26Al Ages Research Articles

Potential Chronological Disturbance of the D’Orbigny Angrite Inferred from Discordant 26Al Ages

Angrites originate from the early-formed differentiated angrite parent body. The pristine volcanic angrite D’Orbigny is devoid of brecciation, shock effects, or any evidence of secondary processes and is thus key for studying the early stages of planetary accretion and differentiation. However, chronometers used to establish the formation chronology of angrites (including D’Orbigny) yield discordant ages, either (i) suggesting that secondary processes could have disturbed the apparent formation ages or (ii) being taken as evidence of heterogeneous distribution of 26Al in the early solar system. Yet spinel is minimally susceptible to secondary parent body processes and therefore a reliable target for establishing precise 26Al–26Mg ages. Here, we present the first in situ 26Al–26Mg analyses of spinel and plagioclase in D’Orbigny. Individual mineral assemblages provide distinct ages: olivine–spinel shows a well-defined isochron with an initial Al ratio ([26Al/27Al]i) of (5.39 ± 0.85) × 10−6, indicating formation at 2.35 +0.25−0.22 Myr after the formation of calcium–aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs), whereas plagioclase–olivine defines an isochron with [26Al/27Al]i = (7.46 ± 1.87) × 10−7, implying formation at 4.40 +0.44−0.38 Myr after CAIs, consistent with previous MC-ICP-MS studies. This temporal gap can be attributed to secondary processes such as metamorphic or impact-generated diffusion. Thus, D’Orbigny and other angrites do not represent an immaculate anchor for chronometric comparison. This complexity should be considered in future studies, especially when using D’Orbigny as an anchor to discuss the chronology of the early solar system.

Paleoglaciology of the central East Antarctic Ice Sheet as revealed by blue-ice sediment

We present ∼100 cosmogenic surface exposure ages, including 75 new analyses, for a blue-ice moraine complex at Mt. Achernar, head of Law Glacier, in the central Transantarctic Mountains. The 10Be–3He–26Al ages along with previously-published boron concentrations chronicle past behavior of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) along the edge of the polar plateau since the sediments started to accumulate, around 0.5–1 Ma. Samples analyzed for 10Be from the Law Glacier surface record <100 years of exposure, indicating they likely have negligible inheritance when first exposed. The Law Glacier surface experienced relatively minor fluctuations in surface elevation throughout MIS 6 and 5, and likely during prior periods, as geomorphic features are intact and exposure ages are coherent on the moraine, ranging from ∼210 to ∼86 ka; respective means for MIS 5 till in two different areas are 106 ± 9.1 ka [n = 4 ages] and 106 ± 5.1 ka [n = 6]. Although we infer the Law Glacier has been relatively close to its current configuration generally since 0.5–1 Ma, disturbances to Achernar blue-ice moraine architecture seem apparent at times especially prior to the last two glacial cycles. The largest observed disturbance occurred when the nearby Lewis Cliffs Ice Tongue expanded either close to, or earlier than, 500-400 ka. A minimum ice thickness increase of 30 m is associated with the ∼20 ka blue-ice ridges, and a lateral moraine indicates the Law Glacier surface was ∼40–50 m higher at ∼9.2 ± 0.5 ka. Our findings support that lateral accretion over time formed the Mt. Achernar blue-ice moraine sequence, and by implication, other analogue Antarctic deposits. We interpret blue-ice moraines as representing, at times, relatively constant outlet glacier conditions and concur with prior studies that they reflect near-equilibrium forms. Blue-ice sediments are an underutilized and dateable paleoglaciologic and paleoclimate archive in Antarctica, including for former ice surface dynamics and possibly as a repository of old ice during periods such as MIS 5 and prior.

Glacial history and landscape evolution of southern Cumberland Peninsula, Baffin Island, Canada, constrained by cosmogenic10Be and26Al

Since the first application of cosmogenic nuclides to the study of glacial history and processes in 1990, increasing numbers of studies have used a variety of cosmogenic isotopes to quantify the exposure age and erosion rate of glaciated landscapes. However, obtaining chronological data from glaciated landscapes once covered by cold-based, nonerosive ice is challenging because these surfaces violate assumptions associated with simple cosmogenic exposure dating. Nonerosive glacial ice fails to completely remove nuclides produced during previous periods of exposure, leaving behind rock surfaces with complex, multigenetic nuclide inventories. Here, we constrain the glacial history, landscape evolution, and efficiency of subglacial erosion in the Pangnirtung Fiord region of southern Baffin Island using over 300 paired analyses of in situ cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al. Simple exposure ages are 6.3–160 ka for 10Be ( n = 152) and 4.3–124 ka for 26Al ( n = 153). Paired bedrock-boulder samples have discordant ages, simple exposure ages generally increase with elevation, 10Be and 26Al ages for the same sample disagree, and both boulders and bedrock yield multimodal age distributions—all patterns suggestive of limited subglacial erosion. Measured 26Al/10Be ratios indicate that about one third of the samples in the data set experienced at least one period of pre-Holocene exposure followed by burial with limited erosion. Modeled two-isotope minimum-limiting exposure durations are as high as hundreds of thousands of years, and minimum-limiting burial durations range up to millions of years, implying that parts of southern Baffin Island have been preserved beneath nonerosive glacial ice for much, if not all, of the Quaternary. A subset of the samples contains few nuclides inherited from prior periods of exposure and is thus useful for constraining the chronology of the most recent deglaciation. Using these samples, we infer that deglaciation of most of the landscape occurred ca. 11.7 ka and that the Duval moraines, a prominent feature of the last deglaciation, formed ca. 11.2 ka.

A geochronologic framework for the Ziegler Reservoir fossil site, Snowmass Village, Colorado

The Ziegler Reservoir fossil site near Snowmass Village, Colorado (USA), provides a unique opportunity to reconstruct high-altitude paleoenvironmental conditions in the Rocky Mountains during the Last Interglacial Period. We used four different techniques to establish a chronological framework for the site. Radiocarbon dating of lake organics, bone collagen, and shell carbonate, and in situ cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al ages on a boulder on the crest of a moraine that impounded the lake suggest that the ages of the sediments that hosted the fossils are between ~140ka and >45ka. Uranium-series ages of vertebrate remains generally fall within these bounds, but extremely low uranium concentrations and evidence of open-system behavior limit their utility. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages (n=18) obtained from fine-grained quartz maintain stratigraphic order, were replicable, and provide reliable ages for the lake sediments. Analysis of the equivalent dose (DE) dispersion of the OSL samples showed that the sediments were fully bleached prior to deposition and low scatter suggests that eolian processes were likely the dominant transport mechanism for fine-grained sediments into the lake. The resulting ages show that the fossil-bearing sediments span the latest part of Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage (MIS) 6, all of MIS 5 and MIS 4, and the earliest part of MIS 3.

Oxygen isotope systematics of chondrule phenocrysts from the CO3.0 chondrite Yamato 81020: Evidence for two distinct oxygen isotope reservoirs

High-precision oxygen three-isotope measurements of olivine and pyroxene were performed on 33 chondrules in the Yamato 81020 CO3.0 chondrite by secondary ion mass spectrometry. In chondrules where oxygen isotopes were measured in both olivine and pyroxene, the majority of grains have similar values, indicating co-magmatic crystallization. However, many chondrules contain relict grains with unique oxygen isotope ratios. A striking feature of Yamato 81020 chondrules is a bimodal distribution of oxygen isotope ratios, as those with Mg# >97 phenocrysts range in Δ17O from −4.8‰ to −6.5‰ (“−5.5‰” group), and those with Mg# 96–36 phenocrysts have Δ17O values of −2.1‰ to −3.0‰ (“−2.5‰” group). A single Mg# 99.6 barred olivine chondrule has a Δ17O of −3.3‰. We discuss that Δ17O ∼−5.5‰ chondrules are derivative of a reservoir with limited dust enrichment (100× Solar System), which yielded a relatively reduced chondrule-forming environment. In contrast, the Δ17O ∼−2.5‰ chondrules may have been influenced by 16O-poor H2O ice that sublimed and then homogenized with precursor material. The addition of H2O, when combined with high dust enrichment (1000× Solar System) and greater bulk Fe content, could have induced an oxidized environment at high temperatures, forming Mg# 96–36 chondrules. Among the 33 chondrules studied, the Al–Mg relative ages of 20 had been obtained previously. Comparing the oxygen isotope ratios and the 26Al ages of these chondrules, it is likely that the “−5.5‰” and “−2.5‰” oxygen isotope reservoirs existed contemporaneously. This implies that the snow line was spatially fixed during chondrule formation, and separated the CO chondrite accretion region into two distinct volumes of precursors.

Lack of relationship between 26Al ages of chondrules and their mineralogical and chemical compositions

Previous studies have suggested the existence of a correlation between 26Al relative crystallisation ages and mineralogical and bulk chemical compositions of ferromagnesian chondrules from the Bishunpur and Semarkona unequilibrated ordinary (Mostefaoui et al., 2002; Tachibana et al., 2003). However, because the precision in 26Al ages was moderate, these correlations are questionable. Here, we report mineralogical and chemical compositions of 14 ferromagnesian chondrules from Semarkona for which precise 26Al ages were previously obtained (Villeneuve et al., 2009). We find global correlation of 26Al ages neither with bulk chemical composition of chondrules, nor with the different types of ferromagnesian chondrules, i.e. PO, POP and PP. This indicates that if some kind of correlations between chemical compositions of chondrules and their ages of formation exists, they do not exist at timescales that can be measured with the 26Al-26Mg systematics but presumably at much shorter timescales.

Evolution of protoplanetary disk inferred from 26Al chronology of individual chondrules

Abstract– We review the 26Al ages of chondrules in various type 3.0 chondrites. The 26Al ages of chondrules are 1–3 Myr after calcium‐aluminum‐rich inclusion (CAI) for LL3.0, CO3.0, and Acfer 094 (Ungrouped C 3.0). Available data for chondrules in CR chondrites indicate that many chondrules are relatively younger (≥3 Myr), although data from chondrules in CR3.0 are not yet available to confirm their younger ages. The total ranges for the 26Al ages of chondrules in a single chondrite group are more than 0.5–1 Myr. However, most chondrules show relatively narrow range of ages in a single chondrite group (0.2–0.4 Myr, 1 SD), which might be short enough to preserve the group‐specific chemical and isotope signatures against radial diffusion of solid in the disk. Distinct oxygen isotope reservoirs might exist in the protoplanetary disk simultaneously, which could be spatially separated.

10Be and 26Al exposure‐age dating of bedrock surfaces on the Aran ridge, Wales: evidence for a thick Welsh Ice Cap at the Last Glacial Maximum

AbstractThis paper presents results of the analysis of paired cosmogenic isotopes (10Be and 26Al) from eight quartz‐rich samples collected from ice‐moulded bedrock on the Aran ridge, the highest land in the British Isles south of Snowdon. On the Aran ridge, comprising the summits of Aran Fawddwy (905 m a.s.l.) and Aran Benllyn (885 m a.s.l.), 26Al and 10Be ages indicate complete ice coverage and glacial erosion at the global Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Six samples from the summit ridge above 750–800 m a.s.l. yielded paired 10Be and 26Al ages ranging from 17.2 to 34.4 ka, respectively. Four of these samples are very close in age (10Be ages of 17.5 ± 0.6, 17.5 ± 0.7, 19.7 ± 0.8 and 20.0 ± 0.7 ka) and are interpreted as representing the exposure age of the summit ridge. Two other summit samples are much older (10Be ages of 27.5 ± 1.0 and 33.9 ± 1.2 ka) and these results may indicate nuclide inheritance. The 26Al/10Be ratios for all samples are indistinguishable within one‐sigma uncertainty from the production rate ratio line, indicating that there is no evidence for a complex exposure history. These results indicate that the last Welsh Ice Cap was thick enough to completely cover the Aran ridge and achieve glacial erosion at the LGM. However, between c. 20 and 17 ka ridge summits were exposed as nunataks at a time when glacial erosion at lower elevations (below 750–800 m a.s.l.) was achieved by large outlet glaciers in the valleys surrounding the mountains. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Cosmogenic radionuclide dating indicates ice-sheet configuration during MIS 2 on Nordaustlandet, Svalbard

Hormes, A., Akcar, N. & Kubik, P. W. 2011: Cosmogenic radionuclide dating indicates ice-sheet configuration during MIS 2 on Nordaustlandet, Svalbard. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502-3885.2011.00215.x. ISSN 0300-9483.0300-9843 Glacial geological field surveys, aerial image interpretation and cosmogenic radionuclide (CRN) dating allowed us to reconstruct the ice-sheet configuration on Nordaustlandet, the northernmost island of the European sector on the margin of the Arctic Ocean. The timing of deglaciation was investigated by determining the 26Al and 10Be ages of glacially scoured bedrock, weathered periglacial blockfields and glacial erratic boulders. Only 10Be ages were useful for our interpretations, because of unresolved analytical problems with 26Al. Fjords and lowlands on Nordaustlandet yielded Late Weichselian 10Be ages, indicating that actively erosive ice streams scoured the coastal fjord bathymetry during marine isotope stage (MIS) 2. In Murchisonfjorden, ground-truthed air-photograph interpretation and 10Be ages of boulders indicated a cold-based glacier ice cover during MIS 2 on higher plateaus. 10Be ages and lithological studies of erratic boulders on higher and interior plateaus of Prins Oscars Land (>200–230 m a.s.l.) suggest that the Mid-Weichselian glaciation (MIS 4) might have been more extensive than that during MIS 2.

Can in-situ cosmogenic 14C be used to assess the influence of clast recycling on exposure dating of ice retreat in Antarctica?

Cosmogenic nuclide exposure dating of glacial clasts is becoming a common and robust method for reconstructing the history of glaciers and ice sheets. In Antarctica, however, many samples exhibit cosmogenic nuclide ‘inheritance’ as a result of sediment recycling and exposure to cosmic radiation during previous ice free periods. In-situ cosmogenic 14C, in combination with longer lived nuclides such as 10Be, can be used to detect inheritance because the relatively short half-life of 14C means that in-situ 14C acquired in exposure during previous interglacials decays away while the sample locality is covered by ice during the subsequent glacial. Measurements of in-situ 14C in clasts from the last deglaciation of the Framnes Mountains in East Antarctica provide deglaciation ages that are concordant with existing 26Al and 10Be ages, suggesting that in this area, the younger population of erratics contain limited inheritance.

Cosmogenic radionuclide chronology of pre-last glacial cycle moraines in the Western Arthur range, Southwest Tasmania

Cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al exposure ages of 12 boulders from two moraine complexes in the Western Arthur Range of southwest Tasmania, which previously were considered to have been deposited during the Last Glacial Maximum, predate the Last Glacial Cycle. Zero-erosion minimum exposure ages range from 95 ka to 232 ka based on weighted mean 10Be and 26Al ages per boulder. For a reasonable choice of erosion rates, 10Be boulder ages range from 105 to 326 ka, respectively. Although a direct association of moraine construction to a specific marine isotope stage (MIS) glaciation is not definitive, erosion-corrected exposure ages indicate glacial advances commensurate with MIS-6 and -10, although the latter advance may be attributable to MIS-8 if the erosion rate correction is an over-estimate. Given the relatively close proximity of the dated moraines to their source cirques, this new cosmogenic glacial chronology implies a very limited extent for any younger glacial advances that occurred in the Western Arthur Range during the Last Glacial Cycle (post MIS-5) including the global LGM.

Last glacial maximum climate inferences from cosmogenic dating and glacier modeling of the western Uinta ice field, Uinta Mountains, Utah

During the last glacial maximum (LGM), the western Uinta Mountains of northeastern Utah were occupied by the Western Uinta Ice Field. Cosmogenic 10Be surface-exposure ages from the terminal moraine in the North Fork Provo Valley and paired 26Al and 10Be ages from striated bedrock at Bald Mountain Pass set limits on the timing of the local LGM. Moraine boulder ages suggest that ice reached its maximum extent by 17.4 ± 0.5 ka (± 2σ). 10Be and 26Al measurements on striated bedrock from Bald Mountain Pass, situated near the former center of the ice field, yield a mean 26Al/ 10Be ratio of 5.7 ± 0.8 and a mean exposure age of 14.0 ± 0.5 ka, which places a minimum-limiting age on when the ice field melted completely. We also applied a mass/energy-balance and ice-flow model to investigate the LGM climate of the western Uinta Mountains. Results suggest that temperatures were likely 5 to 7°C cooler than present and precipitation was 2 to 3.5 times greater than modern, and the western-most glaciers in the range generally received more precipitation when expanding to their maximum extent than glaciers farther east. This scenario is consistent with the hypothesis that precipitation in the western Uintas was enhanced by pluvial Lake Bonneville during the last glaciation.

On early Solar System chronology: Implications of an heterogeneous spatial distribution of 26Al and 53Mn

Early Solar System chronology is usually built with the assumption that the distribution of short-lived radionuclides was homogeneous through the solar accretion disk. At present, there is no unambiguous evidence for a homogeneous distribution of short-lived radionuclides in the solar accretion disk, while some data point to a heterogeneous distribution of short-lived radionuclides. In this paper, we explore a possible chronology based on a heterogeneous distribution of 26Al and 53Mn in the accretion disk. Our basic assumption is that the different abundances of extinct short-lived radionuclides in calcium-aluminium-rich inclusions (CAIs) and chondrules are due to spatial rather than temporal differences. We develop a simple model where CAIs and chondrules form contemporaneously, in different spatial locations, and are characterised by distinct initial 26Al and 53Mn abundances. In this model, all evolved bodies are supposed to be originally chondritic, i.e., to be made of a mixture of CAIs, chondrules, and matrix. This mixture determines the initial content in 26Al and 53Mn of a chondritic parent-body as a function of its CAI and chondrule abundance fraction. This approach enables us to calculate coherent 26Al and 53Mn ages from the agglomeration of the parent-body precursors (CAIs and chondrules) until the isotopic closure of 26Al and 53Mn, thereafter called 26Al- 53Mn age. We calculate such 26Al- 53Mn ages for a diversity of evolved objects, with the constraint that they should be found for realistic chondritic parent-body precursors, i.e., objects having similar or identical petrograpy to the existing chondrite groups. The so defined age of the d’Orbigny angrite is 4.3 ± 1.1 Myr, for the Asuka-881394 eucrite 2.8 ± 1.0 Myr, for the H4 chondrite Sainte Marguerite ∼3 Myr, and for H4 Forest Vale ∼5 Myr. The calculated 26Al- 53Mn ages give timescales for the evolution of the respective parent-bodies/meteorites that can be investigated in the light of further petrographic studies. We anchor the calculated relative chronology to an absolute chronology using absolute Pb-Pb ages and relative Hf-W ages of the objects under scrutiny. The precursors of Sainte Marguerite and Forest Vale agglomerated at the same time (∼4565.8 ± 1.2 Ma ago). The precursors of eucrites (Asuka-881394) agglomerated 4564.8 ± 1.2 Ma ago. The precursors of angrites agglomerated late (4561.5 ± 1.8 Ma ago). Our model provides a fully compatible Al-Mg/Mn-Cr/Pb-Pb chronology, and is shown to be robust to reasonable changes in the input parameters. The calculated initial 26Al/ 27Al ratios are high enough to have 26Al as a possible heat source for differentiation.

COコンドライトType I コンドリュールの26Al年代と全岩組成の関係

COコンドライトType I コンドリュールの26Al年代と全岩組成の関係

Cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al dating of erratic boulders in the southern coastal area of Lake Baikal, Siberia

Cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al dating of three erratic boulders in the southern coastal area of Lake Baikal was performed using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) at MALT (MicroAnalysis Laboratory, Tandem accelerator) of the University of Tokyo. We examined the accuracy of our 10Be AMS measurements and the differences in scaling factors for the 10Be and 26Al production rates. The measured 10Be and 26Al ages are 15–13 and 17–11.5 kyr, respectively. The 10Be ages suggest that release of the erratic boulders from a melting glacier occurred during the Bølling/Allerød warm period, when the land and lacustrine environments of the Baikal region changed dramatically.

Cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al ages for the Last Glacial Maximum, eastern Baffin Island, Arctic Canada

A chronology for the Last Glacial Maximum based on cosmogenic exposure dating in the Pangnirtung Fjord area, eastern Baffin Island, Arctic Canada, is at odds with many decades of land-based, glacial stratigraphic research. Most previous chronologies focused primarily on relative weathering criteria and suggested that ice extent was restricted during the late Wisconsinan (ca. 24–8 ka). In contrast, by directly dating glacial features, we conclude that late Wisconsinan ice was far more extensive than previously believed. There are 36 gneissic boulders and 8 samples of ice-molded gneissic bedrock that yield late Wisconsinan 10 Be and 26 Al exposure ages for the last glaciation of Pangnirtung Fjord. The prominent Duval moraines, which were previously interpreted to represent a significant early Wisconsinan (100–60 ka) ice advance on southern Cumberland Peninsula, were actually deposited between 24 and 9 ka. Two boulders from a raised glaciomarine delta, stratigraphically related to the Duval moraines, date to about 10 ka. Two recessional moraines and striated bedrock along Pangnirtung Fjord, as well as erratics on the floor of the Kolik River valley, a tributary to Pangnirtung Fjord, indicate that deglaciation began between 12 and 9 ka. In situ produced 10 Be and 26 Al abundances indicate that ice filled Pangnirtung Fjord for about 15 k.y. (either continuously or intermittently) prior to 10 ka, which is compatible with 14 C chronologies for adjacent Cumberland Sound. Thus, our data support other recent studies that suggest the northern and southern margins of the Laurentide ice sheet were generally in phase during the latest Wisconsinan, contrary to earlier interpretations.

Cosmogenic Ages for Earthquake Recurrence Intervals and Debris Flow Fan Deposition, Owens Valley, California

Model exposure ages (beryllium-10, aluminum-26) of boulders on an offset debris flow fan yield an earthquake recurrence interval between 5800 and 8000 10 Be: 26 Al years for a strand of the Owens Valley fault in California, which last ruptured in an earthquake of moment magnitude &gt;7.5 in 1872. Cosmogenic age estimates for this and several nearby fan surfaces flanking the eastern Sierra Nevada are consistent with stratigraphic relations and suggest that these surfaces were abandoned after 1000, 8000, and 21,000 10 Be: 26 Al years ago. The wide scatter and nonconcordance of 10 Be: 26 Al ages on an older fan surface suggest that boulder erosion and lowering of the fan surface there have influenced apparent exposure ages.

The first ten million years in the solar nebula

Abstract— The 26Al/27Al ratio in a large number of calcium‐aluminum inclusions (CAIs) is a rather uniform 5 × 10−5, whereas in chondrules the ratio is either undetectable or has a much lower value; the simplest interpretation of this is that there was an interval of a few million years between the times that these two meteoritic constituents formed stable solids. The present investigation was undertaken as an exploration of the physics of the processes in the solar nebula during and after the accumulation of the Sun. Understanding the time scales of events in this nebular model, to see if this would cast light on this apparent CAI to chondrule time interval, was the major motivation for the exploration.There were four stages in the history of the solar nebula; in stage 1, a fragment of an interstellar molecular cloud collapsed to form the Sun and solar nebula; in stage 2, the nebula was in approximate steady state balance between infall from the cloud and accretion onto the Sun and was in its FU Orionis accumulation stage; in stage 3, the Sun had been mainly accumulated and there was a slow residual mass flow into the Sun while it was in its classical T Tauri stage; and in stage 4, the nebula had finished accreting material onto the Sun (now a weak‐lined T Tauri star) and was in a static condition with no significant dissipation or motions, other than removal at the inner edge due to the T Tauri solar wind and photoevaporation beyond 9 astronomical units (AU). It is found that the energy source keeping the nebula warm during stages 3 and 4 is recombination of ionized H in the ionized bipolar jets and the T Tauri coronal expansion solar wind. The parameters of the heating model were adjusted to locate the ice sublimation line at 5.2 AU. In this work, a nebular model is used with a surface density of 4.25 × 103 gm/cm2 at 1 AU and a variation with radial distance as the inverse first power.Under normal conditions in the nebula, there is a negative pressure gradient that provides partial radial support for the gas, which thus circles the Sun more slowly than large solid objects do. Large objects undergo a slow inward spiral due to the gas drag; very small objects move essentially with the gas but have a slow inward drift; and intermediate objects (e.g., 1 m) have a fairly large inward drift velocity that traverses the full radial extent of the nebula in considerably less than the CAI to chondrule time interval. Such objects are thus lost unless they can grow rapidly to larger sizes. Near the inner edge (bow) of the nebula during stage 4, the pressure gradient becomes positive, creating a narrow zone of zero gas drag toward which solids drift from both directions, facilitating planetesimal formation in the inner solar nebula.Recent theoretical and experimental results on sticking probabilities of solids show that icy surfaces have the best sticking properties, but icy interstellar grains can only stick together when subjected to impact velocities of less than 2000 cm/sec. However, if the solid objects are very underdense, then a collision leads to interpenetration and many points at which the small constituent grains can adhere to one another, and thus coagulation becomes possible for such underdense objects. Simulations were made of such coagulation in the outer solar nebula, and it was found that the central plane of the nebula quickly becomes filled with meter‐sized and larger bodies that rapidly accumulated near the top of the nebula and rapidly descended; in a few thousand years this quickly leads to gravitational instabilities that can form planetesimals.These processes led to the rapid formation of Jupiter in the nebula (and the slightly less rapid formation of the other giant planets). The early formation of Jupiter opens an annular gap in the nebula, and thus a second region is created in the nebula with zero gas drag. It is concluded that CAIs were formed at the end of stage 2 of the nebula history and moved out into the nebula for long‐term storage, and that most chondrules were formed by magnetic reconnection flares in the bow region of the nebula during stage 4, several million years later. Carbonaceous meteorites should be formed on the far side of the Jovian gap, with the chondrules being heated by flares on the early Jupiter irradiating materials in the nearby zone of zero gas drag, and they should have essentially the same 26Al ages as the CAIs (this will be very hard to confirm owing to scarcity of Al mineral phases in these chondrules).

Examination of surface exposure ages of Antarctic moraines using in situ produced 10Be and 26Al

Concentrations of 10Be (t 1 2 = 1.5 × 10 6 y ) and 26 A1 (t 1 2 = 0.72 × 10 6 y ) have been determined by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) in a suite of quartz samples taken from sandstone boulders in several moraines in Arena Valley, a dry valley adjacent to the Taylor Glacier in the Quatermain Mountains, Southern Victoria Land, East Antarctica. These isotopes are produced in surficial quartz by cosmic ray spallation of O and Si. The concentrations in these samples ranged from 6.1 × 10 5 to 3.0 × 10 7 at g −1 for 10Be and from 9.4 × 10 6 to 1.2 × 10 8 at g −1 for 26A1, depending upon the extent of exposure at the surface. Analyses of 10Be in several samples from a single moraine at altitudes ranging from 1300 to 1650 m permitted an estimation of the air attenuation pathlength of cosmic ray neutrons; the value of 142 +96 −41 g cm −2 is consistent with other published values. Production rates of 17 +6 −4 at g −1 y −1 for 10Be and 113 +54 −16 at g −1 y −1 for 26A1 at 1300 m and 87°S and a 26Al: 10Be production ratio of 6.5 +1.3 −1.3 were calculated from the data. These values correspond to sea-level production rates at high geomagnetic latitude of 6.4 at g −1 y −1 and 41.7 at g −1 y −1 for 10Be and 26A1, respectively, consistent with determinations based on ~ 11 Ky glacially polished surfaces in the Sierra Nevada in California. These production rates imply exposure ages for the various moraines ranging from 50 Ky to 2.5 My, in accordance with other geological evidence. The 10Be and 26Al ages of these rocks compare favorably with those found using a similar dating method based on in situ production of 3He. Examination of the 3He concentrations in conjunction with the present data set yields an estimate of 3He production of 230 +85 40 at g −1 y −1, corresponding to 85 +31 −15 at g −1 y −1 at sea level. This is lower than previously reported values of 240 ± 60 at g −1 y −1 and ~190 at g −1 y −1 (scaled to sea-level and high geomagnetic latitude) based, respectively, on volcanic flows less than 2000 years old at low latitude, and samples collected from 14,400-year-old volcanic flows. This discrepancy is likely due to diffusive losses which may become significant (up to ~50%) for surface exposure ages on the order of 2.0 My. Nevertheless, the general correlations among the three isotopes suggest that 3He does not suffer gross losses through diffusion.

Noble gases in six ordinary chondrites: comparison of exposure ages from noble gases with 26Al ages

Noble gases were redetermined in six ordinary chondrites in order to clarify some discrepancies between cosmic-ray exposure ages from noble gas isotopes and 26Al activity. Generally, samples used for noble-gas analyses were from the same specimen which earlier had been used for 26Al determinations in this laboratory. The high 21Ne ages (> 3 × 10 6 y) for Dimmitt, Menow and Pierceville are consistent with 26A1 activity at saturation level. Variations in both 21Ne c age and 26Al activity, in earlier measurements on Dimmitt, were due to “shielding”; very low noble-gas ages in earlier analyses on Menow and Pierceville were due to mis-labelling of samples. Earlier observation of very low noble-gas ages for Seres, which is inconsistent with its saturation activity of 26Al, is confirmed. Ladder Creek yields consistent ages both from noble gases and 26Al. Malotas contains a substantial excess of 21Ne, as revealed by a higher 21Ne age, compared to its 26Al age; the excess 21Ne is probably due to “pre-irradiation”. Isotopic compositions for trapped Kr and Xe in these chondrites, excepting Seres, are very similar to compositions determined earlier for ordinary chondrites. The Xe in Seres is enriched in light isotopes and is similar to solar Xe.