Radioisotopes and the Age of The Earth

9:00 am RATE (Radioisotopes and the Age of The Earth)

10:45: Helium in zircons

Radioactive crystals make and lose Helium These radioactive crystals, called zircons, are common in granitic rock. As a zircon crystal grows in cooling magma, it incorporates Uranium and Thorium atoms from the magma into its crystal lattice. The Uranium and Thorium atoms inside a zircon decay through a series of intermediate elements to eventually become atoms of Lead. Thus a Uranium 238 atom produces eight Helium atoms as it becomes a Lead 206 atom.

Presenter: Russ Humphreys, PhD

Dr Russ Humphreys BIO