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Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd Dating8/30/12. What are the principles behind Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd dating? What processes can these dating systems address? What are the main limitations of these methods?. Lecture outline: dating principles & techniques Beyond dating - tracking igneous processes - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd Dating 8/30/12
What are the principles behind Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd dating?
What processes can these dating systems address?
What are the main limitations of these methods?
Lecture outline:
1) dating principles & techniques
2) Beyond dating - tracking igneousprocesses
3) The seawater Sr, Nd isotopic curves
Photo of Fe-Ni (left) and chondritic (right) meteorites
87Rb-87Sr decay scheme
87Rb=27.83%85Rb=72.17%
88Sr=82.53%87Sr=7.04%86Sr=9.87%84Sr=0.56%
ALL STABLE
-decays to 87Sr by β-, half-life=48.8 billion years
What accounts for huge range in Rb/Sr ratios of rocks?1. Rb subsitutes for K in K-bearing minerals
while Sr substitutes for Ca in Ca-bearing minerals
2. Rb and Sr are fractionated by igneous processes: Rb tends to prefer melt (more “incompatible” than Sr)
Rb/Sr ratios for various rocks:Ultrabasic 0.2Basaltic 0.06Granites 0.25-1.7Shale 0.46Sandstone 3
Bottom line:High Rb/Sr rocks contain more 87SrLow Rb/Sr rocks contain less 87Sr
Igneous Processes and 87Sr/86Sr ratios
87Sr/86Sr ratios of igneous rocks:MORB 0.7025Continents 0.7119Ocean Islands >0.704vs.Meteorites 0.699
* Remember that 87Rb likes melt
MORB
87Rb-87Sr decay equation
So how do you determine the initial 87Sr/86Sr ratio?
Because igneous rocks are so heterogeneous,different mineral phases will have different Rb/Srratios, even though they have the same crystallizationage and the same 87Sr/86Sr initial.
87 87 87
86 86 86( 1)t
i
Sr Sr Rbe
Sr Sr Sr
measured measured
when you crystallize a rock,you will always have some Sr present
MANTLE87Sr/86Sr = 0.702
ROCK(87Sr/86Sr) i= 0.702
Rb/Sr=0.6
Rb/Sr=1.2Rb/Sr=0.8
t=T
ime
of
crys
talli
zatio
n
87Rb-87Sr isochrons
87 87 87
86 86 86( 1)t
i
Sr Sr Rbe
Sr Sr Sr
measured measured
when you crystallize a rock,you will always have some Sr present
Sample withlower [Rb]
A schematic Rb-Sr isochron
Sample withhigher [Rb]
If x=(87Rb/86Sr)m
And y=(87Sr/86Sr)m
We have y=b+mx
Where intercept b=(87Sr/86Sr)i
And slope m=(et-1)
Bushveld granite Rb-Sr isochron
More than just an age tool - tracking (87Sr/86Sr)i through time
BABI - Basaltic Achondrite Best Initial = Bulk Earth, undifferentiated
Rb-Sr isochronFrom meteorites
87Sr/86Sr ratios of igneous rocks:MORB 0.7025Continents 0.7119Ocean Islands >0.704T=4.5Ga
Questions:1. Why are all present-day (87Sr/86Sr)
values greater than BABI?2. Why are continental values the highest?
Age in Ga
0 1 2 3 4
(87S
r/86
Sr)
0.695
0.700
0.705
0.710
0.715
0.720
0.725
More than just an age tool - tracking (87Sr/86Sr)i through time
BABI
Average continental crust
MORB
early continental differentiation
continuing continental growth
continuing upper mantle depletion
Ocean islands
A rock’s (87Sr/86Sr)i value call tell you how enriched or depleted its mantle source was.i.e. (87Sr/86Sr)i = 0.7020 at 2Ga means a depleted source
How would you explain a (87Sr/86Sr)i value of 0.728 at 1.4Ga?
enriched
depleted
Rock-forming complexities and (87Sr/86Sr)i Ex: Mt. Shasta lavas span a wide range of Sr isotopic chemistries
As crystals form,Rb enriched in melt,eventually can get ultra-enriched (87Sr/86Sr)
Crystals form in magma chamber,Rb stays in melt
Or magma meltshost rock, whichhas high 87Sr/86Sr
Or magma chamberswith different historiesmix prior to eruption
Seawater (87Sr/86Sr) through time
Controls on Seawater SrIsotopic composition
Seawater Sr Isotopic Curve (as measured on old and young carbonates)
mountain-building
hydrothermalactivity
Himalayan uplift
Sr flux rate
Sr isotope ratio
Questions:Why is the river Sr isotope
value the highest?Why is the hydrothermal Sr isotope
value the lowest?Why is carbonate recrystallization Sr
isotope value equal to that of seawater?
Introduction to Rare Earth Elements- REE so named because we could not measure them until high-precision mass spec techniques developed
- all REE have 3+ charge, ionic radii decrease with increasing Z
- all REE are “incompatible” (they prefer the melt), but light REE are more incompatible (Nd prefers melt more than Sm)
147Sm-143Nd decay scheme
147Sm=15%4 other isotopes
143Nd=12.2%6 other isotopes
-decays to 143Nd by α, half-life=106 billion years
Sm/Nd ratios for terrestrial materials:garnet 0.539MORB 0.32seawater 0.211Shale 0.209Solar 0.31
Nd has a lower ionic potential (charge/radius) than Sm, so the bonds itforms are weaker. Nd is concentrated in melt, while Sm remains in solid.
So… High Sm/Nd rocks contain more 143NdLow Sm/Nd rocks contain less 143Nd
NOTE: Sm parent will be enriched in “depleted” sources (i.e. MORB)(opposite to Rb/Sr system, where parent enriched in continents)
143 143 147
144 144 144( 1)t
i
Nd Nd Sme
Nd Nd Nd
147Sm-143Nd isochrons
If x=(147Sm/144Nd)m
And y=(143Nd/144Nd)m
We have y=b+mx
Where interceptb=(143Nd/144Nd)i
And slope m=(et-1)
- measured by isotope dilution and mass spectrometry
virtually same equationas for Rb/Sr system
Epsilon Nd notation
CHUR = “Chonritic Uniform Reservoir”
- typically measured on chondritic meteorites (DePaulo and Wasserburg, 1976a)
- If CHUR and samples are measured in the same lab, then regardless of normalization and corrections, one can
compare εNd values
- also practical way to report very small Nd isotope changes (~0.0001)
- So what’s the ε value for CHUR?
CHUR model ages
- Nd isotope “model ages” can be calculated which represent the time of separation from CHUR evolution
- can also calculate an age from assuming a “depleted mantle” evolution (substitute DM Nd isotope values into equation below)
“Model Age” calculation:
Present-day ratios: 147Sm/144Nd 143Nd/144NdCHUR 0.1967 0.512638DM 0.222 0.713114
Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr cross-plots
Seawater Nd isotopic evolution
- Nd is not well-mixed in the ocean, because it has a short residence time (400-900yrs*)
Rt= total reservoir / (Σsinks)
- anything with a residence time shorter than the turnover time of the ocean (~1500y) will exhibit concentration and isotopic variability in seawater
- REE are extremely resistant to metamorphism, so can measure Nd isotopes in very old sediments, fish teeth, ferromanganese nodules, etc
- Nd isotope variations reflect large-scale tectonic history
Ferromanganese nodules on PacificOcean floor
*Alibo, D. S. and Nozaki, Y., 1999. Rare earth elements in seawater . . . Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 63: 363-372.
Seawater Nd isotopes and abrupt climate change
Piotrowski et al., EPSL 2004
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