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D.W. Davis

Publications and source records attributed to D.W. Davis.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2006

Radiometric ages of the Fire Clay tonstein [Pennsylvanian (Upper Carboniferous), Westphalian, Duckmantian]: A comparison of U-Pb zircon single-crystal ages and 40Ar/39Ar sanidine single-crystal plateau ages

The Fire Clay tonstein [Pennsylvanian (Upper Carboniferous), Westphalian Series, Duckmantian Stage]-a kaolinized, volcanic-ash deposit occurring in Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Virginia-is the most widespread bed in the Middle Pennsylvanian of the central Appalachian basin, USA. A concordant single-crystal U-Pb zircon datum for this tonstein gives a 206Pb/238U age of 314.6 ?? 0.9 Ma (2??). This age is in approximate agreement with a mean sanidine plateau age of 311.5 ?? 1.3 Ma (1??, n = 11) for the Fire Clay tonstein. The difference between the two ages may be due to bias between the 40K and 238U decay constants and other factors. The age of the Fire Clay tonstein has important implications for Duckmantian Stage (Westphalian Series) sedimentation rates, correlations with the Westphalian Series of Europe, Middle Pennsylvanian volcanic events, and the late Paleozoic time scale. ?? 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

International Journal of Coal Geology↗
USGS2004

Improved 206Pb/238U microprobe geochronology by the monitoring of a trace-element-related matrix effect; SHRIMP, ID-TIMS, ELA-ICP-MS and oxygen isotope documentation for a series of zircon standards

Precise isotope dilution-thermal ionisation mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS) documentation is given for two new Palaeozoic zircon standards (TEMORA 2 and R33). These data, in combination with results for previously documented standards (AS3, SL13, QGNG and TEMORA 1), provide the basis for a detailed investigation of inconsistencies in 206Pb/238U ages measured by microprobe. Although these ages are normally consistent between any two standards, their relative age offsets are often different from those established by ID-TIMS. This is true for both sensitive high-resolution ion-microprobe (SHRIMP) and excimer laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ELA-ICP-MS) dating, although the age offsets are in the opposite sense for the two techniques. Various factors have been investigated for possible correlations with age bias, in an attempt to resolve why the accuracy of the method is worse than the indicated precision. Crystallographic orientation, position on the grain-mount and oxygen isotopic composition are unrelated to the bias. There are, however, striking correlations between the 206Pb/238U age offsets and P, Sm and, most particularly, Nd abundances in the zircons. Although these are not believed to be the primary cause of this apparent matrix effect, they indicate that ionisation of 206Pb/238U is influenced, at least in part, by a combination of trace elements. Nd is sufficiently representative of the controlling trace elements that it provides a quantitative means of correcting for the microprobe age bias. This approach has the potential to reduce age biases associated with different techniques, different instrumentation and different standards within and between laboratories. Crown Copyright ?? 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chemical Geology↗
USGS1991

Organic matter and containment of uranium and fissiogenic isotopes at the Oklo natural reactors

Some of the Precambrian natural fission reactors at Oklo in Gabon contain abundant organic matter 1,2 , part of which was liquefied at the time of criticality and subsequently converted to a graphitic solid 3,4 . The liquid organic matter helps to reduce U(VI) to U(IV) from aqueous solutions, resulting in the precipitation of uraninite 5 . It is known that in the prevailing reactor environments, precipitated uraninite grains incorporated fission products. We report here observations which show that these uraninite crystals were held immobile within the resolidified, graphitic bitumen. Unlike water-soluble (humic) organic matter, the graphitic bituminous organics at Oklo thus enhanced radionuclide containment. Uraninite encased in solid graphitic matter in the organic-rich reactor zones lost virtually no fissiogenic lanthanide isotopes. The first major episode of uranium and lead migration was caused by the intrusion of a swarm of adjacent dolerite dykes about 1,100 Myr after the reactors went critical. Our results from Oklo imply that the use of organic, hydrophobic solids such as graphitic bitumen as a means of immobilizing radionuclides in pretreated nuclear waste warrants further investigation.

Nature↗