Wetherill diagram
Wetherill diagram noun: a type of concordia diagram, used in the context of uranium–lead dating, whose axes are the ratios ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U and ²³⁷Pb/²³⁵U.
Noun
Wetherill diagram (plural Wetherill diagrams)
- A type of concordia diagram, used in the context of uranium–lead dating, whose axes are the ratios ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U and ²³⁷Pb/²³⁵U.
- The "x" and "y" axes of the Wetherill diagram are the quantities of the respective end (lead) isotopes of the actinium series and uranium series decay chains, each adjusted and expressed as a ratio to the amount remaining of the corresponding start (uranium) isotope.
- In the Wetherill diagram, no isotope is found on both axes, allowing the two decay schemes to be evaluated independently.
Forms of Wetherill diagram
| plural | Wetherill diagrams |
|---|---|
| alternative form | Wetherill concordia diagram |
Origin of Wetherill diagram
Named after American physicist George Wetherill. From circa 1956.
Questions about Wetherill diagram
- What does Wetherill diagram mean?
- Wetherill diagram means a type of concordia diagram, used in the context of uranium–lead dating, whose axes are the ratios ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U and ²³⁷Pb/²³⁵U.
- What part of speech is Wetherill diagram?
- Wetherill diagram is a noun.
- What is the plural of Wetherill diagram?
- The plural of Wetherill diagram is Wetherill diagrams.
Words near Wetherill diagram in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: Wetherill diagram (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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