The abundance of barium in stony meteorites

The concentration of Ba in 7 carbonaceous chondrites, 18 ordinary chondrites, 3 achondrites and 1 stony-iron meteorite has been determined by the stable isotope dilution technique using solid source mass spectrometry. Analysis of the C1 chondrite Orgueil indicates a small adjustment of the “cosmic” abundance of Ba to 4.2 on the Si=10⁶ abundance scale. The present work provides a more complete coverage of a number of meteorite classes than has so far been available for the abundance of Ba in stony meteorites.     

The isotopic composition and elemental abundance of lutetium in meteorites and terrestrial samples and the 176Lu cosmochronometer

The isotopic composition of lutetium has been measured in a range of terrestrial and meteoritic materials using solid-source mass spectrometric techniques. The meteoritic and terrestrial isotopic abundances are identical within experimental errors. The absolute ¹⁷⁵Lu/¹⁷⁶Lu ratio as determined in this work is 37.36 ± 0.07 at the 95% confidence level. On the basis of this measurement the atomic weight of lutetium has been calculated to be 174.967 ± 0.002, which is in good agreement with the currently accepted figure of 174.97 ± 0.01.Using the stable isotope dilution technique the abundance of lutetium has been determined in 25 stone, 1 stony-iron and 8 iron meteorites, and in 12 standard rocks, with an accuracy of ±5% at the 95% confidence level. In general, there is good agreement between this work and other published data.The ¹⁷⁶Lu-¹⁷⁶Hf pair has been proposed as an s process nucleocosmochronometer, because of the long half-life of ¹⁷⁶Lu and the unique fact that both are s process isobars. The isotopic and elemental abundances of lutetium as measured in this work have been used with published nuclear data to estimate the mean age of s process nucleosynthesis for this isobaric pair, using the Schramm-Wasserburg formalism. The mean age cannot be accurately determined at the present time because of the lack of 30 keV neutron capture cross-section data for s only process nuclides and an accurate measurement of the branching ratio of ¹⁷⁵Lu + n. However, it is possible to place constraints on the nuclear parameters in this mass region using a reasonable s process chronology based on the decay of ¹⁷⁶Lu.     

Constraints on the176Lu cosmochronometer

In an endeavour to resolve reported discrepancies in the value of the branching ratio of¹⁷⁶Lu at astrophysical energies, a new determineation of the¹⁷⁵Lu (nγ)^176mLu capture cross section has been measured as 958 ± 58 mb. This gives a value of the branching ratio of 0.21 ±0.05. This result indicates that some reequilibration of the ground and isomeric states of¹⁷⁶Lu occurs in stellar environments undergoing s-process nucleosynthesis, and confirms that¹⁷⁶Lu is not a reliable cosmochronometer. However the very existence of¹⁷⁶Lu in the solar system implies that the ground state of¹⁷⁶Lu was not completely depopulated, and provides the possibility of using this nuclide as a sensitive thermometer for stellar processes.     

Mass spectrometric isotope dilution analyses of cadmium in standard rocks

Cadmium has been determined in a range of silicate rock standards using the stable isotope dilution technique incorporating solid source mass spectrometry. Our recommended values are, in general, lower than the previously reported data.     

Granite ages within the Archaean Pilbara Block,Western Australia

Within the Pilbara Block of Western Australia, a complex of migmatite, gneissic and foliated granite near Marble Bar is intruded by a stock of younger massive granite (the Moolyella Granite) with which swarms of tin‐bearing pegmatites are associated. The age of the older granite has been determined by the Rb‐Sr method as 3,125 ± 366 m.y., and that of the Moolyella Granite as 2,670 ± 95 m.y. Initial Sr⁸⁷/Sr⁸⁶ ratios suggest that the older granite is close to primary crustal material, but that the Moolyella Granite consists of reworked material. It probably formed by partial remelting of the older granite.     

Revision of lunar Rb-Sr ages

Becalibration of ‘spikes’ using stoichiometric Rb and Sr salts recently issued by the National Bureau of Standards shows that our determinations of the ratio ${}^{87}\text{Rb}{}^{86}\text{Sr}$ in lunar samples have been low by 1.8 per cent, which we attribute to non-stoichiometry of the salts previously used for calibration, particularly RbCl. As a result, our lunar age-determinations must be decreased by this amount.     

Origin of the 3500-3300 Ma calc-alkaline rocks in the Pilbara Archaean: isotopic and geochemical constraints from the Shaw Batholith

Calc-alkaline plutonic rocks, intruded at 3450Ma, comprise a major component of the Shaw Batholith in the Archaean east Pilbara Block, Western Australia. New whole-rock Pb isotopic geochronology confirms the extent of these rocks, but a minor plutonic phase is dated at 3338±52 Ma and represents a second plutonic event of the same age as much of the nearby Mt Edgar Batholith. The Sm----Nd isotopic systematics of the 3450Ma rocks imply their derivation from a heterogeneous source, which probably included a slightly older crustal component as well as a depleted mantle component. The 3338±52 Ma pluton includes components derived from crustal sources older than 3600 Ma. The geochemistry and Sm---Nd isotopic systematics of these rocks are consistent with crustal growth in the early Archaean from upper mantle sources as depleted as the modern upper mantle. The Shaw Batholith calc-alkaline suites exhibit very similar chemical trends on variation diagrams to modern calc-alkaline plutonic rocks which can be modelled by a combination of mixing and fractionation. A suite collected from outcrops displaying prominent igneous layering shows distinct geochemical trends which can be modelled by differentiation into a component enriched in ferromagnesian minerals, principally hornblende, and possibly sphene, magnetite and epidote, and into a leucocratic component containing quartz, plagioclase and K-feld-par. These Archaean calc-alkaline plutonic rocks, in common with rocks from many other Archaean calc-alkaline provinces, exhibit very fractionated REE patterns with depleted HREE contents, a feature considered to result from equilibrium with garnet at depth in lower crustal regions. The geochemistry of the Pilbara Archaean calc-alkaline rocks is identical to the subset of modern continental-margin calc-alkaline plutonic rocks with fractionated REE patterns, such as those from the central and eastern Peninsular Ranges Batholith, western USA. The tectonic setting in which the Archaean calc-alkaline rocks formed is still not known. This reflects both uncertainty associated with the petrogenesis and environments of modern calc-alkaline rocks, as well as the limited knowledge of the precise timing and relationships of plutonic, depositional and tectonic events in the Pilbara Archaean.     

The Oklo natural reactor: Cumulative fission yields and retentivity of the symmetric mass region fission products

Solid source mass spectrometry has been used to determine the relative cumulative fission yields of five elements in three samples of uranium ore from reactor zones in the Oklo mine site. Eighteen fission chains covering the mass range from105 ≤ A ≤ 130 have been measured for Pd, Ag, Cd, Sn and Te. These measurements have enabled a number of nuclear parameters to be calculated including the relative proportions of²³⁵U,²³⁸U and²³⁹Pu involved in the fission process.The concentration of the five elements in the Oklo samples have also been measured using the stable isotope dilution technique. These values have then been compared to the estimates of the amount of these elements produced by fission under the conditions that are appropriate to the three samples. This procedure enables the retentivity of the elements in the reactor zones to be evaluated. Our work confirms the fact that Pd and Te are retained almost in their entirety in the samples, whereas the other three elements have been partially lost from the reactor site. Almost all the Cd fission products have been lost, and more than 50% of the Ag and Sn fission-produced material has been removed.     

The abundance of cadmium and zinc in meteorites

A stable isotope dilution technique using solid source mass spectrometry has been used to accurately determine Cd and Zn in a wide range of materials. The abundance of Cd has been determined in 19 iron, 28 stone and 1 stony-iron meteorites, together with a number of other samples. The abundance of Zn has also been determined for most of these samples. This has enabled the relationship between Cd and Zn to be examined in iron and stone meteorites. The abundance pattern of Zn in iron meteorites supports the existence of chemical groups.     

A NEW SPECIMEN OF THE MOUNT DOOLING IRON METEORITE FROM MOUNT MANNING,WESTERN AUSTRALIA

A 701 kg iron meteorite has recently been discovered near the Mount Manning Range in Western Australia. The meteorite has a fan-shaped or delta wing configuration, one side being smooth and slightly concave with a well-defined fusion crust, whilst the other side is rough, convex and possesses numerous regmaglypts. It is probable that the meteorite pentrated much of the earth's atmosphere in an aerodynamically stable orientation, typical of the stalled attitude of delta wing aircraft. The meteorite is a member of Chemical Group 1C. A comparison of the chemical composition, surface features, microstructure and location of this meteorite with the Mount Dooling meteorite confirms that the find is a larger specimen of Mount Dooling. It is possible that other fragments of the Mount Dooling meteorite may be found in the Mount Manning Range region.