Continued Development and Application of 40Ar/39Ar Dating for Archaeometric Research

在美国国家科学基金会的支持下，伯克利地质年代学中心（BGC）将继续发展40 Ar/39 Ar定年技术，并将该技术应用于一系列重要的古人类遗址。这些设施包括两个全自动激光质谱仪系统，具有单晶40 Ar/39 Ar定年能力，能够从凝灰质沉积物等多年龄成分样品中对亚毫克级单火山晶体进行分析精确和地质精确的定年。该实验室还增加了一个系统，可以定制年轻或改变的火山物质的日期。根据目前的NSF合同，该工厂将增加第二条二氧化碳激光低燃提取线。 氩定年法对古人类学家来说极其重要，因为它几乎可以用于过去600万年的整个时期;这是原始人类出现和发展的时期。 许多重要的考古和古生物遗址位于火山地区，如东非，并含有可以通过这种技术确定年代的沉积物。BGC与非洲、欧洲和亚洲一些地点的研究人员合作，在NSF的支持下，这些项目将继续进行并扩大。

With National Science Foundation support the Berkeley Geochronology Center (BGC) will continue to develop the technique of 40Ar/39Ar dating and apply this technique to a series of significant paleoanthropological sites. The facilities include two fully automated laser-mass spectrometer systems with single- crystal 40Ar/39Ar dating capability which enables the analytically precise and geologically accurate dating of sub- milligram single volcanic crystals from multi-age component samples such as tuffaceous sediments. The laboratory has also added a system which can be tailored to date young or altered volcanic materials. Under the current NSF award the facility will add a second carbon dioxide laser low-bland extraction line. Argon dating is extremely important to paleoanthropologists because it can be used over almost the entire last 6 million years; this is the period when hominids emerged and developed. Many significant archaeological and paleontological sites are located in volcanic regions such as Eastern Africa and contain sediments which can be dated by this technique. The BGC has collaborated with researchers at a number of sites in Africa, Europe and Asia, and with NSF support such projects will be continued and expanded.