Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Helium isotope disequilibrium and geochronology of glassy submarine basalts

Nature volume 326, pages 384–386 (1987)Cite this article

Abstract

The (U+Th)/He dating method is the oldest method of geochronology that involves radioactivity, but historically it has not been particularly successful. Even when problems of poor helium retention and loss due to radiation damage are circumvented by analysing suitable mineral phases1–4, problems frequently remain with inherited helium5,6. Here we show that isotope disequilibrium in the 3He/4He ratio between helium trapped in vesicles and that dissolved in the glass phase of some young seamount basalts can be used to determine (U + Th)/He ages for the basalts. We use the 3He/4He in vesicles (extracted by crushing in vacuo) to correct the dissolved phase He (by fusion of the remaining powder) for the inherited component, and compute the radiogenic helium concentration. The method is applicable to rocks containing phases with different (U+Th)/He, and the results have implications for dating lavas in the age range of 103 to 106 years (thus filling a gap between the limits of the 14C and K–Ar methods), and for reconstructing the geochemical history of young volcanic systems.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Keevil, N. B. Amer. J. Sci. 241, 680–693 (1943).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Hurley, P. M. Geol. Soc. Amer. Bull. 61, 1–8 (1950).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Fanale, F. P. & Kulp, J. L. Econ. Geol. 57, 735–746 (1962).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Damon, P. E. & Green, W. D. in Proc. on the Symposium on Radioactive Dating (Int. Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna 1963).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Damon, P. E. & Kulp, J. L. Amer. Mineral. 43, 433–459 (1958).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Noble, C. S. & Naughton, J. J. Science 162, 265–267 (1968).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Zindler, A. et al. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 70, 175–195 (1984).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Batiza, R. & Vanko, D. J. geophys. Res. 89, 11235–11260 (1984).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. Graham, D. W. et al. EOS 65, 1079 (1984).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Batiza, R. & Vanko, D. Mar. Geol. 54, 53–90 (1984).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. Kurz, M. D. & Jenkins, W. J. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 53, 41–54 (1982).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. Kurz, M. D., Jenkins, W. J. & Gurney, J. J. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. (in the press).

  13. Steiger, R. H. & Jager, E. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 36, 359–362 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Morrison, P. & Pine, J. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 62, 69–92 (1955).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Mamyrin, B. A. & Tolstikhin, L. N. Helium Isotopes in Nature (Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1984).

    Google Scholar 

  16. Andrews, J. N. Chem. Geol. 49, 339–351 (1985).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Jambon, A., Weber, H. W. & Begemann, F. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 73, 255–267 (1985).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Marty, B. & Ozima, M. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 50, 1093–1097 (1986).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Newman, S. et al. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 65, 17–33 (1983).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. MacDougall, J. D. et al. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 42, 27–34 (1979).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Bender, M. L. thesis, Columbia Univ. (1970).

  22. McNutt, M. J. geophys. Res. 91, 3686–3700 (1986).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  23. Jochum, K. P. et al. Nature 306, 431–436 (19833).

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Rodey Batiza

    Present address: Department of Geological Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, 60201, USA

  2. Rodey Batiza: Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, 02543, USA

    David W. Graham, William J. Jenkins, Mark D. Kurz & Rodey Batiza

Authors
  1. David W. Graham
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. William J. Jenkins
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mark D. Kurz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Rodey Batiza
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Graham, D., Jenkins, W., Kurz, M. et al. Helium isotope disequilibrium and geochronology of glassy submarine basalts. Nature 326, 384–386 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1038/326384a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/326384a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing