Abstract
IN a recent communication, Tamers1 has suggested that tritium in iron may decay radioactively with a time short compared with its twelve-year half-life, perhaps with a half-life of several days or less. He bases this suggestion principally on some misinterpretations of tritium measurements in iron meteorites. It may be useful to summarize the experimental meteorite evidence, which, if examined in detail, cannot be used to support such a suggestion. I should like here to present some of this evidence and to indicate briefly and in preliminary form a simple, plausible and physically reasonable explanation for the tritium observations in the iron–nickel phases of meteorites. A discussion of the other physical reasons for not believing Tamers's suggestion seems completely superfluous.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Tamers, M. A., Nature, 197, 276 (1963).
Fireman, E. L., and DeFelice, J., Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 18, 183 (1960).
Fireman, E. L., and Schwarzer, D., Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 11, 252 (1957).
DeFelice, J., Fireman, E. L., and Tilles, D. (unpublished results).
Fireman, E. L., and DeFelice, J., J. Geophys. Res., 65, 3035 (1960).
Fireman, E. L., and DeFelice, J., J. Geophys. Res., 66, 3547 (1961).
Tilles, D., DeFelice, J., and Fireman, E. L., J. Geophys. Res., 67, 3604 (1962).
Tilles, D., Nature, 194, 1273 (1962).
DeFelice, J., Fireman, E. L., and Tilles, D. (submitted to J. Geophys. Res., 1963).
Johnson, E. W., and Hill, M. L., Trans. Met. Soc. Amer. Inst. Mech. Eng., 218, 1104 (160).
Frank, R. C., Lee, R. W., and Williams, R. L., J. App. Phys., 29, 898 (1958).
Birchenall, C. E., in Atom Movements, 112 (American Soc. Metals, 1951).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
TILLES, D. Tritium Retention in Iron Meteorites. Nature 200, 563–564 (1963). https://doi.org/10.1038/200563a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/200563a0
This article is cited by
-
Mystery of meteoritic fusion
Nature (1989)
-
Helium, neon, and argon in the iron meteorites Dongling, Nantan and Ningbo
Chinese Journal of Geochemistry (1986)
-
Meteoritic Tritium and Diffusion in α- and γ-Iron
Nature (1964)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.