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Dating Geomorphologic Surfaces Using Cosmogenic 3He

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

T. E. Cerling
T. E. Cerling*
Affiliation:
Isotope Laboratory, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California 92093 USA
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Abstract

Cosmogenically produced 3He in rocks can be used to date geomorphologic surfaces. Using the Late Pleistocene Bonneville flood event, the subsequent development of the Provo shoreline, and associated volcanic rocks, a production rate of 432 atoms/g/yr in olivine is determined for 38°56′ N latitude (present geomagnetic latitude 46.5°) at 1445 m altitude integrated over the last 14,400 years. Measurements of cosmogenic helium in flood deposits, on river-scoured surfaces, and lava flows show that it is possible to date directly large-scale events such as volcanic eruptions and catastrophic floods. Olivine and pyroxene are both satisfactory minerals for cosmogenic dating by the 3He method. However, in most cases, plagioclase and quartz are unsuitable because they do not quantitatively retain helium isotopes in their lattices.

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Type
Articles
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 33 , Issue 2 , March 1990 , pp. 148 - 156
Copyright
University of Washington

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