Geochronology
Geochronology
GChron
Articles | Volume 8, issue 1
Articles | Volume 8, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-8-165-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-8-165-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 8, issue 1
Research article
 | 
27 Mar 2026
Research article |  | 27 Mar 2026

Analytical and modelling strategies for thermal histories from in situ (U-Th-Sm) ∕ He data of single apatites

Ann-Kathrin Maier, Christoph Glotzbach, and Sarah Falkowski

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Cited articles

Alexander, E., Mickelson, G., and Lanphere, M.: MMhb-1: a new 40Ar-39Ar dating standard, Short Papers of the Fourth International Conference, Geochronology, Cosmochronology, and Isotope Geology, U.S. Geological Survey, 78, 6–8, 1978. 
Anderson, A. J., Hodges, K. V., and van Soest, M. C.: Empirical constraints on the effects of radiation damage on helium diffusion in zircon, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 218, 308–322, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2017.09.006, 2017. 
Ault, A. K. and Flowers, R. M.: Is apatite U-Th zonation information necessary for accurate interpretation of apatite (U-Th) / He thermochronometry data?, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 79, 60–78, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2011.11.037, 2012. 
Ault, A. K., Gautheron, C., and King, G. E.: Innovations in (U-Th) / He, Fission Track, and Trapped Charge Thermochronometry with Applications to Earthquakes, Weathering, Surface-Mantle Connections, and the Growth and Decay of Mountains, Tectonics, 38, 3705–3739, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018TC005312, 2019. 
Beucher, R., Brown, R. W., Roper, S., Stuart, F., and Persano, C.: Natural age dispersion arising from the analysis of broken crystals: Part II. Practical application to apatite (U-Th) / He thermochronometry, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 120, 395–416, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2013.05.042, 2013. 
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Short summary
(U-Th-Sm)/He dating is a tool to investigate when and how rocks cooled through the upper Earth’s crust. We explore strategies to reconstruct thermal histories of individual apatite crystals by direct measurement of their helium concentration profile and radionuclide distribution. This approach allows for the inclusion of inhomogeneous grains in thermal modelling, which is often problematic in traditional (U-Th-Sm)/He methods.
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