With a sample of 22 metal-poor stars , we demonstrate that the heavy element abundance pattern ( Z \geq 56 ) is the same as the r-process contributions to the solar nebula .
This bolsters the results of previous studies that there is a universal r-process production pattern .
We use the abundance of thorium in five metal-poor stars , along with an estimate of the initial Th abundance based on the abundances of stable r-process elements , to measure their ages .
We have four field red giants with errors of 4.2 Gyr in their ages and one M92 giant with an error of 5.6 Gyr , based on considering the sources of observational error only .
We obtain an average age of 11.4 Gyr , which depends critically on the assumption of an initial production ratio of Th/Eu of 0.496 .
If the Universe is 15 Gyr old , then the Th/Eu _ { 0 } should be 0.590 , in agreement with some theoretical models of the r-process .