Mica- and quartz-bearing soils from the high-rainfall regions of the island of Oahu have been analyzed for their K-Ar and Rb-Sr age parameters to test for an eolian vereus pedogenic origin of the mica. K-Ar and Rb-Sr apparent ages are approximately 100 times greater than the age of volcanism on the island. In addition, 87Sr/86Sr values for mica-bearing soils are as high as 0.7273 and contrast greatly with the nonradiogenic strontium in Hawaiian lavas (0.703 to 0.707). These measurements establish that the potassium- and strontium-bearing phases of the Hawaiian soils are not of local origin and confirm the importance of eolian transport of mica and other clays to the North Pacific.

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