Geochemical significance of K-Ar geochronological investigations of sedimentary rocks

The K-Ar method (both modifications) is typically applied to solve stratigraphic relations of young Meso-Cenozoic rocks and events. However, its application for determining the stratigraphic position of older rocks is complicated by the instability (easy disturbance and resetting) of the K-Ar system. At the same time, such instability is useful for reconstructing stages of the geological evolution and estimating the degree of geochemical transformation of sedimentary rocks at postsedimentary stages. Some examples and methods of application of the K-Ar method for determining the scale and time of epigenetic transformations of sedimentary complexes are demonstrated based on the literature material.