The Age of Things:Sticks, Stones and the Universe

Meteorites and the Age of the Solar System

http://cfcp.uchicago.edu/~mmhedman/compton1.html

March 26, 2003 The Park Forest Meteorite

Images from Simon et al Meteoritics and Planetary Science Vol 39 (2004)

Different Types of Meteorites

Iron

Stony

Different Types of Stony Meteorites

Achondrite

Chondrite

WARNING!

Astrophysicist talkingabout

Meteorites!

R

R=Current amount of Radioactive Nuclei

Original amount of Radioactive Nuclei

Potassium 40 Argon 40

electron neutrino

Potassium 40 Calcium 40

electron

neutrino

Potassium-Argon System

90%

10%

Proton Neutron

Potassium-40 Argon-40 Calcium-40

Potassium 40 Calcium-40

The Original Rock

The Rock Today

R

R=Current amount of Potassium-40

Original amount of Potassium-40

Half-Life of Potassium-40 is1.25 billion years

Carbon 14 Nitrogen 14

electron

neutrino

Rubidium-87 Strontium-87

electron

neutrino

Rubidium-Strontium System Proton Neutron

Half-life = 49 Billion Years

Half-Life = 5700 Years

Rubidium-Strontium Dating

Rubidium-87 Strontium-87

Mineral 1

Today

Rubidium-Strontium Dating

Rubidium-87 Strontium-87

Mineral 1

Mineral 1

Today

Originally

Rubidium-Strontium Dating

Rubidium-87 Strontium-87

Mineral 1

Mineral 1

Today

Originally

Strontium-86Rubidium-87

Strontium-87Mineral 1

Mineral 2

Rubidium-Strontium Dating

Rubidium-87 Strontium-87 Strontium-86

Mineral 1

Mineral 2

Today

Rubidium-Strontium Dating

Rubidium-87 Strontium-87 Strontium-86

Mineral 1

Mineral 2

Mineral 1

Mineral 2

Today

7 billion years ago

Rubidium-Strontium Dating

Rubidium-87 Strontium-87 Strontium-86

Mineral 1

Mineral 2

Mineral 1

Mineral 2

Today

3 billion years ago

Rubidium-Strontium Isochron Plots

QuickTime™ and aGIF decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Rubidium-Strontium Isochron Plots

Rubidium-Strontium Isochron Plots

Str

on

tiu

m-8

7/S

tro

nti

um

-86

Rubidium-87/Strontium-86

From McSween 2000 Meteorites and Their Parent Planets

Rubidium-Strontium Ages

Different Types of Stony Meteorites

Achondrite

Chondrite

Dust and Gas

Chondrules, etc.

Condensation, Melting, Evaporation

Aggregation

“Chondritic” Objects

Melting, Differentiation

“Achondritic” Objects

Planets Aggregation

FragmentationChondrite

Achondrite Iron

Meteoroids

Carbon 14 Nitrogen 14

electron

neutrino

Aluminum-26 System Proton Neutron

Half-Life = 5700 Years

Aluminum-26 Magnesium-26

positron

neutrino

Half-Life = 700,000 Years

Magnesium-24Aluminum-27

Magnesium-26Aluminum-26

Magnesium-24Aluminum-27

Magnesium-26Aluminum-26

Magnesium-24Aluminum-27

Magnesium-26Aluminum-26

Magnesium-24 Aluminum-27Magnesium-26

Aluminum-26 Dating

Aluminum-27 Magnesium-26 Magnesium-24

Mineral 1

Mineral 2

Today

Aluminum-26

Aluminum-26 Dating

Aluminum-27 Magnesium-26 Magnesium-24

Mineral 1

Mineral 2

Mineral 1

Mineral 2

Today

Originally

Aluminum-26

Aluminum-26 Isochron Plot

Aluminum-27/ Magnesium-24

Mag

nes

ium

-26/

Mag

nes

ium

-24

Aluminum-26 Isochron Plot

Aluminum-27/ Magnesium-24

Mag

nes

ium

-26/

Mag

nes

ium

-24

Aluminum-26 Isochron Plot

Aluminum-27/ Magnesium-24

Mag

nes

ium

-26/

Mag

nes

ium

-24

Aluminum-27/ Magnesium-24

Mag

nes

ium

-26/

Mag

nes

ium

-24

From Hutcheon 1982 in Nuclear and Chemical Dating Techniques

More Aluminum-26

Aluminum-26

AchondriteChondrule

Relative Dating from Aluminum-26

Aluminum-27/ Magnesium-24

Mag

nes

ium

-26/

Mag

nes

ium

-24

From Hutcheon 1982 in Nuclear and Chemical Dating Techniques

Aluminum-26

AchondriteChondruleCAI

Relative Dating from Aluminum-26

More Aluminum-26

Chondrule

Calcium-Aluminum-Rich Inclusion

Aluminum-27/ Magnesium-24

Mag

nes

ium

-26/

Mag

nes

ium

-24

From Hutcheon 1982 in Nuclear and Chemical Dating Techniques

0 5 10 15-5-10 Millions of Years

Aluminum-26

AchondriteChondruleCAI

Relative Dating from Aluminum-26

Chondrule

Calcium-Aluminum-Rich Inclusion

Uranium-Lead System

Uranium-235

Thorium-231

Protactinium-231

Actinium-227

Thorium-227

Radium-223

Radon-219

Polonium-215

Lead-211

Bismuth-211

Polonium-211

Thallium-207

Lead-207

Uranium-238

Thorium-234

Protactinium-234

Uranium-234

Thorium-230

Radium-226

Radon-222

Polonium-218

Lead-214

Bismuth-214

Polonium-214

Thallium-210

Lead-210

Bismuth-210

Polonium-210

Lead-206

Half-Life = 700 Million Years Half-Life = 4.5 Billion Years

Lead 204

Uranium-235

Lead 207Uranium-238

Lead 206

Lead-Lead Isochron Plot

QuickTime™ and aGIF decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Lead-Lead Isochron Plot

Lead-Lead Isochron Plot

QuickTime™ and aGIF decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Lead-Lead Isochron Plot

Lead-Lead Isochron Plot

Lead 204/Lead 206

Lea

d 2

07/L

ead

206

From Amelin et al 2002 Science 297 p 1678

4575 4570 4565 4560 4555 4550 Millions of Years

Lead Isochron

Achondrite

Lead-Lead Isochron Dates

Lea

d 2

07/L

ead

206

4575 4570 4565 4560 4555 4550 Millions of Years

Lead Isochron

Achondrite

ChondrulesCAI

Lead-Lead Isochron Dates

Lead 204/Lead 206

Chondrule

Calcium-Aluminum-Rich Inclusion

From Amelin et al 2002 Science 297 p 1678

Lead 204/Lead 206

Lea

d 2

07/L

ead

206

4575 4570 4565 4560 4555 4550

0 5 10 15-5-10 Millions of Years

Aluminum-26

Millions of Years

Lead Isochron

Achondrite

ChondrulesCAI

Lead-Lead Isochron Dates

Chondrule

Calcium-Aluminum-Rich Inclusion

From Amelin et al 2002 Science 297 p 1678

Next time:

Colors, Brightness and the Age of Stars