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Discussion of “Extracting K-Ar ages from shales: a theoretical test”

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2018

R. F. Ylagan ,
D. R. Pevear  and
P. J . Vrolijk
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Abstract

Illite age analysis (Pevear, 1992) and similar mixing methods demonstrate nearlinear behaviour when corrected for smectite content in illite-smectite and substitutions for K+ in illite layers. Srodon (1999) found that highly curved mixing lines result from theoretical calculations and challenged the validity of IAA. However, our theoretical calculations indicate near-linear mixing lines result when corrected for the amount of smectite and known K+ substitutions (Na+ or NH4+). We conclude that perfect linearity is unattainable because IAA attempts to unmix a system linearly, but the system is based on an exponential function (K-Ar equation). In practice, we believe IAA can successfully determine the age range of illite diagenesis, even though perfect linearity is not attainable because: (1) significant deviations from linearity occur only if >500 Ma separate the diagenetic and detrital ages; (2) IAA analytical uncertainties result in diagenetic and detrital ages that span a range of ages.

Keywords

K-Arshaleillite age analysisillite
Type
Discussion
Information
Clay Minerals , Volume 35 , Issue 3 , June 2000 , pp. 599 - 604
Copyright
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2000

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References

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