions. Also present are dilute (3 wt% NaCl equivalent) aqueous inclusions which occur on healed fractures related to greenschist facies retrograde metamorphism. Isochores for dense isolated CO₂-bearing inclusions indicate pressures of 7.5–9 kbar at 500–600° C, the estimated temperature conditions of peak metamorphism. Published ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar hornblende plateau age spectra indicate cooling through about 500° C at 265 ± 5 Ma. Isochores for low-density CO₂-bearing inclusions and aqueous inclusions intersect at the conditions of retrograde metamorphism (325–400° C) and indicate pressures of 3–4 kbar. Published ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar biotite plateau ages indicate cooling through about 300° C at 250 ± 5 Ma. These data define a P–T uplift curve for the region which is convex towards the temperature axis and indicate uplift rates between 0.4 and 3.3 mm/year in Permian time. Exhumation of basement gneisses was coeval with normal (west-down) motion along the regional basement–cover contact (Honey Hill–Lake Char–Willimantic fault system), and is interpreted as due to post-orogenic extensional collapse of the Alleghanian orogeny.     

Very high 18o enrichment in Archean cherts from South India: implications for Archean ocean temperature

Stable carbon and oxygen isotopic compositions of essentially unmetamorphosed Archean (> 2.6 Gyr old) cherts and carbonates of the Dharwar Sequence of southern India, from the northernmost part of the Dharwar-Shimoga supracrustal belt (Kalche and Nagargali), have been determined. The cherts from the Nagargali area, which preserve oolitic texture and cryptocrystalline silica, show highly enriched δ¹⁸O values ranging from 28 to 31.4%o relative to SMOW. Such values are the highest yet reported from Archean nondetrital sediments, but are similar to those of modern marine cherts. On the assumption of a seawater δ¹⁸O of 0%₀, calculation of temperature based on the maximum δ¹⁸O value of 31.4%₀ yields a value of 40°C. This is significantly less than 70–80°C reported for the Archean oceans based on cherts and chert-phosphate pairs. Diagenetically recrystallized microcrystalline chert-dolomite pairs of Kalche area exhibit a range of oxygen isotopic ratios similar to those reported for Archean cherts and carbonates from other parts of the world. The temperature of diagenesis is estimated to be about 68°C.     

Apatite fission track analysis in the Argentera massif: evidence of contrasting denudation rates in the External Crystalline Massifs of the Western Alps

Apatite fission track dating from a central transect in the Argentera massif (southernmost External Crystalline Massif = ECM) yielded ages between 8.05 ± 0.6 and 2.4 ± 0.2 Myr, with a positive age/altitude correlation above 3 Ma, 1200 m. Recognising a thermal peak at c . 250°C, 33 Ma, based on stratigraphic, metamorphic and ³⁹Ar/⁴⁰Ar data, the present results suggest a slow cooling rate (8–5°C) for the Argentera massif during the Oligocene–early Pliocene. This rate compares with that from the Pelvoux massif, but contrasts with those observed in the northern ECM (Mont-Blanc and Aar: up to 14°C Myr⁻¹) for the same time interval. This can be related to the different location of the ECM within the collided European margin. At about 3–4 Ma, the denudation rate would have increased up to c . 1 mm yr⁻¹ in the Argentera massif, reaching the same value as in the Belledonne and northern ECM, likely a consequence of Penninic thrust inversion.     

Stable isotopic signature of a palaeoaquifer, Mississippian Alamogordo Member limestones, Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico, USA

Nine stratigraphic sections, each ≈5 m thick, were sampled from the Alamogordo Member limestones of the Lake Valley Formation, Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico, USA. Four stratigraphic sections consist entirely of lime mudstone and wackestone, whereas the other five sections have a prominent layer of crinoidal packstone about 1 m thick at their base. Stable isotopic analyses reveal that the lime muds in the sections with basal packstone layers show a downward decrease in δ¹⁸O and constant δ¹³C values, whereas those in the sections solely composed of lime mudstone and wackestone have, in general, relatively uniform δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C values. The diagenesis of the Alamogordo Member limestones was previously believed to have been governed by the downward percolation of meteoric water from a regional pre-Pennsylvanian exposure surface ≈100 m above this unit. However, the uniform δ¹³C and downward decrease in δ¹⁸O values in the lime muds in the sections with basal packstones indicate that the meteoric water ascended within the Alamogordo Member, rather than descended from the overlying exposure surface. This indicates that the basal packstones were probably a conduit for meteoric water. This is further supported indirectly by the relatively uniform δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C values of the lime mud in the sections without basal packstones. The implications are that the oxygen isotopic gradients may be used to identify palaeoaquifers, flow directions within these aquifers and that meteoric diagenesis below an exposure surface could be governed by flow through a palaeoaquifer.     

Anti-clockwise P–T paths in the lower crust: an example from a kyanite-bearing regional aureole, George Sound, New Zealand

The George Sound Paragneiss (GSP) represents a rare Permo-Triassic unit in Fiordland that occurs as a km-scale pillar to gabbroic and dioritic gneiss of c . 120 Ma Western Fiordland Orthogneiss (WFO). It is distinguished from Palaeozoic paragneiss common in western Fiordland (Deep Cove Gneiss) by SHRIMP and laser-ablation U–Pb ages as young as c . 190 Ma and ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Lu >0.2828 for detrital zircon grains. The Mesozoic age of the GSP circumvents common ambiguity in the interpretation of Cretaceous v. Palaeozoic metamorphic assemblages in the Deep Cove Gneiss. A shallowly dipping S₁ foliation is preserved in the GSP distal to the WFO, cut by 100 m scale migmatite contact zones. All units preserve a steeply dipping S₂ foliation. S₁ staurolite and sillimanite inclusions in the cores of metapelitic garnet grains distal to the WFO preserve evidence for prograde conditions of T  <   650 °C and P <  8 kbar. Contact aureole and S₂ assemblages include Mg-rich, Ca-poor cores to garnet grains in metapelitic schist that reflect WFO emplacement at ≈760 °C and ≈6.5 kbar. S₂ kyanite-bearing matrix assemblages and Ca-enriched garnet rims reflect ≈650 °C and ≈11 kbar. Poorly oriented muscovite–biotite intergrowths and rare paragonite reflect post-S₂ high- P retrogression and cooling. Pseudosection modelling in NCKFMASH defines a high- P anti-clockwise P–T history for the GSP involving: (i) mid- P amphibolite facies conditions; preceding (ii) thermal metamorphism adjacent to the WFO; followed by (iii) burial to high- P and (iv) high- P cooling induced by tectonic juxtaposition of cooler country rock.     

Stable isotope study of carbonate sediments from the Coorong Area, South Australia

ABSTRACT
The mineralogy and isotope geochemistry of carbonate minerals in the Coorong area are determined by the water chemistry of different depositional environments ranging from seawater to evaporitically modified continental water. The different isotopic compositions of coexisting calcite and dolomite suggest that each of the above two minerals was formed from water of composition and origin unique to that specific mineral. In addition, the dolomite was not formed by simple solid state cation exchange.
The occurrence of two types of dolomite was shown by isotope analysis and SEM observations. The dolomite, which is isotopically light (δ¹³C = -1 to -2% 0 ; δ¹⁸O=+3 to +5%₀) and of fine grain size (˜ 0·5 μm) probably precipitated under the influence of evaporitically modified continental water. Coarser grained dolomite (up to 4 μm) is isotopically heavier (δ¹³C=+3 to +4%₀; δ¹⁸O=+5 to + 6%₀) contains Mg in excess of Ca and was formed in or close to equilibrium with atmospheric CO² probably by the dolomitization of aragonite.     

40Ar/39Ar Constraints on the tectonic history and architecture of the ultrahigh-pressure Sulu orogen

New ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages are presented from the giant Sulu ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) terrane and surrounding areas. Combined with U-Pb ages, Sm-Nd ages, Rb-Sr ages, inclusion relationships, and geological relationships, they help define the orogenic events before, during and after the Triassic collision between the Sino–Korean and Yangtze Cratons. In the Qinling microcontinent, tectonism occurred between 2.0 and 1.4 Ga. The UHP metamorphism occurred in the Yangtze Craton between 240 and 222 Ma; its thermal effect on the Qinling microcontinent was limited to partial resetting of K-feldspar ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages. Subsequent unroofing at rates of 5–25 km Myr⁻¹ brought the UHP terrane to crustal levels where it underwent a relatively short amphibolite facies metamorphism. The end of that metamorphism is marked by ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages in the 219–210 Ma range, implying cooling at crustal depths at rates of 50–200 °C Myr⁻¹. Ages in the 210–170 Ma range may reflect protracted cooling or partial resetting by Jurassic or Cretaceous magmatism. Jurassic 166–149 Ma plutonism was followed by cooling at rates of c. 15 °C Myr⁻¹, suggesting relatively deep crustal conditions, whereas Cretaceous 129–118 Ma plutonism was succeeded by cooling at rates of c. 50 C Myr⁻¹, suggesting relatively shallow crustal depths.     

Oxygen and hydrogen isotope study of minerals from metapelitic rocks, staurolite to sillimanite zones, Mica Creek, British Columbia

Abstract Oxygen and hydrogen isotope analyses have been made of coexisting quartz, ilmenite, muscovite, and biotite from Late Precambrian metapelitic rocks, staurolite-kyanite to K-feldspar-muscovite-sillimanite zones, from Mica Creek, British Columbia. The δ¹⁸O and †D values of these minerals are generally uniform and do not decrease significantly with increasing metamorphic grade. This implies that there has not been significant infiltration of deep crustal, possibly magmatic, fluids into the metapelites that has been suggested for other high-grade metamorphic terranes. The uniformity of oxygen isotope compositions of the Mica Creek metapelite rocks may reflect isotopic uniformity in the sedimentary protolith rather than widespread exchange with an isotopically homogeneous metamorphic pore fluid.
Temperature estimates based upon ¹⁸O exchange thermometry for samples below the sillimanite zone are in reasonable agreement with the results of garnet-biotite Fe–Mg exchange thermometry. In the higher grade rocks, the oxygen isotope and garnet-biotite thermometry yield results which disagree by about 100°C. The highest temperatures recorded by oxygen isotope thermometry, 595°C, are at least 60°C below the minimum temperatures required by phase equilibria. These discrepancies appear to result from pervasive equilibrium retrograde exchange of oxygen isotopes between coexisting minerals. In addition, there are problems with calibration of garnet-biotite thermometry at higher temperatures. Retrograde oxygen isotope exchange may be a general characteristic of high-grade metamorphic rocks and oxygen isotope thermometry may not usually record peak metamorphic temperatures if they significantly exceed 600°C.     

Geochemical Characteristics of the Akiyoshi Limestones, Japan and Their Bearing on Exploration for Blind Skarn Deposits

Abstract. Carboniferous-Permian limestones of the Akiyoshi Plateau, in the Inner Zone of southwestern Japan, are composed of essentially pure calcium carbonate containing only small amounts of other elements, and they are accompanied by marble and copper skarn deposits near the contact with late Cretaceous granitoids. The δ¹⁸O values of the Akiyoshi limestones range widely from 7.6 to 28.3% and are mostly lower than those of other areas of the same age (23–29%), whereas the differences among the δ¹³C values are small. The δ¹⁸O values are negatively correlated with Mn and Fe contents. Samples with high δ¹⁸O (>25%) and δ¹³C (>2%) values do not contain Fe, Zn, or Pb, but those with low δ¹⁸O values tend to be rich in these elements, indicating that these elements were introduced by interaction with H₂O dominant fluids, possibly of magmatic origin. Potential scores for evaluating the degree of interaction with hydro thermal fluids were calculated for δ¹⁸O, δ¹³C, Fe, Mn, Zn, Pb, and Sr. Higher scores implying much hydrothermal interaction were evident in the Mt. Hananoyama area, where there are many skarn deposits, and along faults oriented mainly NNW-SSE. Therefore, these are promising areas for exploring for blind deposits. It is likely that the hydrothermal fluid traveled through the limestones along fractures at the time of the granitic intrusions. However, the potential scores here are much smaller than those in the Pb-Zn mineralized area of the Kamioka mine, so more detailed petrological and mineralogical investigations are necessary.     

Timing of the Mineralization and Volcanism at Cibaliung Gold Deposit, Western Java, Indonesia

Abstract. The Cibaliung deposit is a low-sulfidation type epithermal gold deposit situated about 70 km west of the Bayah dome complex. The gold-bearing quartz veins are hosted by basaltic andesite of the Honje Formation, which is comparable to the host rock of gold deposits at the Bayah dome complex.
In order to clarify the timing of the mineralization and the volcanism at the Cibaliung area, two radiometric dating methods were applied. First, ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating was conducted on six adularia samples to elucidate the age of mineralization. Second, K-Ar method was applied to two samples of the host rock, andesite and the Cibaliung tuff, in order to reveal the timing of volcanism.
The ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating determined mineralization ages in the range from 11.18 to 10.65 Ma while the K-Ar dating indicated the age of the andesite and the Cibaliung tuff to be 11.4±0.8 Ma and 4.9±0.6 Ma, respectively. These results imply that the epithermal gold mineralization in the Cibaliung area is related to the volcanic activity that produced the Honje Formation, while the Cibaliung tuff played an important role in the preservation of the Cibaliung deposit. The Cibaliung deposit is the oldest epithermal gold deposit yet discovered in western Java.     

Tectonothermal evolution of high-alumina rocks within the Protogine Zone, southern Sweden

Abstract The Protogine Zone comprises a system of anastomosing deformation zones which approximately parallel the eastern boundary of the Sveconorwegian (1200–900 Ma) province in south-west Sweden. Ages of granulite facies metamorphism in the Sveconorwegian province require exhumation from c . 30 to 35 km crustal depths after 920–880 Ma. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹ Ar cooling ages are presented for muscovite from high-alumina rocks formed by hydrothermal leaching associated with the Protogine Zone. Growth of fabric-defining minerals was associated with a ductile deformational event; muscovite from these rocks cooled below argon retention temperatures ( c . 375 ± 25° C) at c . 965–955 Ma. Muscovite from granofels in zones of intense alteration indicates that temperatures > 375 ± 25° C were maintained until c . 940 Ma. Textural relations of Al₂SiO₅ polymorphs and chloritoid suggest that dated fabrics formed during exhumation. The process of exhumation, brittle overprint on ductile structures and hydrothermal activity along faults within the Protogine Zone tentatively are interpreted as the peripheral effects of initial Neoproterozoic exhumation of the granulite region of south-western Sweden.
Muscovite in phyllonites associated with the 'Sveconorwegian thrust system'cooled below argon retention temperatures at c . 927 Ma. Exhumation associated with this cooling could have been related to extension and onset of brittle-ductile deformation superimposed on Sveconorwegian contraction.     

Geochemical Process of Gas Hydrate Formation in the Nankai Trough Based on Chloride and Isotopic Anomalies in Interstitial Water

Abstract: Interstitial water expelled from gas hydrate-bearing and -free sediments in the Nankai Trough are analyzed in terms of Cl-, SO₄²-, δ¹⁸O and δD. The baselines for the Cl- concentration and δ¹⁸O value are close to seawater values (530 mM and 0%), indicating that the interstitial water is of seawater origin. The δD values decrease with depth, implying isotopic exchange of hydrogen between upwelling biogenic methane depleted in D and interstitial water. The Cl- concentrations in gas hydrate-bearing sediments are anomalously low, while the δ¹⁸O and δD values are both high, suggesting that the water forming these gas hydrates was poor in Cl- and enriched in ¹⁸O and D during gas hydrate formation. Calculation of the gas hydrate saturations using Cl "and δ¹⁸O anomalies gives results of up to 80 % in sand, and shows that the δ¹⁸O baseline is not consistent with the Cl" baseline. The δ¹⁸O baseline increases by +1% in gas hydrate-free clay and silt. This is considered to be caused by clustering of water molecules after gas hydrate dissociation in response to the upward migration of the base of gas hydrate stability, as indicated by the presence of a double bottom-simulating reflector at this site. The water clusters enriched in ¹⁸O are responsible for the increase in the δ¹⁸O baseline with normal Cl". The abrupt shallowing of the base of gas hydrate stability may induce the dissociation of gas hydrates and the accumulation of gases in the new stability zone, representing a geological process that increases gas hydrate saturation.     

The isotopic composition of oxygen and carbon in the subfossil mollusc shells of the Baltic Sea as an indicator of palaeosalinity

The carbon (δ¹³ C) and oxygen (δ¹⁸O) isotopic composistion in mollusc shells in mainly determined by the isotopic composition of water and dissolved bicarbonate. The δ¹⁸O values of water show a good correlation with the salinity of the Baltic. This correlation served as a basis for reconstructing palaeosalinity and for stratifying the marine sediments according to the δ¹⁸O values of the carbonate skeletons of subfossil shells. The δ¹³C values in shells are mainly determined by the isotopic composition of land-originating bicarbonate, especially in the carbonate skeleton of Lymnaea balthica , which inhabits the immediate coastal zone. According to the δ¹⁸O data, salinity in the investigated area (the coastal area of W and NW Estonia) was highest (about 9–11%) during the Littorina stage. The Limnae a stage had, in general, a salinity similar to the contemporary one, but during some phases possibly exceeding it by 2–3%.     

Refinements in BaSO4 to CO2 Preparation and δ18 O Calibration of the Sulfate Reference Materials NBS-127, IAEA SO-5 and IAEA SO-6

Refinements have been made to achieve over 99% yield in the conversion of CO to CO₂ in order to improve the reproducibility and accuracy of δ¹⁸ O measurements in sulfates. BaSO₄ (10-15 mg) was mixed with an identical amount of spectrographic-grade graphite and loaded into a Pt boat. The mixture was gradually heated to 1100 °C to reduce sulfate to CO and CO₂; the former gas was simultaneously converted to CO₂ by a glow discharge between Pt electrodes immersed in a magnetic field (produced by a pair of external neodymium magnets). A small memory effect was noticed during the analysis (less than 0.3‰ per 10‰ difference in δ¹⁸ O between two subsequently analysed samples). The memory effect, however, was suppressed by repetitive preparation of the same specimen. CO₂ produced in this way from sulfate reference samples was analysed on a dual inlet and triple collector mass spectrometer along with CO₂ equilibrated with VSMOW, GISP and SLAP water reference samples. To avoid large departures of measured isotope ratios from ¹⁸O/¹⁶O of the working calibrator we used CO₂ gas prepared from ocean water sulfate for this purpose. The calibrated δ¹⁸ O values (in ‰) obtained in this way for NBS-127, IAEA SO-5 and IAEA SO-6 reference materials were 8.73 ± 0.05, 12.20 ± 0.07 and -10.43 ± 0.12, respectively.     

New Constraints on Ages of Glasses Proposed as Reference Materials for Fission-Track Dating

New analyses have been performed in order to enhance the data-set on the independent ages of four glasses that have been proposed as reference materials for fission-track dating. The results are as follows. Moldavite - repeated ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age determinations on samples from deposits from Bohemia and Moravia yielded an average of 14.34 ± 0.08 Ma. This datum agrees with other recent determinations and is significantly younger than the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age of 15.21 ± 0.15 Ma determined in the early 1980s. Macusanite (Peru) -four K-Ar ages ranging from 5.44 ± 0.06 to 5.72 ± 0.12 Ma have been published previously. New ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages gave an average of 5.12 ± 0.04 Ma. Plateau fission-track ages determined using the IRMM-540 certified glass and U and Th thin films for neutron fluence measurements agree better with these new ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages than the previously published ages. Roccastrada glass (Italy) - a new ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age, 2.45 ± 0.04 Ma, is consistent with previous determinations. The Quiron obsidian (Argentina) is a recently discovered glass that has been proposed as an additional reference material for its high spontaneous track density (around 100 000 cm^-2). Defects that might produce "spurious" tracks are virtually absent. An independent ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age of 8.77 ± 0.09 Ma was determined and is recommended for this glass. We believe that these materials, which will be distributed upon request to fission-track groups, will be very useful for testing system calibrations and experimental procedures.     

Palynological and oxygen isotope investigations on Late-Glacial sediment cores from Swiss lakes

Results from detailed pollen and ¹⁸O/¹⁶O studies on two sediment profiles from small Swiss lakes are reported. ¹⁸O/¹⁶O records in lacustrine carbonate contain paleoclimatic information because they reflect mainly the isotope ratio in rain and snow which is correlated to temperature. Several transitions between different climatic periods determined palyno-logically are also indicated by marked changes in the isotope ratios in both profiles, namely the transitions Oldest Dryas - Bøiling and Allerød - Younger Dryas - Preboreal. ¹⁸o/¹⁶O was 2 to 3 %0 lower during Younger Dryas than during the adjacent periods, corresponding to a temperature drop of a few degrees Centigrade according to a tentative estimate.