Valley John W.

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Valley
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John W.
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  • Article
    Tourmaline reference materials for the In situ analysis of oxygen and lithium isotope ratio compositions
    (International Association of Geoanalysts, 2020-10-19) Wiedenbeck, Michael ; Trumbull, Robert B. ; Rosner, Martin ; Boyce, Adrian ; Fournelle, John H. ; Franchi, Ian A. ; Halama, Ralf ; Harris, Chris ; Lacey, Jack H. ; Marschall, Horst R. ; Meixner, Anette ; Pack, Andreas ; Pogge von Strandmann, Philip A. E. ; Spicuzza, Michael J. ; Valley, John W. ; Wilke, Franziska D.H.
    Three tourmaline reference materials sourced from the Harvard Mineralogical and Geological Museum (schorl 112566, dravite 108796 and elbaite 98144), which are already widely used for the calibration of in situ boron isotope measurements, are characterised here for their oxygen and lithium isotope compositions. Homogeneity tests by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) showed that at sub‐nanogram test portion masses, their 18O/16O and 7Li/6Li isotope ratios are constant within ± 0.27‰ and ± 2.2‰ (1s), respectively. The lithium mass fractions of the three materials vary over three orders of magnitude. SIMS homogeneity tests showed variations in 7Li/28Si between 8% and 14% (1s), which provides a measure of the heterogeneity of the Li contents in these three materials. Here, we provide recommended values for δ18O, Δ’17O and δ7Li for the three Harvard tourmaline reference materials based on results from bulk mineral analyses from multiple, independent laboratories using laser‐ and stepwise fluorination gas mass spectrometry (for O), and solution multi‐collector inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectroscopy (for Li). These bulk data also allow us to assess the degree of inter‐laboratory bias that might be present in such data sets. This work also re‐evaluates the major element chemical composition of the materials by electron probe microanalysis and investigates these presence of a chemical matrix effect on SIMS instrumental mass fractionation with regard to δ18O determinations, which was found to be < 1.6‰ between these three materials. The final table presented here provides a summary of the isotope ratio values that we have determined for these three materials. Depending on their starting mass, either 128 or 512 splits have been produced of each material, assuring their availability for many years into the future.
  • Preprint
    Determining the impactor of the Ordovician Lockne crater : oxygen and neon isotopes in chromite versus sedimentary PGE signatures
    ( 2011-04-15) Schmitz, Birger ; Heck, Philipp R. ; Alwmark, Carl ; Kita, Noriko T. ; Meier, Matthias M. M. ; Peucker-Ehrenbrink, Bernhard ; Ushikubo, Takayuki ; Valley, John W.
    Abundant chromite grains with L-chondritic composition in the resurge deposits of the Lockne impact crater (458 Myr old; dia. ~10 km) in Sweden have been inferred to represent relict fragments of an impactor from the break-up of the L-chondrite parent body at 470 Ma. This view has been challenged based on Ir/Cr and platinum group element (PGE) patterns of the same resurge deposits, and a reinterpretation of the origin of the chromite grains. An impactor of the non-magmatic iron meteorite type was proposed instead. Here we show that single-grain oxygen and noble-gas isotope analyses of the chromite grains from the resurge deposits further support an origin from an L-chondritic asteroid. We also present PGE analyses and Ir/Cr ratios for fossil L-chondritic meteorites found in mid-Ordovician marine limestone in Sweden. The L-chondritic origin has been confirmed by several independent methods, including major element and oxygen isotopic analyses of chromite. Although the meteorites show the same order-of-magnitude PGE and Cr concentrations as recent L chondrites, the elements have been redistributed to the extent that it is problematic to establish the original meteorite type from these proxies. Different PGE data processing approaches can lead to highly variable results, as also shown here for the Lockne resurge deposits. We conclude that the Lockne crater was formed by an L-chondritic impactor, and that considerable care must be taken when inferring projectile type from PGEs in sedimentary ejecta deposits.