Geochemistry of Isotopes and Exploration Geochemistry

**Chapter 7**

**Abstract**

**1. Introduction**

**119**

Isotopes

*Salih Muhammad Awadh*

geochron, all those were included overall.

Geochemistry of Radioactive

The chapter targeted the geochemistry of radioactive isotopes dealing with multidisciplinary topics and focusing on geochronology and tracer studies. The most common subjects are presented to include the basic principles of radioactive isotopes. The radioactive decay, the parent nuclide, the SI unit of radioactive decay as well as the historical discovery of radioactivity, the neutrons and protons in atomic nuclei, alpha and beta particles, gamma rays, electromagnetic radiation, decay and mode of decay, chain of decay, decay rates, decay timing, principle of dating, radiometric dating, isotope systems, the Rb/Sr System, the U, Th, Pb System, the age of the earth, Sm-Nd dating, K-Ar dating, 14Carbon dating, the

**Keywords:** geochemistry, isotopes, radioactive isotope, parent nuclide, dating

radiogenic daughter isotope to other isotopes of the element. The purpose of

what is useful and brief in a simplified way away from the complexity.

transforms to a 14N representing a daughter [2]. Accordingly, it is easy to

**2. Radioactive decay and natural radioactive isotopes**

authoring this chapter is to help those who are interested in this field and to provide

The radioactive decay (a phenomenon of natural and artificial) means loss of energy that results in an atom named the parent nuclide converting it to an atom of a different type, called the daughter nuclide. The 14C is a parent, emits radiation and

The process in which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by emitting radiation in the form of particles or electromagnetic waves known as radioactive decay that causes the energy loss from the parent nuclide converting it to daughter nuclide [1]. This chapter has been authorized based mainly on published reference focusing on some basic properties and principles of radiation and how to use this phenomenon for the estimation the absolute geological age depending on the isotope half-life and provides brief summary of only a very few examples of dating applications. Geochronology and tracer studies are two principle applications of geochemistry of radiogenic isotope. Geochronology goes to estimate the absolute time based on the radioactive rate decay from the beginning of decay to its daughter by knowing how much nuclides have decayed. Tracer application relies on the variation in ratio of the

#### **Chapter 7**
