Excess ^(41)K in Allende CAI: a hint re-examined

The timescale for injection of fresh nucleosynthetic material and for the formation of the first solids in the early solar system is determined by the existence and abundance of short-lived nuclei. The presence of live ^(26)Al with ^(26)AI/^(27)AI ~ 5 x 10^(-5) in numerous CAI from C2 and C3 meteorites places an upper limit to this timescale of ~ 8 x 10^6 y but the lower limit is poorly constrained.