Principles of Radiometric Dating

Focussing on the basic principles of radiometric dating, this book offers detailed descriptions of meteorites and measurement techniques.

Kunchithapadam Gopalan (Author)

9781107198739, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 4 May 2017

220 pages
24.8 x 18.9 x 1.5 cm, 0.49 kg

'Many texts on this subject tend to avoid the details and just present an equation that should be followed without explanation. At least here, Gopalan makes a good approach to explaining the why as well as the how. … In all, it's a nice book. It fits easily on the shelf and is a good reference to the basic materials. I understand this book will eventually also be available in electronic form, which will make it more accessible to today's web-connected student.' A. J. Timothy Jull, Meteoritics & Planetary Science

The time-dependent decay of naturally occurring radioactive isotopes or in-growth of their radioactive or stable daughter products form the basis of radiometric dating of several natural processes. Developed in the beginning of the last century mainly to determine the absolute ages of rocks and minerals, radiometric chronology now plays a central role in a broad range of Earth and planetary sciences - from extra-solar-system processes to environmental geoscience. With the prerequisite of only college-level knowledge in physics, chemistry and mathematics, this concise book focuses on the essential principles of radiometric dating in order to enable students and teachers belonging to diverse fields of studies to select, understand and interpret radiometric dating results generated and published by professionals.

Preface
Acknowledgements
1. Basics
2. Nuclear transformations
3. Nucleosynthesis
4. Isotopics
5. Radioactivity and radiometric dating
6. Mass spectrometry in isotope geochemistry
7. Error analysis
8. Meteorites: link between cosmo- and geochemistry
9. Chronology of meteorite history
10. Chemical evolution of the Earth
11. Chronology of Earth history
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Geochemistry [RBGK], Geological surface processes [geomorphology RBGD]