Note: Cover -- Half-title -- Title -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Chapter One: Isotopes and radioactivity -- 1.1 Reminders about the atomic nucleus -- 1.2 The mass spectrometer -- 1.2.1 The principle of the mass spectrometer -- 1.2.2 The components of a mass spectrometer -- The source -- The magnet -- The collectors -- The vacuum -- Efficiency -- Power of resolution -- Abundance sensitivity -- 1.2.3 Various developments in mass spectrometers -- Ionization -- Ion optics -- 1.2.4 Preparatory chemistry and final accuracy -- 1.2.5 Ionization techniques and the corresponding spectrometers -- Thermal-ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) -- Electronic bombardment -- Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) in an argon plasma -- Ionic bombardment in secondary-ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) -- 1.3 Isotopy -- 1.3.1 The chart of the nuclides -- 1.3.2 Isotopic homogenization and isotopic exchange -- 1.3.3 A practical application of isotopic exchange: isotopic dilution -- 1.4 Radioactivity -- 1.4.1 Basic principles -- 1.4.2 Types of radioactivity -- Beta-minus radioactivity -- Beta-plus radioactivity and electron capture -- Alpha radioactivity -- Spontaneous fission -- 1.4.3 Radioactivity and heat -- Problems -- Chapter Two: The principles of radioactive dating -- 2.1 Dating by parent isotopes -- 2.2 Dating by parent-daughter isotopes -- 2.2.1 Principle and general equations -- 2.2.2 Special case of multiple decay -- 2.2.3 Main geochronometers based on simple parent-daughter ratios -- 2.3 Radioactive chains -- 2.3.1 Principle and general equations -- 2.3.2 Secular equilibrium: uranium-lead methods -- 2.3.3 The special case of lead-lead methods -- 2.3.4 The helium method -- 2.3.5 The fission track method -- 2.3.6 Isolation of a part of the chain and dating young geological periods. , The radioactive isotope becomes isolated on its own -- The parent isotope is isolated and engenders its daughters -- 2.3.7 General equation and equilibration time -- Uranium-238 chain -- Uranium-235 series -- Thorium-232 chain -- 2.4 Dating by extinct radioactivity -- 2.4.1 The historical discovery -- 2.4.2 Iodine-xenon dating -- 2.4.3 Discoveries of other forms of extinct radioactivity -- 2.5 Determining geologically useful radioactive decay constants -- 2.5.1 Measurement of activity -- 2.5.2 The radiogenic isotope produced -- 2.5.3 The method of geological comparison -- Moon rocks -- Eucrites (basaltic achondrites) -- Ordinary chondrites -- 2.5.4 Conclusions -- Problems -- Chapter Three: Radiometric dating methods -- 3.1 General questions -- 3.1.1 Rich systems, poor systems -- 3.1.2 Closed system, open system -- 3.1.3 Continuous or episodic losses -- 3.1.4 Concordant and discordant ages -- 3.2 Rich systems and solutions to the problem of the open system -- 3.2.1 The semi-quantitative systematic comparative approach -- Laboratory study of diffusion and extrapolation -- The study of contact metamorphism -- 3.2.2 The concordia method -- Uranium-lead systems -- Generalizing the concordia method -- 3.2.3 Stepwise thermal extraction -- The 39Ar-40Ar method -- Direct 206Pb-207Pb analysis -- 3.3 Poor systems and the radiometric isotopic correlation diagram -- 3.3.1 The 87Rb-87Sr system -- 3.3.2 Two-stage models -- 3.3.3 Extension of the isochron graph to other radiochronometers -- The case of 147Sm-144Nd -- The case of 176Lu-176Hf -- The case of 187Re-187Os -- The case of uranium-thorium-lead -- 3.3.4 The lead-lead method -- 3.3.5 The 230Th-238U method and disequilibria of radioactive chains -- 3.3.6 Extinct radioactivities -- The case of 26Al-26Mg -- The case of 129I-129Xe -- 3.3.7 Conditions of use of the isochron diagram. , 3.4 Mixing and alternative interpretations -- 3.4.1 Mixing -- 3.4.2 The (1/C) test -- 3.5 Towards the geochronology of the future: in situ analysis -- 3.5.1 The ion probe -- 3.5.2 Laser ionization -- Problems -- Chapter Four: Cosmogenic isotopes -- 4.1 Nuclear reactions -- 4.1.1 General principles -- 4.1.2 Effective cross-sectional area -- The kinetics of a nuclear reaction -- Energy dependence of the effective cross-sectional area -- 4.1.3 Classification of nuclear reactions -- Nucleon absorption -- Proton-neutron or neutron-proton exchange -- Reactions involving alpha particles -- Spallation reactions -- Fission reactions -- 4.1.4 Absorption of particles by matter in the case of nuclear reactions -- 4.1.5 Galactic cosmic radiation -- 4.2 Carbon-14 dating -- 4.2.1 The principle of 14C dating -- 4.2.2 Measuring 14C -- The counting method -- The accelerator mass spectrometry method (AMS) -- 4.2.3 Conditions for performing 14C dating -- The closed system -- Determining the initial 14C content -- Synthetic formula for age calculation -- 4.2.4 Other forms of cosmogenic radioactivity -- Beryllium-10 -- 4.2.5 Dating oceanic cycles with 14C -- 4.3 Exposure ages -- 4.3.1 Meteorites -- Stable isotopes -- Radioactive isotopes -- 4.3.2 Terrestrial rocks -- Exploitable chronometers -- Calibration of production rates, erosion rates, etc. -- Erosion ratemeasurements -- Measuring the rate of uplift -- Interestand limits of thesemethods -- 4.4 Cosmic irradiation: from nucleosynthesis to stellar and galactic radiation -- 4.4.1 The transition from the proton to helium -- 4.4.2 The synthesis of alpha elements -- 4.4.3 The iron peak -- 4.4.4 Neutron addition -- 4.4.5 The p-process -- 4.4.6 The light elements lithium, beryllium, and boron -- 4.4.7 The stellar adventure: the life and death of stars -- Problems. , Chapter Five: Uncertainties and results of radiometric dating -- 5.1 Introduction -- 5.2 Some statistical reminders relative to the calculation of uncertainties -- 5.2.1 Systematic uncertainties -- 5.2.2 Pseudo-random uncertainties -- 5.2.3 Composite uncertainty -- Addition of operations -- Multiplication or division operations -- 5.3 Sources of uncertainty in radiometric dating -- 5.3.1 Uncertainties introduced when collecting samples -- 5.3.2 Physical uncertainties on an individual measurement -- Uncertainties on ages obtained from parent decay methods (14C, 10Be, etc.) -- Overall estimation of uncertainty on long half-life parent-daughter methods -- 5.3.3 Uncertainties on age calculations -- Individual age statistics -- Uncertainties in measuring straight lines of isotope evolution -- Presence or absence of alignment -- The correlation coefficient -- Inclusion of experimental uncertainties -- 5.3.4 Calculating the equation of the straight line of correlation -- 5.4 Geological interpretations -- 5.4.1 General remarks -- 5.4.2 Case studies -- Contact metamorphism of the Eldora stock -- TheU^Pb systemon zircon -- The 87Rb^87Sr system in isochron construction -- The (Rb^Sr,K^Ar) measurements onmicas discussed with the generalized concordia diagram -- The 40Ar^39 Armeasurements -- The very ancient rocks of Greenland -- Archean komatiites -- The rhyolite of Long Valley, California -- Conclusions -- 5.5 The geological timescale -- 5.5.1 History -- 5.5.2 The absolute scale of fossiliferous (Phanerozoic) times -- The case of the Quaternary -- 5.5.3 The Precambrian timescale -- 5.6 The age of the Earth -- 5.6.1 History -- 5.6.2 The isotopic approach -- 5.6.3 The modern approach -- 5.7 The cosmic timescale -- 5.7.1 Meteorite ages -- 5.7.2 The history of the Moon -- 5.7.3 Pre-solar cosmochronology -- The different scenarios of uranium nucleosynthesis12. , The contribution of extinct radioactivity -- Discussion and conclusions -- 5.8 General remarks on geological and cosmic timescales -- 5.8.1 Overall geological myopia -- 5.8.2 The use of radiochronometers -- Domains for using geochronometers based on analytical criteria -- Geological modulation of the time domains for the use of radiochronometers -- 5.9 Conclusion -- Problems -- Chapter Six: Radiogenic isotope geochemistry -- 6.1 Strontium isotope geochemistry -- 6.1.1 Continents and oceansgranite and basalt -- 6.1.2 Isotope evolution diagrams and multi-episode evolution models -- 6.1.3 Granites and granites -- 6.1.4 Basalt and oceanic basalt -- 6.1.5 Comparative "prehistoric" evolution of MORB and OIB: the concept of a model age -- 6.1.6 The problem of mixtures -- 6.1.7 Isotopic exchange -- 6.1.8 The Schilling effect -- 6.2 Strontium-neodymium isotopic coupling -- 6.2.1 Neodymium isotope variations -- 6.2.2 The epsilonNd notation -- 6.2.3 The Sr-Nd isotope correlation of basalts -- 6.2.4 Position of granites in the (Sr, Nd) diagram -- 6.2.5 Back to the isotope evolution diagrams -- 6.2.6 Evolution of time in the (Nd, Sr) isotope diagram and the questiongeochemical differentiation or mixing? -- 6.2.7 Mixing in isotope ratio correlation diagrams -- 6.2.8 The Sr-Nd-Hf system -- 6.3 The continental crust-mantle system -- 6.3.1 The chronology of extraction of continental crust -- 6.3.2 The mass of the depleted mantle and the mantle structure -- 6.3.3 Changes in the Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd systems over geological time -- Comments -- Strontium -- Neodymium -- 6.3.4 The process of development of continental crust over geological time -- Continental reworking -- The neodymium model age and its geological applications -- Neodymium model ages of granites over geological time -- Genetic cartography of continents -- Australian detrital zircons. , 6.4 Isotope geochemistry of rare gases.