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Uranium–Lead Dating, Opal

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Encyclopedia of Scientific Dating Methods

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

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Synonyms

U–Pb dating of opal; Uranium–lead ages of opaline silica

Definitions

Uranium–lead dating: A geochronological method that uses final decay products in the 238U and 235U radioactive decay chains to determine the length of time required to accumulate present amounts of stable daughter isotopes 206Pb and 207Pb, respectively.

Opaline silica (opal): A hydrated amorphous form of silica (SiO2∙nH2O) that commonly contains between 6 % and 10 % water by weight. It precipitates from silica-saturated aqueous solutions at relatively low temperature on or near the surface of the Earth.

Mineralogy and U–Th–Pb geochemistry of opal

Due to its amorphous nature, opal is categorized as a mineraloid (Jones and Segnit, 1971; Smith, 1998), unlike other crystalline forms of silica (e.g., quartz, cristobalite, and tridymite) which are classified as minerals. Opal typically occurs near the Earth’s surface where it is deposited in the voids from silica-saturated circulating waters at relatively low...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. US Geological Survey, Box 25046, CO 80225, MS 963, Denver, CO, USA

    Leonid Neymark

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  1. Leonid Neymark
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Correspondence to Leonid Neymark .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    W. Jack Rink  & Jeroen W. Thompson  & 

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Neymark, L. (2015). Uranium–Lead Dating, Opal. In: Jack Rink, W., Thompson, J.W. (eds) Encyclopedia of Scientific Dating Methods. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6304-3_263

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