Xenon compositions of magmatic zircons in 3.64 and 3.81 Ga meta-granitoids from Greenland - a search for extinct 244 Pu in ancient terrestrial rocks

• Published in: Earth and Planetary Science Letters
• Main Authors: Honda, Masahiko, Nutman, Allen, Bennett, Victoria
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Elsevier
• Subjects: Keywords: Archean; early Earth; granitoid; noble gas; paleoatmosphere; xenon; zircon; Greenland Atmospheric evolution; Early Archaean; Fission xenon; Noble gases; Pu-244; Greenland; Ameralik; Ameralik fjord
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1885/88337; https://doi.org/10.1016/S0012-821X(02)01147-0

In order to solve the fundamental problem as to whether the extinct radioactive isotope 244Pu was present in the early Earth, we have analysed xenon in magmatic zircons from three early Archaean meta-granitoids from Greenland. Two samples, a granite (sample G97/111) and a ferrogabbro/ferrodiorite (s...