Articles | Volume 7, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-7-493-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-7-493-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
22 Oct 2025
Research article |
| 22 Oct 2025
| 22 Oct 2025
Diffusion kinetics of 3He in pyroxene and plagioclase and applications to cosmogenic exposure dating and paleothermometry in mafic rocks
Berkeley Geochronology Center, 2455 Ridge Road, Berkeley, CA 94709, USA
Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California Berkeley, 307 McCone Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
Andrew L. Gorin
Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California Berkeley, 307 McCone Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
Greg Balco
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 7000 East Avenue, Livermore, CA 94550, USA
Berkeley Geochronology Center, 2455 Ridge Road, Berkeley, CA 94709, USA
William S. Cassata
Berkeley Geochronology Center, 2455 Ridge Road, Berkeley, CA 94709, USA
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Joanne S. Johnson, Ryan A. Venturelli, Greg Balco, Claire S. Allen, Scott Braddock, Seth Campbell, Brent M. Goehring, Brenda L. Hall, Peter D. Neff, Keir A. Nichols, Dylan H. Rood, Elizabeth R. Thomas, and John Woodward
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Short summary
Helium gas accumulates over time in minerals, but loss can occur depending on temperature. If partially retained, its loss can potentially be used for determining past surface temperatures. This study uses a model that accounts for complex gas loss to analyze helium retention in two minerals commonly found on the surface of Antarctica. We find one of the minerals retains helium, while the other loses nearly all of the gas within 100 years, making it unsuitable as a climate reconstruction.
Helium gas accumulates over time in minerals, but loss can occur depending on temperature. If...
