As far as the authors are aware we present the first inter-comparison of 10Be analysis in quartz at environmental levels. Due to a lack of geological standard reference materials for 10Be, quality control of exposure age and erosion rate determinations based on 10Be analysis from quartz is difficult. Until now inter-comparisons have neither included very low 10Be concentrations nor complex sample preparation from quartz.
10Be concentrations in six quartz samples from the Sierra Nevada, Spain, were analysed at ANU, Australia and at SUERC, Scotland. The samples were originally taken to determine erosion rates and these data will be published elsewhere. Pre-purified quartz prepared at ANU was divided into two aliquots and processed and analysed independently at ANU and SUERC. The 10Be concentrations determined by both groups, which range over two orders of magnitude in 10Be concentration, agree within their uncertainties for all but one sample. Agreement was still found for concentrations as low as 10000 at 10Be/g quartz. To compare two different chemical separation methods (addition of stable Be carrier before and after dissolution) two aliquots were prepared from one sample at SUERC. Results for both chemical separation methods also agreed for that sample. All results are normalised to NIST SRM 4325 using 3.00*10-11 as its Be isotope ratio.
Acknowledgment: F. v. Blanckenburg provided a low-10Be-carrier to SUERC. The presented work was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).
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See more of The 10th International Conference on Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (September 5-10, 2005)