Open AccessThe British Tertiary Igneous Province: Potassium‐argon Ages of the Antrim Basalts
Author(s) -
Purdy J. W.,
Mussett A. E.,
Charlton S. R.,
Eckford M. J.,
English H. N.
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
geophysical journal of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.302
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1365-246X
pISSN - 0016-8009
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-246x.1972.tb06096.x
Subject(s) - basalt , lava , radiogenic nuclide , geology , igneous rock , argon , geochemistry , volcano , chemistry , mantle (geology) , organic chemistry
Summary Twenty‐one K‐Ar dates on thirteen lavas from Garron Point, Antrim, Northern Ireland yield a minimum age of 49.9±2.2 My. It would appear that this large thickness (>250 m) of lava was extruded over a period of at most a few million years, in agreement with the results of earlier palaeomagnetic work. There is a correlation between the degree of alteration and apparent age of the samples suggesting that the lavas have lost variable amounts of radiogenic argon.