Methodologies for ¹⁷⁶Lu-¹⁷⁶Hf Analysis of Zircon Grains from the Moon and Beyond.

ABSTRACT: Zircons are found in extraterrestrial rocks from the Moon, Mars, and some differentiated meteorite parent-bodies. These zircons are rare, often of small size, and have been affected by neutron capture induced by cosmic ray exposure. The application of the ¹⁷⁶Lu-¹⁷⁶Hf decay system to zircons from planetary bodies such as the Moon can help establish the chronology of large-scale differentiation processes such as the crystallization of the lunar magma ocean. Here, we present methods to measure the isotopic composition of Hf of extraterrestrial zircons dated using ID-TIMS U-Pb after chemical abrasion. We introduce a 2-stage elution scheme to separate Hf from Zr while preserving the unused Zr fraction for future isotopic analysis. The effect of neutron capture is also re-e

SUBMITTER: Chen X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10801744 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature