Geochronology aims to establish the age of rocks, minerals, and geological events including fluid movement and mineralization, within a specific degree of uncertainty, using signatures inherent in the rocks themselves. Absolute dating is only accomplished through the use of naturally-occurring radioactive isotopes found within geological samples. The U–Th–Pb isotopic system is the benchmark for...

Zircon (ZrSiO4) is the most commonly used mineral in U–Pb geochronology. Although it has proven to be a robust chronometer, it can suffer from Pb-loss or elevated common Pb, both of which impede precision and accuracy of age determinations. Chemical abrasion of zircon involves thermal annealing followed by relatively low temperature partial dissolution in HF acid. It was specifically developed ...

Introduction: Among the calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs) there exists a small subgroup referred to as FUN CAIs (for Fractionation and Unidentified Nuclear effects [1]) that exhibit unusually large mass-dependent fractionations and mass-independent isotopic variations [1-3]. Understanding the origin, conditions of formation, genetic relationship of these inclusions with other CAIs and the...

The LUCIAE model predictions are compared with experimental data on light vector meson (ρ, ω, φ) production in pp, p+Pb and Pb+Pb collisions at 158 A GeV. The model reproduces the general trends of the data, but fails in describing the yield of high-pT vector mesons in the central Pb+Pb collisions. Predictions for In+In and p+A (A varying from Be to U) collisions at 158 A GeV are also presented.