| Abstract: | Abstract— We review the development of the I‐Xe technique and how its data are interpreted, and specify the best current practices. Individual mineral phases or components can yield interpretable trends in initial 129I/127I ratio, whereas whole‐rock I‐Xe ages are often hard to interpret because of the diversity of host phases, many of which are secondary. Varying standardizations in early work require caution; only samples calibrated against Shallowater enstatite or Bjurböle can contribute reliably to the emerging I‐Xe chronology of the early solar system. Although sparse, data for which I‐Xe and Mn‐Cr can be compared suggest that the two systems are concordant among ordinary chondrite samples. We derive a new age for the closure of the Shallowater enstatite standard of 4563.3 ± 0.4 Myr from the relationship between the I‐Xe and Pb‐Pb systems. This yields absolute I‐Xe ages and allows data from this and other systems to be tested by attempting to construct a common chronology of events in the early solar system. Absolute I‐Xe dates for aqueous and igneous processes are consistent with other systems. Consideration of the I‐Xe host phases in CAIs and dark inclusions demonstrates that here the chronometer records aqueous alteration of pre‐existing material. The ranges of chondrule ages deduced from the Al‐Mg and I‐Xe systems in Semarkona (LL3.0) and Chainpur (LL3.4) are consistent. Chainpur I‐Xe data exhibit a greater range of ages than Semarkona, possibly reflecting a greater degree of parent body processing. However individual chondrules show little or no evidence of such processing. Determining the host phase(s) responsible for high temperature correlations may resolve the issue. |
