AMS measurements of cosmogenic and supernova-ejected radionuclides in deep-sea sediment cores

Author(s)

J. Feige, A. Wallner, L. K. Fifield, G. Korschinek, S. Merchel, G. Rugel, P. Steier, S. R. Winkler, R. Golser

Abstract

Samples of two deep-sea sediment cores from the Indian Ocean are

analyzed with accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) to search for traces

of recent supernova activity ~2 Myr ago. Here, long-lived radionuclides,

which are synthesized in massive stars and ejected in supernova

explosions, namely ²⁶Al, ⁵³Mn and ⁶⁰Fe, are extracted from the sediment samples. The cosmogenic isotope ¹⁰Be,

which is mainly produced in the Earth's atmosphere, is analyzed for

dating purposes of the marine sediment cores. The first AMS measurement

results for ¹⁰Be and ²⁶Al are presented, which

represent for the first time a detailed study in the time period of

1.7-3.1 Myr with high time resolution. Our first results do not support a

significant extraterrestrial signal of ²⁶Al above terrestrial background. However, there is evidence that, like ¹⁰Be, ²⁶Al might be a valuable isotope for dating of deep-sea sediment cores for the past few million years.

Organisation(s)

Isotope Physics

External organisation(s)

Australian National University, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Technische Universität München

No. of pages

5

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/20136303003

Publication date

2013

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

103005 Atomic physics

Keywords

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 14 - Life Below Water

Portal url

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/e176d271-7457-46e4-a0bc-566153c2636f