A comparison of the particle track and α-spectrometric techniques in excess thorium-230 dating of Eastern Atlantic pelagic sediments

Abstract

The particle track analysis and α-spectrometric techniques have been applied to a comparative study of excess 230Th dating of three deep-sea cores from the Eastern Atlantic. Both methods yield similar sediment accumulation rates. Limitations of the α-track phase of the particle track detection process, arising from the non-specific determination of 230Th and from the mobility of some alpha-emitting daughters, suggest that details of the sedimentation record may fail to be identified. The conventional radiochemical technique, on the other hand, specifically isolates all the radionuclides of interest but at the expense of a more complex experimental procedure and a longer sample processing time. The combined particle track technique (i.e. α and fission track analyses) therefore seems excellently suited to a complementary role in tandem with the α-spectrometric method of 230Th dating. Uranium determination by the fission track technique is accurate and rapid, showing good agreement with the α-spectrometric method.