Estimating the distribution of strontium isotope ratios ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) in the Precambrian of Finland

Abstract

A method to estimate the 87Sr/86Sr ratio of a rock based on its age and Rb/Sr ratio is presented. This method, together with data from the Rock Geochemical Database of Finland (n=6544) is used to estimate the 87Sr/86Sr ratios in the Precambrian of Finland and in its different major units. A generalization to cover the whole area of Finland is achieved by smoothing of estimation points. The estimation method is evaluated by comparing its results to published Rb-Sr isotope analyses (n=138) obtained on the Finnish Precambrian. The results show correspondence to different geological units of Finland, but no systematic difference between Archaean and younger areas is evident. Evaluation of the method shows that most of the estimates are reliable and accurate to be used as background material for provenance studies in archaeology, paleontology and sedimentology. However, some granitic rocks may have large (>1.0 %) relative errors. Strontium concentration weighted average of the estimates differs only by 0.001 from the average 87Sr/86Sr ratio (0.730) of the rivers on the Fennoscandian shield.