Articles | Volume 3, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-3-433-2021
https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-3-433-2021
Research article
 | 
23 Aug 2021
Research article |  | 23 Aug 2021

Confined fission-track revelation in apatite: how it works and why it matters

Richard A. Ketcham and Murat T. Tamer

Data sets

Step-etching data for confined fission tracks in Durango apatite Richard Ketcham and Murat Tamer https://doi.org/10.18738/T8/MPWDZI

Model code and software

ketcham/vTx-model: Second release of vTx-model code Richard Ketcham https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4779128

Download
Short summary
We introduce a new model of how etching reveals damage tracks left by fissioning atoms, which accounts for variable along-track etching rates. This complete characterization explains many observations, including community difficulty in obtaining consistent track length measurements. It also provides a quantitative basis for optimizing etching procedures, discerning more about how radiation damage anneals, and ultimately deriving more reproducible fission-track ages and thermal histories.