Excess Argon within Mineral Concentrates from the New Dacite Lava Dome at Mount St. Helens Volcano | The Institute for Creation Research
 
Excess Argon within Mineral Concentrates from the New Dacite Lava Dome at Mount St. Helens Volcano

Download PDFDownload Excess Argon within Mineral Concentrates from the New Dacite Lava Dome at Mount St. Helens Volcano PDF

Published in: Creation Ex Nihilo Technical Journal, Vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 335–343, 1996.

© 1996 by Answers in Genesis ACN 010 120 304. All Rights Reserved.

Abstract

The conventional K-Ar dating method was applied to the 1986 dacite flow from the new lava dome at Mount St. Helens, Washington. Porphyritic dacite which solidified on the surface of the lava dome in 1986 gives a whole rock K-Ar “age” of 0.35±0.05 million years (Ma). Mineral concentrates from the dacite which formed in 1986 give K-Ar “ages” from 0.34±0.06 Ma (feldspar-glass concentrate) to 2.8±0.6 Ma (pyroxene concentrate). These “ages” are, of course, preposterous. The fundamental dating assumption (“no radiogenic argon was present when the rock formed”) is questioned by these data. Instead, data from this Mount St. Helens dacite argue that significant “excess argon” was present when the lava solidified in 1986. Phenocrysts of orthopyroxene, hornblende, and plagioclase are interpreted to have occluded argon within their mineral structures deep in the magma chamber and to have retained this argon after emplacement and solidification of the dacite. The amount of argon occluded is probably a function of the argon pressure when mineral crystallization occurred at depth and/or the tightness of the mineral structure. Orthopyroxene retains the most argon, followed by hornblende, and finally, plagioclase. The lava dome at Mount St. Helens dates very much older than its true age because phenocryst minerals inherit argon from the magma. The study of this Mount St. Helens dacite causes the more fundamental question to be asked—how accurate are K-Ar “ages” from the many other phenocryst-containing lava flows world-wide?

Keywords

Mount St. Helens, New Lava Dome, 1986 Flow, Dacite, Major and Trace Element Analyses, Mineral Assemblage, Phenocrysts, Mineral Concentrates, K-Ar Analyses, K-Ar Dating, Excess Argon, Excessively Old Age series

For Full Text

Please see the Download PDF link above for the entire article.

The Latest
NEWS
Another Sea Scorpion
There are few animals more nightmarish than an 8-foot sea scorpion! Although, they were not true scorpions, their fossils display a menacing and formidable...

NEWS
June 2023 ICR Wallpaper
"From the rising of the sun to its going down the LORD's name is to be praised." Psalm 113:3 NKJV ICR June 2023 wallpaper is now available...

NEWS
Sauron Inhabits the Amazon
“The Eye was rimmed with fire, but was itself glazed, yellow as a cat’s, watchful and intent, and the black slit of its pupil opened on...

DAYS OF PRAISE DEVOTIONALS
Summer 2023
...

CREATION PODCAST
I Have NO Credentials! | The Creation Podcast: Episode 50
Do you need a science degree to be a champion of creation? How do we communicate the truths of Scripture to our friends and family? The good news...

NEWS
Shark Jaws
Sharks are back in the news, and it’s in regard to their most formidable and fearsome structure—their jaws. Zoologists recently studied...

CREATION.LIVE PODCAST
Established Day 4 | Creation.Live Podcast: Episode 13
Humans have long been fascinated by the night sky. As Psalm 19:1 reminds us, "The heavens declare the glory of God"—His creative signature...

NEWS
Physical Evidence Trumps Evolution Theory
One of the hallmarks of good science is to formulate a cogent theory based on the physical evidence. For example, if the physical evidence (e.g. a fossilized...

NEWS
Solar System Symmetries
Most all school children can recite the planets in our solar system using memory devices such as: “My Very Easy Method Just Speeds Up Names”...

NEWS
Does Iron Toast Union Rescue Long Ages?
The puzzle persists after all these years. On the one hand, biochemists perform decay rate studies that show biochemicals cannot last a million years...