Hf–W mineral isochron for Ca,Al-rich inclusions: Age of the solar system and the timing of core formation in planetesimals

Application of 182Hf– 182W chronometry to constrain the duration of early solar system processes requires the precise knowledge of the initial Hf and W isotope compositions of the solar system. To determine these values, we investigated the Hf–W isotopic systematics of bulk samples and mineral separates from several Ca,Al-rich inclusions (CAIs) from the CV3 chondrites Allende and NWA 2364. Most of the investigated CAIs have relative proportions of 183W, 184W, and 186W that are indistinguishable from those of bulk chondrites and the terrestrial standard. In contrast, one of the investigated Allende CAIs has a lower 184W/ 183W ratio, most likely reflecting an overabundance of r-process relative to s-process isotopes of W. All other bulk CAIs have similar 180Hf/ 184W and 182W/ 184W ratios that are elevated relative to average carbonaceous chondrites, probably reflecting Hf–W fractionation in the solar nebula within the first ∼3 Myr. The limited spread in 180Hf/ 184W ratios among the bulk CAIs precludes determination of a CAI whole-rock isochron but the fassaites have high 180Hf/ 184W and radiogenic 182W/ 184W ratios up to ∼14 ε units higher than the bulk rock. This makes it possible to obtain precise internal Hf–W isochrons for CAIs. There is evidence of disturbed Hf–W systematics in one of the CAIs but all other investigated CAIs show no detectable effects of parent body processes such as alteration and thermal metamorphism. Except for two fractions from one Allende CAI, all fractions from the investigated CAIs plot on a single well-defined isochron, which defines the initial ε 182W = −3.28 ± 0.12 and 182Hf/ 180Hf = (9.72 ± 0.44) × 10 −5 at the time of CAI formation. The initial 182Hf/ 180Hf and 26Al/ 27Al ratios of the angrites D’Orbigny and Sahara 99555 are consistent with the decay from initial abundances of 182Hf and 26Al as measured in CAIs, suggesting that these two nuclides were homogeneously distributed throughout the solar system. However, the uncertainties on the initial 182Hf/ 180Hf and 26Al/ 27Al ratios are too large to exclude that some 26Al in CAIs was produced locally by particle irradiation close to an early active Sun. The initial 182Hf/ 180Hf of CAIs corresponds to an absolute age of 4568.3 ± 0.7 Ma, which may be defined as the age of the solar system. This age is 0.5–2 Myr older than the most precise 207Pb– 206Pb age of Efremovka CAI 60, which does not seem to date CAI formation. Tungsten model ages for magmatic iron meteorites, calculated