Towards successful cleaning of chert samples for improved 10Be and 26Al measurements

Journal Article · 13 April 2019 · Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2019.03.030 · OSTI ID:1548380

Régis, Braucher ^[1]; Alan J., Hidy ^[2]; Ari, Matmon ^[3]; Didier, Bourlès ^[1]; Georges, Aumaître ^[1]; Karim, Keddadouche ^[1]

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1. Aix-Marseille Univ., and CNRS, Marseille (France). CEREG
2. Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Hebrew Univ. of Jerusalem (Israel)
3. Hebrew Univ. of Jerusalem (Israel)

In situ-produced cosmogenic ¹⁰Be and ²⁶Al measurements are widely applied in geomorphological studies and in archaeology and paleoanthropology as a chronologic tool applicable to the past 5 Ma. While most of these measurements are made from concentrates of quartz, a ubiquitous and resistant mineral, it is of great interest to extend this method to other silicates and particularly to the amorphous silicates whose purification may not be as straightforward. This paper presents a cleaning procedure that has been applied on ten samples of various siliceous rocks (chert, granite and quartzolite). The aim is to monitor the ¹⁰Be, ²⁷Al and ²⁶Al concentration evolution as a function of cleaning steps. While this protocol appears suitable for ¹⁰Be, when measuring ²⁶Al careful attention should be paid to ²⁷Al, whose concentration should be measured regularly to ensure that a constant value is achieved and most important, allowing measuring ²⁶Al/²⁷Al by AMS.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
• Grant/Contract Number: AC52-07NA27344
• OSTI ID: 1548380
• Alternate ID(s): OSTI ID: 1776884
• Report Number(s): LLNL-JRNL-745527; 930053
• Journal Information: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, Vol. 456, Issue C; ISSN 0168-583X
• Publisher: ElsevierCopyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English