Abstract

Potassium-argon analysis by stqwise dissolution provides a way to measure in
detail the distribution of argon isotopes and potassium in rock salt. The method can
be used for salt that contains only trace amounts of potassium, because the potassium
and argon in detrital silicates within the salt are not released during the dissolution.
Water may be used as the solvent when relatively large amounts (one gram or more)
of salt are to be dissolved in each step of the analysis. Methanol may be used when
relatively small amounts of salt are to be dissolved in each step, in order to obtain high
spatial resolution of the distribution of potassium and argon in the salt. Although
preliminary analyses show that potassium-argon relationships in the deformed salt of
salt domes can be very complex, analysis of these relationships by stepwise dissolution
of properly chosen samples should provide useful isotope correlations in cases where
the amounts of atmospheric argon and radiogenic argon in the salt are comparable