A practical method for assigning uncertainty and improving the accuracy of alpha-ejection corrections and eU concentrations in apatite (U–Th)&thinsp;∕&thinsp;He chronology

Zeigler, Spencer D.; Metcalf, James R.; Flowers, Rebecca M.

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-5-197-2023

Articles | Volume 5, issue 1

https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-5-197-2023

© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-5-197-2023

© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 5, issue 1

Research article

|

02 May 2023

Research article |

| 02 May 2023

A practical method for assigning uncertainty and improving the accuracy of alpha-ejection corrections and eU concentrations in apatite (U–Th) ∕ He chronology

Spencer D. Zeigler, James R. Metcalf, and Rebecca M. Flowers

Data sets

Supplemental data for: A practical method for assigning uncertainty and improving the accuracy of alpha-ejection corrections and eU concentrations in apatite (U-Th)/He chronology Spencer D. Zeigler, Rebecca M. Flowers, and James R. Metcalf https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/FU98S

Short summary

(U–Th) / He dating relies on proper characterization of apatite crystal dimensions so that eU concentrations and dates can be calculated accurately and precisely, but there is systematic error and uncertainty in geometric measurements. By comparing 2D microscopy to true 3D measurements, we present a simple solution to correcting the error and quantifying the geometric uncertainty in eU and dates. Including this geometric correction and uncertainty matters for data evaluation and interpretation.