Transcript False “Isochrons” -1

False “Isochrons”
Christopher Chui, PhD
Acknowledgment: I am indebted to numerous
sources in the Internet, Andrew A. Snelling’s
paper on “U-Th-Pb ‘Dating’: An Example of False
‘Isochrons’”, and Randy S. Berg’s paper on
“Radiometric Dating and the Age of the Earth.”
http://ChristCenterGospel.org
[email protected]
4/9/2016
1
False “Isochrons” -1

As with other isochron methods, the U-Pb isochron
method has been questioned in the open literature,
because often an excellent line of best fit between
ratios obtained from a set of good cogenetic samples
gives a resultant “isochron” and yields a derived “age”
that has no distinct geological meaning. At Koongarra,
Australia, U-Th-Pb isotopic studies of uranium ore,
host rocks, and soils have produced an array of false
“isochrons” that yield “ages” that are geologically
meaningless. Even a claimed near-concordant U-Pb
‘age’ of 862 Ma on one uraninite grain is identical to a
false Pb-Pb isochron “age,” but neither can be
connected to any geological event.
4/9/2016
2
False “Isochrons” -2

Open system behavior of the U-Th-Pb system is
clearly the norm, as is the resultant mixing of
radiogenic Pb with common or background Pb, even
in soils in the surrounding region. Because no
geologically meaningful results can be interpreted
from the U-Th-Pb data at Koongarra (three uraninite
grains even yield a 232Th/208Pb “age” of 0 Ma), serious
questions must be asked about the validity of the
fundamental/foundational basis of the U-Th-Pb
“dating” method. This makes the task of creationists
building their model for the geological record much
easier, since claims of U-Th-Pb radiometric “dating”
having “proven” the claimed great antiquity of the
earth, its strata and fossils can be safely side-stepped.
4/9/2016
3
False “Isochrons” -3



Zheng wrote:
. . . some of the basic assumptions of the conventional
Rb-Sr isochron method have to be modified and an
observed isochron does not certainly define a valid
age information for a geological system, even if a
goodness of fit of the experimental data points is
obtained in plotting 87Sr/86Sr vs. 87Rb/86Sr. This
problem cannot be overlooked, especially in
evaluating the numerical timescale. Similar questions
can also arise in applying Sm-Nd and U-Pb isochron
methods.
Zheng, Y.-F., 1989. Influences of the nature of the initial Rb-Sr system on isochron validity.Chemical
Geology 80:14.
4/9/2016
4
False “Isochrons” -4

Zheng documented the copious reporting of this
problem in the literature where various names had
been given to these anomalous isochrons, such
as apparent isochron, mantle isochron and
pseudoisochron, secondary isochron, source
isochron, erupted isochron, mixing line, and
mixing isochron.
4/9/2016
5
False “Isochrons” -5

Similar anomalous or false isochrons are commonly
obtained from U-Th-Pb data, which is hardly
surprising given the common open system behavior
of the U-Th-Pb system. Yet in the literature these
problems are commonly glossed over or pushed
aside, but their increasing occurrence from a
variety of geological settings does seriously raise
the question as to whether U-Th-Pb data ever
yields any valid “age” information. One such
geological setting that yields these false U-Th-Pb
isochrons is the Koongarra uranium deposit and
the surrounding area (Northern Territory, Australia).
4/9/2016
6
Known Age from
Historical
or Archaeological
Data
1,900 yrs
24,000 yrs
Rocks Age from
Radiometric
Dating
Method
Used
210,000--230,000 yrs
50 m.---14.6 b. yrs
K/Ar
K/Ar
3,300 yrs
485,000 yrs
K/Ar
Vulcan's Throne,
Grand Canyon 10
10,000 yrs max.
114,000--120,000 yrs
K/Ar
Hualalai Volcano,
Hawaii 11,12,13
200 yrs
140 m.---670 m. yrs
Helium
Hualalai Volcano,
Hawaii 11,12,13
200 yrs
160 m.---2.96 b. yrs
K/Ar
*Mt. Kilauea, Hawaii 14
200 yrs
0 yrs at 1400
meters depth
K/Ar
*Mt. Kilauea, Hawaii 14
200 yrs
10-14 m.y. at 3420
meters depth
K/Ar
*Mt. Kilauea, Hawaii 14
200 yrs
13-29 m.y. at 4680
meters depth
K/Ar
ock Sample Obtained From
Sunset Crater, Arizona 7
Russian Volcano 8
Mt Rangitoto,
New Zealand 9
4/9/2016
7
Rock Sample
Obtained From
4/9/2016
Known Age
from Historical or
Archaeological Data
Rocks Age from
Radiometric Dating
Method
Used
Salt Lake Crater,
Hawaii 15,16,17
Unknown
2.6 m.---140 m. yrs
Helium
Salt Lake Crater,
Hawaii 15,16,17
Unknown
400,000---3.3 b. yrs
K/Ar
Cubic Diamonds,
Zaire 18,19
Unknown
6,000,000,000 yrs
K/Ar
KBS Tuff,
E. Turkana, Kenya 20,21
Unknown
290,000---221 m. yrs
K/Ar
KBS Tuff,
E. Turkana, Kenya
Unknown
2,420,000 yrs
Fission
Track
Cardenas Basalts, Bottom
of Grnd Canyn. 23,24,25,26
Unknown
715,000,000 yrs
K/Ar
Isochron
Cardenas Basalts, Bottom
of Grnd Canyon. 23,24,25,26
Unknown
1.17 b. yrs
Rb/Sr
Isochron
Uinkaret Plateau, Top of
Grnd Canyon 23,24,25,26
Unknown
0.01--117 million yrs
K/Ar
Uinkaret Plateau, Top of
Grand Canyon 23,24,25,26
Unknown
1,340 million yrs
Rb/Sr
Isochron
Uinkaret Plateau, Top of
Grnd Canyon 23,24,25,26
Unknown
2,600 million yrs
Pb/Pb
Isochron
Morton gneisses,
Minnesota 27
Unknown
2.5 billion yrs
K/Ar
Morton gneisses,
Minnesota 27
Unknown
3.3 billion yrs
Ur/Pb
"Allende" Meteorite 28,29,30
Unknown
3.91 b.--11.7 b. yrs
Ur/Th/Pb
Isochron
"Allende" Meteorite 28,29,30
Unknown
4.49 b.--16.5 b. yrs
Ur/Th/Pb
Moon Rocks 31
Unknown
4.6 b.--8.2 b. yrs
Ur/Pb
32
Unknown
2.3 -- 3.76 b. yrs
K/Ar
Unknown
123.8 -- 125.5 b. yrs
K/Ar
Moon Rocks
22
Moon Rock (breccia) 33
8


Dr. Plaisted, and many other scientists like him have
also came to a similar conclusion. For example, in
his paper on this subject he stated that:
"After study and discussion of this question, I now
believe that the claimed accuracy of radiometric
dating methods is a result of a great
misunderstanding of the data, and that the
various methods hardly ever agree with each
other, and often do not agree with the assumed
ages of the rocks in which they are found. I
believe... there is a great need for this information to
be made known, so I am making this article available
in the hopes that it will enlighten others who are
considering these questions...." 34 Emphasis Added
4/9/2016
9