The (super 40)Ar/(super 39)Ar and K/Ar dating of lavas from the Hilo 1-km core hole, Hawaii Scientific Drilling Project

Author:

Sharp, W.D., Turrin, B.D., Renne, P.R., Lanphere, M.A.

Title:

The (super 40)Ar/(super 39)Ar and K/Ar dating of lavas from the Hilo 1-km core hole, Hawaii Scientific Drilling Project

Periodical:

Journal of Geophysical Research

Year:

1996

Volume:

101

Pages:

11,607-11,616

Subject:

Hawaii Scientific Drilling Project Radioactive dating Mauna Kea volcano K-Ar dating Potassium-argon dating

Summary:

Mauna Kea lava flows, that were cored in the Hilo hole by the Hawaiian Scientific Drilling Project at a site located 40 kilometers east of the summit of Mauna Kea, ranged in age from <200 ka to about 400 ka. This was based on (super 40)Ar/(super 39)Ar incremental heating and K-Ar analyses of 16 groundmass samples and one coexisting plagioclase. While the precise dating of core samples is challenging, the ages of the Hilo core hole samples were of interest as they helped to place the samples in the broader context of other Mauna Kea lavas that were sampled on the surface by dredging. In addition, the age-depth relationship was a key observation that tested and constrained models that linked the physical and compositional evolution of Mauna Kea to its transport across the Hawaiian hot spot. The ages were also essential for the identification and correlation of paleomagnetic excursions and other variations in the direction of intensity of the paleomagnetic field recorded in the core samples.

Label:

Geology

Collection:

Periodicals