Age determination of Precambrian rocks from Greenland: past and present

Authors

  • Feiko Kalsbeek Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Øster Voldgade 10, DK-1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34194/ggub.v176.5062

Abstract

Age determination is an essential part of many geological investigations. The ages of Phanerozoic sedimentary rocks are typically determined by palaeontological studies (often with high precision), but for Precambrian rocks as well as for younger igneous intrusions, precise ages can only be obtained by isotopic analysis of minerals or rocks. Isotopic (radiometric) age determination of Greenland rocks began in the early 1960s and has continued since with gradually improving methods. In this contribution, the development of geochronological knowledge of the Precambrian of Greenland is described in historical perspective, and an outline of new results is given. The history of geochronology can be roughly divided into three periods:
1) a period of single-sample K-Ar and Rb-Sr mineral or whole-rock age determinations; 2) a time when most ages were determined with the help of Rb-Sr and Pb-Pb whole-rock isochrons and multi-grain zircon U-Pb isotope data; 3) the present, where ‘single’ zircon U-Pb data are the preferred method to obtain rock ages. These stages in the development of radiometric dating methods partly overlap in time, and each has yielded very significant contributions to the knowledge of Precambrian evolution in Greenland.

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Published

1997-06-01

How to Cite

Kalsbeek, F. . (1997). Age determination of Precambrian rocks from Greenland: past and present. Geology of Greenland Survey Bulletin, 176, 55–59. https://doi.org/10.34194/ggub.v176.5062