Radiocarbon serves as a powerful dating tool, but the calibration of marine radiocarbon dates presents significant challenges because the whole surface ocean cannot be represented by a single calibration curve. Here we use climate model outputs and data to assess a novel method for developing regional marine calibration curves. Our results are encouraging and point to a way forward for solving the marine radiocarbon age calibration problem without relying on model simulations of the past.

The multiple-diffusion domain (MDD) model quantifies the temperature dependence of noble gas diffusivity in minerals. However, current methods for tuning MDD parameters can yield biased results, leading to underestimates of sample temperatures through geologic time. Our "MDD Tool Kit" software optimizes all MDD parameters simultaneously, overcoming these biases. We then apply this software to a previously published ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dataset (Wong, 2023) to showcase its efficacy.

Cosmogenic nuclide geochronology requires accurately scaling production rates with altitude. The energy spectrum of cosmic radiation changes with altitude, and reactions that are sensitive to different energies may have different scaling behavior. Here, we model the altitude scaling of ³⁶Cl production from Fe and evaluate this model against calibration data. The data are broadly consistent with the prediction of larger-altitude scaling factors for ³⁶Cl from Fe than for other reactions.

We have discovered a new way of measuring the three-dimensional distribution of radioactive elements in individual crystals by shining a very bright light on apatite crystals at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory. This allows us to learn about the rates and timing of geologic processes and to help resolve problems that previously were unsolvable because we had no way to make this type of measurement.

This paper describes how krypton isotopes produced by nuclear fission can be used to determine the age of microscopic particles of used nuclear fuel. This is potentially useful for international safeguard applications aimed at tracking and identifying nuclear materials, as well as geoscience applications involving dating post-1950s sediments or understanding environmental transport of nuclear materials.

Dating the roots of plate boundaries is essential for understanding geologic processes, but geochemical limitations, particularly in young mafic rocks, make this challenging. Advancements in mass spectrometry now enable high-resolution analysis of micro-domains. We assess these limitations by dating rocks from Syros. Multi-phase mineral analysis improves age uncertainty 6-fold. We emphasize the importance of the local geologic context and propose strategies to mitigate uncertainties.