Extinct 244Pu in Ancient Zircons
@article{Turner2004Extinct2I, title={Extinct 244Pu in Ancient Zircons}, author={G. Turner and T. Harrison and G. Holland and S. Mojzsis and J. Gilmour}, journal={Science}, year={2004}, volume={306}, pages={89 - 91} }
We have found evidence, in the form of fissiogenic xenon isotopes, for in situ decay of 244Pu in individual 4.1- to 4.2-billion-year-old zircons from the Jack Hills region of Western Australia. Because of its short half-life, 82 million years, 244Pu was extinct within 600 million years of Earth's formation. Detrital zircons are the only known relics to have survived from this period, and a study of their Pu geochemistry will allow us to date ancient metamorphic events and determine the… CONTINUE READING
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