Viktor Kröll

Bio: Viktor Kröll is an academic researcher. The author has contributed to research in topics: Radium. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 43 citations.

Vertical Distribution of Radium in Deep-Sea Sediments

Abstract: THE surprisingly high content of radium in certain deep-sea sediments discovered nearly fifty years ago by J. Joly1 remained unexplained until 1937, when H. Pettersson2 suggested an ocean-wide precipitation of ionium from sea water on to the ocean bottom as its origin. Extensive radium measurements on deep-sea cores raised by the Swedish Deep-Sea Expedition carried out in this institute by Pettersson3, T. Bernert4 and me did not confirm the regular vertical distribution of radium reported by other workers5. An expected rise in radium content from moderate values in the uppermost surface layers to a maximum corresponding to a radioactive equilibrium between precipitated ionium and ionium-supported radium generally occurred; but the maximum was not followed by the theoretical exponential decline downwards governed by the rate of decay of ionium, to 50 per cent in 83,000 years, to 25 per cent in 166,000 years, etc. Instead, a number of secondary maxima of radium content separated by equally pronounced minima were observed (see graph), which could not well be explained as due to intervening changes in the rate of total sedimentation. Another explanation offered was that ionium and radium are not in radioactive equilibrium; that is, the assumption underlying the use of measurements of radium as indicating the concentration in the same layer of its mother element is unjustified.

Uranium-series Dating of Marine and Lacustrine Carbonates

Abstract: Of the possible uranium-series dating schemes, the most important and most widely applied to marine carbonates is 230Th dating, with 231Pa dating playing an increasingly important role. For this reason, this review will focus on these two methods. 230Th dating, also referred to as U/Th dating or 238U-234U-230Th dating, involves calculating ages from radioactive decay and ingrowth relationships among 238U, 234U, and 230Th. 232Th is also typically measured as a long-lived, essentially stable index isotope (over the time scales relevant to 230Th dating). At present 230Th dating can, in principle, be used to date materials as young as 3 years and in excess of 600,000 years (Edwards et al. 1987a, 1993; Edwards 1988; see Stirling et al. 2001 for an example of dating corals in excess of 600,000 years old). 231Pa dating, also referred to as U/Pa dating, involves calculating ages from the ingrowth of 231Pa from its grandparent 235U. At present 231Pa dating can be used to date materials as young as 10 years and as old 250,000 years (Edwards et al. 1997). 230Th dating covers all of the 231Pa time range and more, with somewhat higher precision, and is therefore the method of choice if a single method is applied. However, the combination of 231Pa and 230Th dating is of great importance in assessing possible diagenetic mobilization of the pertinent nuclides, and thereby, the accuracy of the ages (Allegre 1964; Ku 1968). Even if the primary age exceeds the 250,000 year limit of 231Pa dating, the combined methods can be used to assess the degree to which the samples have remained closed over the past 250,000 years (e.g., Edwards et al. 1997). Thus …

Absolute Dating of Deep-Sea Cores by the Pa(231}/Th({230)) Method

Abstract: Oxygen isotopic analysis of Globigerina-ooze cores from the Atlantic and adjacent seas showed that surface ocean temperatures underwent numerous, apparently periodical, variations during the past few hundred thousand years. C14 dating showed that the last temperature minimum of the deep-sea cores was synchronous with the last major glaciation, the Main Wurm. Previous attempts to date deep-sea cores were based on the decay of uranium-unsupported Th230 (ionium). This method requires, among other conditions, that the supply of uranium-supported Th230 in sea water and the rate of non-carbonate sedimentation remained essentially constant over the time interval to be dated. Attempts to correct for possible variations in the non-carbonate sedimentation rate have been made by using such ratios as Th230/Th232 or Th230/Fe2O3. The validity of these corrections is questionable because Th230 produced in sea water by the decay of U238 and U234 has a geochemical history different from that of Th232 and Fe2O3. The requir...

Rosalind Franklin and the Discovery of the Structure of DNA

Abstract: In this article Dr Klug discusses Dr Franklin's contribution to the discovery of the structure of DNA in the light of accounts given by Professor Watson in his book The Double Helix and by Dr Hamilton in a recent article in Nature