Problems with argon: K–Ar ages in Gulf Coast shales

K–Ar ages of Gulf Coast shales do not correspond to diagenetic ‘events’, but are a combination of inherited detrital ages and authigenic overprints. The key to understanding K–Ar ages of shales is the fate of the 40Ar when the host minerals dissolve or react during the illitisation reaction: is 40Ar incorporated within the illite, or is it lost to the porewaters? Ages are modelled as due to a single illitisation reaction, assuming a uniform precursor sediment and open-system import of K. Both whole-rock and clay mineral fraction data can be reproduced by modelling. The 40Ar incorporated into illite is a surprisingly high proportion (75–100%) of that produced within detrital phases (smectite, K-feldspar, mica), perhaps implying that the illitisation reaction is a solid-state transformation, or that 40Ar is imported into the shales along with incoming K. The model does not provide a good fit to the data below 4000 m, when the illitisation reaction is apparently complete, but shales lose 40Ar by solid-state diffusion or recrystallisation.