Abstract
OVER the past few years the observed time-dependence of the isotopic composition of lead in ore deposits has been used in attempts to estimate a ‘model age’ for each deposit. In the main, two general lines of attack appear to have been used. On one hand Canadian writers1 have adopted a simple model, with a single growth curve, the parameters of which have been determined empirically; whereas the European workers2 have set up models which allow for a greater variety of relative abundances of uranium–lead–thorium in the parent material, and where the parameters are physical constants which can be determined by independent methods. These two methods of attack have seemed to give different values of the age, and the further suggestion has recently been made2 that the two models furnish very different values for the age of vein deposits.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
References
Russell, R. D., and Farquhar, R. M., Lead Isotopes in Geology (Interscience Pub., London, 1960).
Moorbath, S., Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc., A, 254, 295 (1962).
Patterson, C., Geochim. et Cosmochim. Acta, 10, 230 (1956).
Stieff, L. R., Stern, T. W., Oshiro, Seiki, and Senftle, F. E., U.S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper, 334-A (1959).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
RICHARDS, J. Age of the Earth's Crust and Lead Model Ages. Nature 195, 65 (1962). https://doi.org/10.1038/195065a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/195065a0
This article is cited by
-
A re-assessment of the Upper Mississippi valley lead isotope data
Mineralium Deposita (1972)
-
Mass spectrometric study of some selected galenas from the Eastern Desert of Egypt
Pure and Applied Geophysics PAGEOPH (1968)
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.