A New Multi-Mineral Age Reference Material for 40Ar/39Ar, (U-Th)/He and Fission Track Dating Methods: The Limberg t3 Tuff

The phonolitic Limberg t3 tephra (Kaiserstuhl Volcanic Complex, Germany) was previously dated by the conventional K/Ar method yielding inconsistent results. We have re-dated this tephra layer with three independent methods. Fission Track (FT) external detector analyses on single apatite crystals (16.8 ± 1.3 Ma, 2s) and (U-Th)/He measurements on titanite and apatite (16.5 ± 1.0 Ma, 2s and 16.8 ± 1.0 Ma, 2s, respectively) are in close agreement with laser Ar/Ar dates on incrementally heated single crystals of sanidine (16.3 ± 0.4 Ma, 2s). Due to very rapid cooling, the He, FT and Ar thermochronometers provide one single age representing the eruption event. The different minerals are characterised by favourable properties with respect to their chemical composition, grain size and shape. In particular for the t3 sanidine, homogeneity has been demonstrated by electron microprobe analysis and on a grain-to-grain and grain-internal scale by single crystal incremental laser heating. Based on the agreement between independent methods and the mineral yield of this unit, the Limberg t3 tephra is proposed as multi-method age reference material for single grain laser Ar/Ar, FT and (U-Th)/He dating.