3He - 3H Strahlungsalter eines Steinmeteoriten

Abstract
The tritium and 3He contents of three samples of the ABEE stone meteorite have been measured. Within the experimental limits of error both are found to be the same at the surface and near the center of the meteorite. At the time of fall (1952) the tritium activity was (0.26 ± 0.04) disintegrations/min g. The 3He content was measured to be (0.13 ± 0.01) ·10-6 cc STP/g. The amount of 3He accumulated and the tritium decay rate yield a maximum radiation age of 30 million years. If it is assumed that equal amounts of 3He and 3H are produced by the interaction of cosmic rays with the meteoritic matter, the radiation age is 13 million years. The 4He/U-age of the meteorite is greater than 3800 million years. The possible significance of this discrepancy is discussed.