Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Primitive lead in an Australian Zn–Pb–Ba deposit

Nature volume 270, page 423 (1977)Cite this article

Abstract

RADIOACTIVE decay of 238U, 235U and 232Th yields 206Pb, 207Pb, and 208Pb, respectively, as daughter products. This radiogenic lead is continually added to common lead in the source environments of ore deposits and the lead isotopic ratios of the resulting mixture are consequently time dependent. Because the relative proportions of these lead isotopes are fixed when the lead, common and radiogenic together, is separated from the parental uranium and thorium and incorporated into a lead deposit, determination of the isotope ratios provides evidence regarding the age of the lead ore and thus indirectly of the rock in which the ore is contained. Generally speaking, the older the ore the less radiogenic will be its lead. We report here analyses of extremely primitive lead from a small lead-bearing deposit in Western Australia.

Access through your institution
Buy or subscribe

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Access through your institution

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Brook, W. A. 45th Anzaas Congress, Perth Western Australia, August 13–17, 1973. Section 3, Geology, Symposium 8, Paper 8.8 (Abstr.) (1973).

  2. Hickman, A. H. in Geological Survey Western Australia, Annual Report 1972 57–60 (1973).

    Google Scholar 

  3. de Laeter, J. R. & Blockley, J. G. J. geol. Soc. Aust. 19, 363 (1972).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Reynolds, D. G., Brook, W. A., Marshall, A. E. & Allchurch, P. D. Aust. Inst. Min. Met. Mono Series No. 57 185–195 (1975).

  5. Saager, R. & Koppel, V. Econ. Geol. 71, 44–57 (1976).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Stacey, J. S. & Kramers, J. D. Earth planet Sci. Lett. 26, 44–57 (1975).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Baadsgaard, H., St. J. Lambert, R. & Krupicka, J. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 40, 513–527 (1976).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Stacey, J. S., Delevaux, M. H. & Ulrych, T. S. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 6, 15–25 (1969).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa, Canada

    D. F. SANGSTER

  2. Aquitaine Australian Minerals Pty Ltd, Western Australia, 6000, Australia

    W. A. BROOK

Authors
  1. D. F. SANGSTER
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  2. W. A. BROOK
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

SANGSTER, D., BROOK, W. Primitive lead in an Australian Zn–Pb–Ba deposit. Nature 270, 423 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1038/270423a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/270423a0

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing