Über den Helium- und Neongehalt von Steinmeteoriten und deren radiogene und kosmogene Alter

Abstract

The total content as well as the isotopic composition of helium and neon of 19 chondrites and 5 achondrites have been determined. A description of the analytical method is given. Large variations of the ratios 3He/21Ne 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 have been 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 · 109 to 4.5 · 109 years. The values obtained for the helium ages are compared with the figures for the potassium-argon 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 potassium-argon 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 analysed were obtained. These exposure ages vary between 0.3 ·106 and 29·106 years. No correlation between radiogenic ages and cosmic ray exposure ages and no grouping of the exposure ages have been found.