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v16n5 Noble Gas Thermochronology

GUEST EDITORS: Marissa M. Tremblay (Purdue University, USA), Emily H.G. Cooperdock (University of Southern California, USA), and Peter K. Zeitler (Lehigh University, USA)

Noble-gas thermochronology takes advantage of two properties: (1) the time-dependent production of noble gases, such as helium and argon, by processes like radioactive decay; (2) the thermally activated diffusion of these gases to constrain the temperature histories of several minerals commonly found in crustal rocks. Because temperature is essential to many geological processes, thermochronology has become widely used to address research questions across Earth and planetary science. These questions include when and how valleys are cut by glaciers; from where is sediment sourced; what thermal conditions occur on fault planes during slip; and how the surfaces of planetary bodies evolve on billion-year timescales. This issue will highlight how noble-gas thermochronology can be used to address questions like these, as well as what new avenues of research noble-gas thermochronology could be used for in the future.