81Kr‐Kr cosmic ray exposure ages of individual chondrules from Allegan

⁸¹Kr‐Kr cosmic ray exposure (CRE) ages of individual chondrules (6–10 mg) and adjacent matrix samples (5–10 mg) from the Allegan H5 chondrite have been measured using a new highly sensitive resonance ionization mass spectrometer. No conclusive evidence of variations among the CRE ages of individual chondrules or between chondrules and matrix has been observed—average CRE ages of 5.90 ± 0.42 Ma (⁸¹Kr‐⁷⁸Kr) and 5.04 ± 0.37 Ma (⁸¹Kr‐⁸⁰⁺⁸²Kr) are identical within error to those determined for the matrix (7.42 ± 1.27 Myr, ⁸¹Kr‐⁸⁰⁺⁸²Kr) and agree well with the literature value for bulk Allegan. If any accumulation of cosmogenic krypton in the early solar system took place, either it was below our detection limit in these samples (<100 atoms), or any such gas was lost during parent body metamorphism. However, this demonstration that useful ⁸¹Kr‐Kr ages can be obtained from few milligram samples of chondritic material has clear relevance to the analysis of samples returned by planned missions to asteroids and to the search for a signature of pre‐exposure in other, less processed meteorites.