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Novel calibration for LA-ICP-MS-based fission-track thermochronology

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Abstract

We present a novel age-equation calibration for fission-track age determinations by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. This new calibration incorporates the efficiency factor of an internal surface, [ηq]is, which is obtained by measuring the projected fission-track length, allowing the determination of FT ages directly using the recommended spontaneous fission decay constant. Also, the uranium concentrations in apatite samples are determined using a Durango (Dur-2, 7.44 μg/g U) crystal and a Mud Tank (MT-7, 6.88 μg/g U) crystal as uranium reference materials. The use of matrix-matched reference materials allows a reduction in the uncertainty of the uranium measurements to those related to counting statistics, which are ca. 1 % taking into account that no extra source of uncertainty has to be considered. The equations as well as the matrix-matched reference materials are evaluated using well-dated samples from Durango, Fish Canyon Tuff, and Limberg as unknown samples. The results compare well with their respective published ages determined through other dating methods. Additionally, the results agree with traditional fission-track ages using both the zeta approach and the absolute approach, suggesting that the calibration presented in this work can be robustly applied in geological context. Furthermore, considering that fission-track ages can be determined without an age standard sample, the fission-track thermochronology approach presented here is assumed to be a valuable dating tool.

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Acknowledgments

This work was founded by Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP, Brazil) and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq, Brazil). The authors thank Dr. Richard Ketcham and an anonymous reviewer for their comments and suggestions which helped to improve this manuscript. We thank Dr. Eleanor Green for helping with language editing. Finally, we thank Dr. Raymond Jonckheere for providing the Limberg sample.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Geowissenschaften, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Johann-Joachim-Becher-Weg 21, 55128, Mainz, Germany

    C. J. Soares, R. Mertz-Kraus & T. Zack

  2. Departamento de Raios Cósmicos e Cronologia, Instituto de Física “Gleb Wataghin”, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, CP 6165, Campinas, SP, 13083-970, Brazil

    S. Guedes, J. C. Hadler & P. J. Iunes

  3. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Box 460, 40530, Göteborg, Sweden

    T. Zack

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  1. C. J. Soares
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  2. S. Guedes
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  3. J. C. Hadler
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  4. R. Mertz-Kraus
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  5. T. Zack
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  6. P. J. Iunes
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Correspondence to C. J. Soares.

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Soares, C.J., Guedes, S., Hadler, J.C. et al. Novel calibration for LA-ICP-MS-based fission-track thermochronology. Phys Chem Minerals 41, 65–73 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00269-013-0624-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00269-013-0624-2

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