Dating igneous rocks using the Potassium–Argon Laser Experiment (KArLE) instrument: A case study for ~380 Ma basaltic rocks

Abstract

Our experimental results demonstrate that accurate and precise measurements are possible using the KArLE approach on basaltic rocks, which are ubiquitous on planetary surfaces, and are useful in addressing a wide range of questions in planetary science.

Pb‐Pb Dating of Terrestrial and Extraterrestrial Samples Using Resonance Ionization Mass Spectrometry

“…Dating a new suite of lunar samples from localities with Riedo et al, 2013). Such instruments boast considerably better statistical precision (e.g., Cho & Cohen, 2018) than the age measurements made so far on Mars. More importantly, their ability to analyze concentrations of both radioisotopic parents and radiogenic daughters in multiple spots on a sample allows for the calculation of isochron ages.…”

In-situ K-Ar dating on Mars based on UV-Laser ablation coupled with a LIBS-QMS system: Development, calibration and application of the KArMars instrument

“…KArMars age determination relies on several ablations, which could have contrasted K and Ar contents depending on the minerals hit by the laser spot. Therefore, as previously proposed (Cho et al, 2016;Cho and Cohen, 2018;Cohen et al, 2014;Solé, 2014), the best way to calculate the age of a given sample is to rely on the isochron approach. Indeed, spot-by-spot UV laser ablations provide a sufficient range of K contents to obtain relatively well-defined isochron slopes.…”

“…Recently, several experimental settings based on spot laser analyses have been developed to investigate the feasibility of in-situ K-Ar dating (Cattani et al, 2017;Cho and Cohen, 2018;Cho et al, 2016;Cohen et al, 2014;Devismes et al, 2016;Solé, 2014). These preliminary studies have brought promising perspectives, but yet suffer important limitations.…”

In Situ Geochronology on Mars and the Development of Future Instrumentation

“…Several laboratories have developed breadboards that would provide multiple measurements on a single solid sample by measuring K and Ar using a combination of LIBS to measure parent K, and MS to measure daughter Ar (Cohen et al , 2014; Solé, 2014; Cho et al , 2016; Devismes et al , 2016; Cho and Cohen, 2018; Cattani et al , 2019). These LIBS-MS instruments completely release Ar from small pits by laser ablation (LA) rather than oven heating and admit the released gas to the MS.…”

“…The LIBS-MS family of instruments is especially promising for near-term implementation because its components (LIBS, MS, and cameras to measure the ablation pit volume) have successfully flown aboard the Curiosity and Rosetta missions. The quantification of elements by LIBS and the volume measurement by optical metrology are relatively imprecise compared with MS and lead to an estimated uncertainty of ±8% to 16% (1σ) in individual measurements, with better precision potentially achievable by using multiple-point isochrons (Cohen et al , 2014, Cho and Cohen, 2018), approaching the guidelines set out in the NASA Technology roadmap.…”