<abstract xml:lang="en" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>In this paper I try to explain why the potassium-argon dating method was developed much later than other radiometric methods (like U-He and U-Pb), which were established at the beginning of the 20th century. In fact the pioneering paper by Aldrich and Nier (1948) was published 50 years after the discovery of polonium and radium, when nearly all the details concerning potassium isotopes and radioactivity of potassium-40 had been investigated. The role of Marie Curie’s concept of the nature of radioactivity in the discovery of the radioactivity of potassium is emphasized.</p></abstract>

In this paper I try to explain why the potassium-argon dating method was developed much later than other radiometric methods (like U-He and U-Pb), which were established at the beginning of the 20th century. In fact the pioneering paper by Aldrich and Nier (1948) was published 50 years after the discovery of polonium and radium, when nearly all the details concerning potassium isotopes and radioactivity of potassium-40 had been investigated. The role of Marie Curie’s concept of the nature of radioactivity in the discovery of the radioactivity of potassium is emphasized.

From the discovery of radioactivity to the development of the K-Ar dating method

Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, pl. M. Curie Skłodowskiej 1, 20-031, Lublin, Poland

Geochronometria

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

{"article-title":"From the discovery of radioactivity to the development of the K-Ar dating method"}

In this paper I try to explain why the potassium-argon dating method was developed much later than other radiometric methods (like U-He and U-Pb), which were...

From the discovery of radioactivity to the development of the K-Ar dating method

Published Online: Jun 19, 2012

Page range: 158 - 166

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/s13386-012-0010-8

Keywords
argon, isotopes, radioactivity, potassium, dating, mass spectrometer

© 2012 Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice, Poland

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

From the discovery of radioactivity to the development of the K-Ar dating method

Published Online: Jun 19, 2012

Page range: 158 - 166

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/s13386-012-0010-8

Keywordsargon, isotopes, radioactivity, potassium, dating, mass spectrometer

© 2012 Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice, Poland

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
argon, isotopes, radioactivity, potassium, dating, mass spectrometer