Mass-spectrometric 230Th-234U-238U dating of the Devils Hole calcite vein

The Devils Hole calcite vein contains a long-term climatic record, but requires accurate chronologic control for its interpretation. Mass-spectrometric U-series ages for samples from core DH-11 yielded 230Th ages with precisions ranging from less than 1,000 years (2??) for samples younger than ???140 ka (thousands of years ago) to less than 50,000 years for the oldest samples (???566 ka). The 2348U/238U ages could be determined to a precision of ???20,000 years for all ages. Calcite accumulated continuously from 566 ka until ???60 ka at an average rate of 0.7 millimeter per 103 years. The precise agreement between replicate analyses and the concordance of the 230Th/238U and 234U/238U ages for the oldest samples indicate that the DH-11 samples were closed systems and validate the dating technique in general.