Lutetium–hafnium dating
Gochronological dating method utilizing the radioactive decay system of lutetium–176 / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Lutetium–hafnium dating is a geochronological dating method utilizing the radioactive decay system of lutetium–176 to hafnium–176.[1] With a commonly accepted half-life of 37.1 billion years,[1][2] the long-living Lu–Hf decay pair survives through geological time scales, thus is useful in geological studies.[1] Due to chemical properties of the two elements, namely their valences and ionic radii, Lu is usually found in trace amount in rare-earth element loving minerals, such as garnet and phosphates, while Hf is usually found in trace amount in zirconium-rich minerals, such as zircon, baddeleyite and zirkelite.[3]
The trace concentration of the Lu and Hf in earth materials posed some technological difficulties in using Lu–Hf dating extensively in the 1980s.[1] With the use of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP–MS) with multi-collector (also known as MC–ICP–MS) in later years, the dating method is made applicable to date diverse earth materials.[1] The Lu–Hf system is now a common tool in geological studies such as igneous and metamorphic rock petrogenesis, early earth mantle-crust differentiation, and provenance.[1][3]