THE HELIUM AND NEON CONCENTRATION IN STONE METEORITES AND THEIR RADIOGENIC AND COSMOGENIC AGES

Journal Article · Sat Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1962 · Zeitschrift fuer Naturforschung (West Germany) Divided into Z. Nautrforsch., A, and Z. Naturforsch., B: Anorg. Chem., Org. Chem., Biochem., Biophys.,

OSTI ID:4750041

Hintenberger, H; Koenig, H; Waenke, H

The total content as well as the isotopic composition of helium and neon of 19 chondrites and 5 achondrites were determined. A description of the analytical method is given. Large variations of the ratios He/sup 3/Ne/sup 21/ were observed and it is shown that these variations cannot be explained by differences in the chemical compositions of the meteorites only. Radiogenic helium ages and cosmic ray exposure ages were calculated. The calculation of the helium ages was mainly based on uranium determinations by means of the xenon- method previously developed in this laboratory. The radiogenic helium ages range from 0.42 x 1O/sup 9/ to 4.5 x 10 years. The values obtained for the helium ages are compared with the figures for the potassiumargon ages formerly derived by a neutron activation method newly developed and of those stated in the literature. It turns out that in most cases the radiogenic helium ages are lower, sometimes considerably lower than the potassiumargon ages indicating diffusion loss of helium and certainly in smaller quantities also of argon. Using tritium and sodium-22 decay rates from the literature for the calculations of the production rates for helium-3 and neon-22, cosmic ray exposure ages for all the meteorites analyzed were obtained. These exposure ages vary between 0 3 x 10/sup 6/ and 29 x 10/sup 6/ years. No correlation between radiogenic ages and cosmic ray exposure ages and no grouping of the exposure ages were found. (auth)

• Research Organization: Max-Planck-Institut fur Chemie, Mainz
• NSA Number: NSA-17-014518
• OSTI ID: 4750041
• Journal Information: Zeitschrift fuer Naturforschung (West Germany) Divided into Z. Nautrforsch., A, and Z. Naturforsch., B: Anorg. Chem., Org. Chem., Biochem., Biophys.,, Journal Name: Zeitschrift fuer Naturforschung (West Germany) Divided into Z. Nautrforsch., A, and Z. Naturforsch., B: Anorg. Chem., Org. Chem., Biochem., Biophys., Vol. Vol: 17a; ISSN ZNTFA
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: German

Related Subjects

ACHONDRITES
ACTIVATION ANALYSIS
AGE ESTIMATION
ARGON
COSMIC RADIATION
DECAY
DIFFUSION
DISTRIBUTION
GEOLOGY, MINERALOGY, AND METEOROLOGY
HELIUM
HELIUM 3
IRRADIATION
ISOTOPES
LOSSES
METEORITES
NEON
NEON 21
NEON 22
NEUTRONS
POTASSIUM
QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS
QUANTITY RATIO
SODIUM 22
TRITIUM
URANIUM
VARIATIONS
XENON