Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Radioactive Decay and Radiometric Dating

Radioactive Decay and Radiometric Dating

Radioactivity is a spontaneous disintegration of an unstable nuclide and is a random process, as all the nuclei in the sample do not decay simultaneously. The number of disintegrations per unit time is called the activity (A), which is directly proportional to the number of nuclei in the sample. The decay constant (λ) is an average probability of decay per nucleus in unit time.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Earth orbital rhythms links timing of Deccan trap volcanism phases and global climate change.

Science advances·2025

Same author

Reply to Emery-Wetherell: Taphonomy of Lujiatun 3D dinosaurs is inconsistent with death and burial by lahars.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2025

Same author

Completion of lunar magma ocean solidification at 4.43 Ga.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2025

Same author

Extremely rapid, yet noncatastrophic, preservation of the flattened-feathered and 3D dinosaurs of the Early Cretaceous of China.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2024

Same author

High-precision U-Pb zircon dating identifies a major magmatic event on the Moon at 4.338 Ga.

Science advances·2024

Same author

Methodologies for <sup>176</sup>Lu-<sup>176</sup>Hf Analysis of Zircon Grains from the Moon and Beyond.

ACS earth & space chemistry·2024

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 13, 2025

Isolation of Quartz Grains for Optically Stimulated Luminescence OSL Dating of Quaternary Sediments for Paleoenvironmental Research

Isolation of Quartz Grains for Optically Stimulated Luminescence OSL Dating of Quaternary Sediments for Paleoenvironmental Research

Published on: August 2, 2021

High-precision U-Pb data and reference age for Emerald Lake apatite.

Francisco E Apen^1,2, Sean P Gaynor^1,3, Blair Schoene¹

¹Geosciences Department, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, United States.

|April 16, 2025

Summary

Emerald Lake apatite shows promise as a geochronology reference material. New U-Pb dating confirms its reliability for high-precision U-Pb apatite geochronology studies.

Keywords:

Apatite Geochronology Thermal ionization mass spectrometry U-Pb isotopes

More Related Videos

Separation of Uranium and Thorium for 230Th-U Dating of Submarine Hydrothermal Sulfides

Separation of Uranium and Thorium for 230Th-U Dating of Submarine Hydrothermal Sulfides

Published on: May 20, 2019

Sediment Core Extrusion Method at Millimeter Resolution Using a Calibrated, Threaded-rod

Sediment Core Extrusion Method at Millimeter Resolution Using a Calibrated, Threaded-rod

Published on: August 17, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 13, 2025

Isolation of Quartz Grains for Optically Stimulated Luminescence OSL Dating of Quaternary Sediments for Paleoenvironmental Research

Isolation of Quartz Grains for Optically Stimulated Luminescence OSL Dating of Quaternary Sediments for Paleoenvironmental Research

Published on: August 2, 2021

Separation of Uranium and Thorium for 230Th-U Dating of Submarine Hydrothermal Sulfides

Separation of Uranium and Thorium for 230Th-U Dating of Submarine Hydrothermal Sulfides

Published on: May 20, 2019

Sediment Core Extrusion Method at Millimeter Resolution Using a Calibrated, Threaded-rod

Sediment Core Extrusion Method at Millimeter Resolution Using a Calibrated, Threaded-rod

Published on: August 17, 2016

Area of Science:

Geochemistry
Geochronology
Isotope Geology

Background:

Apatite is a common accessory mineral used in geochronology.
Establishing reliable reference materials is crucial for accurate geochronological dating.

Purpose of the Study:

To assess the suitability of Emerald Lake apatite as a reference material for U-Pb geochronology.
To provide high-precision U-Pb age data for Emerald Lake apatite.

Main Methods:

Isotope dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS) was used for U-Pb dating.
A three-dimensional U-Pb isochron was constructed to determine the age and initial lead composition.

Main Results:

A precise U-Pb age of 95.2 ± 1.1 Ma was obtained for Emerald Lake apatite.
Pb-corrected ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U and ²⁰⁷Pb/²³⁵U dates yielded values of 95.18 ± 0.10 Ma and 95.20 ± 0.17 Ma, respectively.
The initial lead isotopic composition was determined.

Conclusions:

Emerald Lake apatite is a suitable reference material for U-Pb geochronology.
The high-precision age data support its use in in situ U-Pb apatite geochronology.
Samples are available for future research.