Since its initial publication as Principles of Isotope Geology in 1977, this has been the most widely used comprehensive textbook in upper-level isotope geochemistry courses. Now in its Third Edition, Isotopes: Principles and Applications has been thoroughly updated, rewritten, reorganized, and expanded to include more than twice the content of its predecessor.

Covering radiogenic, radioactive, and stable isotopes, this volume consists of five units that present fundamentals of atomic physics; dating methods for terrestrial and extraterrestrial rocks by means of radiogenic isotopes; geochemistry of radiogenic isotopes; dating by means of U, Th-series and cosmogenic radionuclides; and the fractionation of the stable isotopes of H, C, N, O, and S, as well as Li, B, Si, and Cl. Additionally, this edition provides:

• Expanded coverage of the U-Pb methods –the most accurate available dating technique
• Applications to the petrogenesis of igneous rocks
• Summaries of the use of isotopic data for study of the oceans
• New examples from the fields of archeology and anthropology
• Radiation-damage methods of dating including fission tracks, thermoluminescence, and electron spin resonance (ESR)
• Information on the dispersal of fission-product radionuclides and the disposal of radioactive waste
• Extensive chapter-by-chapter problems and solutions

Supplemented with summaries and references in each chapter, as well as more than 450 drawings and 100 tables, this volume remains the leading resource in isotope geoscience. Broad applications in many other areas –including geochemistry, geology, meteoritics, physics, chemistry, and biology –make it indispensable throughout the natural sciences.

• Expanded coverage of the U-Pb methods –the most accurate available dating technique
• Applications to the petrogenesis of igneous rocks
• Summaries of the use of isotopic data for study of the oceans
• New examples from the fields of archeology and anthropology
• Radiation-damage methods of dating including fission tracks, thermoluminescence, and electron spin resonance (ESR)
• Information on the dispersal of fission-product radionuclides and the disposal of radioactive waste
• Extensive chapter-by-chapter problems and solutions

TERESA M. MENSINGis associate professor in the Department of Geological Sciences at The Ohio State University at Marion.

Part I: Principles of Atomic Physics.

1. Nuclear Systematics.

2. Decay Modes of Radionuclides.

3. Radioactive Decay.

4. Geochronometry.

Part II: Radiogenic Isotope Geochronometers.

5. The Rb–Sr Method.

6. TheK–ArMethod.

7. The ⁴⁰Ar*/ ³⁹Ar Method.

8. TheK–CaMethod.

9. The Sm–Nd Method.

10. The U–Pb, Th–Pb, and Pb–Pb Methods.

11. The Common-Lead Method.

12. The Lu–Hf Method.

13. The Re–Os Method.

14. The La–Ce Method.

Part III: Geochemistry of Radiogenic Isotopes.

16. Mixing Theory.

17. Origin of Igneous Rocks.

18. Water and Sediment.

19. The Oceans.

Part IV: Short-Lived Radionuclides.

20. Uranium/Thorium-Series Disequilibria.

21. Helium and Tritium.

22. Radiation-Damage Methods.

23. Cosmogenic Radionuclides.

24. Extinct Radionuclides.

25. Thermonuclear Radionuclides.

Part V: Fractionation of Stable Isotopes.

26. Hydrogen and Oxygen.

27. Carbon.

28. Nitrogen.

29. Sulfur.

30. Boron and Other Elements.

Index.

International Geological Timescale (2002).