The New CLOCIT Irradiation Facility for 40Ar/39Ar Geochronology: Characterisation, Comparison with CLICIT and Implications for High-Precision Geochronology

The Cadmium-Lined Outer-Core Irradiation Tube (CLOCIT) is a new irradiation facility for 40Ar/39Ar geochronology at the Oregon State University TRIGA® reactor. We report fluence (i.e., time-integrated flux) parameters from the first four CLOCIT irradiations and compare them with the existing Cadmium-Lined Inner-Core Irradiation Tube (CLICIT). CLOCIT provides an average neutron flux equivalent of 1.45–1.53 × 10−4 J h−1; about 55% of CLICIT. Radial fluence gradients were on the order of 0.2–4.2% cm−1. A planar fit of J-values results in residuals in the range of uncertainty in the J-value, but systematic deviations resolve a non-planar component of the neutron flux field, which has also been observed in CLICIT. Axial neutron fluence gradients were 0.6–1% cm−1, compared with 0.7–1.6% cm−1 for the CLICIT. Production rate ratios of interfering reactions were (40Ar/39Ar)K = (4 ± 6) × 10−4 and (38Ar/39Ar)K = (1.208 ± 0.002) × 10−2, (36Ar/37Ar)Ca = (2.649 ± 0.014) × 10−4, (38Ar/37Ar)Ca = (3.33 ± 0.12) × 10−5 and (39Ar/37Ar)Ca = (9.1 ± 0.28) × 10−4, similar to the CLICIT values.