Noble gas mass-spectrometry for Ar-Ar and K-Ar geochronology

We use the state of the art mass-spectrometer ARGUS VI (Thermo Fisher Scientific) for the Ar-Ar and K-Ar dating. Our instrument has the number 10 delivered by Thermo to their worldwide customers. This mass-spectrometer allows simultaneous detection of five isotopes of argon; three of which are natural with masses of 36, 38 and 40, and two – 37 and 39 – are artificial. Argon for the analysis is extracted from dated minerals by heating either in a double vacuum oven or by CO2 infrared laser. The mass-spectrometer with the gas purification system and the double vacuum oven were installed in December 2011 and, after a series of tests, it became routinely applied for the geochronological studies starting from May 2012. The CO2 laser (Coherent and Teledyne Photon Machines) was installed in October 2015 and it is planned for the routine application soon. So far we have published six papers with the data obtained using the ARGUS VI mass-spectrometer, but more papers are either in press or submitted, or under preparation yet.

  1. Ivanov, A.V., He, H., Yan, L., Ryabov, V.V., Shevko, A.Y., Palesskii, S.V., and Nikolaeva, I.V., 2013, Siberian Traps Large Igneous Province: Evidence for two flood basalt pulses around the Permo-Triassic boundary and in the Middle Triassic, and contemporaneous granitic magmatism. Earth Science Reviews, v. 122, p. 58-76. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012825213000652
  2. Kiselev, A.I., Yarmolyuk, V.V., Ivanov, A.V., and Egorov, K.N., 2014, Middle Paleozoic basaltic and kimberlitic magmatism in the northwestern shoulder of the Vilyui Rift, Siberia: relations in space and time. Russian Geology and Geophysics, v. 55, p. 144-152. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1068797114000042
  3. Ivanov, A.V., Demonterova, E.I., He, H., Perepelov, A.B., Travin, A.V., and Lebedev, V.A., 2015, Volcanism in the Baikal rift: 40 years of active-versus-passive model discussion. Earth Science Reviews, v. 148, p. 18-43. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S001282521500094X
  4. Solov’eva, L.V., Kalashnikova, T.V., Kostrovitsky, S.I., Ivanov, A.V., Matsuk, S.S., and Suvorova, L.F., 2015, Metasomatic and magmatic processes in the mantle lithosphere of the Birekte terrain of the Siberian Craton and their effect on the lithosphere evolution. Geodynamics & Tectonophysics, v. 6, p. 311-344. http://gt.crust.irk.ru/jour/article/view/181/193
  5. Ivanov, A.V., Vanin, V.A., Demonterova, E.I., Gladkochub, D.P., and Donskaya, T.V., 2015, Application of the ‘no fool’s clock’ to dating the Mukodek ore field, Siberia, Russia. Ore Geology Reviews, v. 69, p. 352-359. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169136815000736
  6. Reznitsky, L.Z., Shkol’nik, S.I., Ivanov, A.V., Demonterova, E.I., Letnikova, E.F., Hung, C.-H., and Chung, S.-L., 2015, The Hercynian Ikat thrust in the Transbaikalia segment of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt. Russian Geology and Geophysics, v. 56, p. 1671-1684. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1068797115002527