Strategies towards robust interpretations of in situ zircon Lu–Hf isotope analyses
The combination of U–Pb and Lu–Hf compositions measured in zircon crystals is a remarkably powerful isotopic couplet that provides measures on both the timing of mineral growth and the radiogenic enrichment of the source from which the zircon grew. The U–Pb age documents the timing of zircon crystal...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2020-05-01
|
| Series: | Geoscience Frontiers |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987119301689 |
| _version_ | 1797720496217784320 |
|---|---|
| author | C.J. Spencer C.L. Kirkland N.M.W. Roberts N.J. Evans J. Liebmann |
| author_facet | C.J. Spencer C.L. Kirkland N.M.W. Roberts N.J. Evans J. Liebmann |
| author_sort | C.J. Spencer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The combination of U–Pb and Lu–Hf compositions measured in zircon crystals is a remarkably powerful isotopic couplet that provides measures on both the timing of mineral growth and the radiogenic enrichment of the source from which the zircon grew. The U–Pb age documents the timing of zircon crystallization/recrystallization and Hf isotopes inform on the degree to which the host melt was derived from a radiogenic reservoir (e.g. depleted mantle) versus an unradiogenic reservoir (e.g. ancient continental crust), or some mixture of these sources. The ease of generating large quantities of zircon U–Pb and Lu–Hf data has been in large part facilitated by instrument advances. However, the dramatic increase in time constrained zircon Lu–Hf analyses in the Earth science community has brought to the fore the importance of careful data collection and reduction workflows, onto which robust geological interpretations may be based. In this work, we discuss the fundamentals of Lu–Hf isotopes in zircon, which then allows us to provide a robust, accessible, methodology for the assessment of data quality. Additionally, we discuss some novel techniques for: data visualization — that facilitates better transparency of data interpretation; integration of geographic information — that may reveal spatial trends where temporal trends were only apparent before; and some novel statistical evaluation tools — that may provide more rigorous inter- and intra-sample comparisons. Keywords: Zircon, Geochronology, Isotope geochemistry, Lu–Hf isotopes, Geostatistics, Data visualization |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T09:20:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8a953315ff094ae4adb933dc3476e099 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1674-9871 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T09:20:17Z |
| publishDate | 2020-05-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geoscience Frontiers |
| spelling | doaj.art-8a953315ff094ae4adb933dc3476e0992023-09-02T14:32:41ZengElsevierGeoscience Frontiers1674-98712020-05-01113843853Strategies towards robust interpretations of in situ zircon Lu–Hf isotope analysesC.J. Spencer0C.L. Kirkland1N.M.W. Roberts2N.J. Evans3J. Liebmann4School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, The Institute for Geoscience Research (TIGeR), Curtin University, Perth, Australia; Department of Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering, Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada; Corresponding author. School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, The Institute for Geoscience Research (TIGeR), Curtin University, Perth, Australia.Centre for Exploration Targeting – Curtin Node, The Institute for Geoscience Research, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, AustraliaGeochronology and Tracers Facility, British Geological Survey, Nottingham, UKJohn de Laeter Centre GeoHistory Facility, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, AustraliaSchool of Earth and Planetary Sciences, The Institute for Geoscience Research (TIGeR), Curtin University, Perth, AustraliaThe combination of U–Pb and Lu–Hf compositions measured in zircon crystals is a remarkably powerful isotopic couplet that provides measures on both the timing of mineral growth and the radiogenic enrichment of the source from which the zircon grew. The U–Pb age documents the timing of zircon crystallization/recrystallization and Hf isotopes inform on the degree to which the host melt was derived from a radiogenic reservoir (e.g. depleted mantle) versus an unradiogenic reservoir (e.g. ancient continental crust), or some mixture of these sources. The ease of generating large quantities of zircon U–Pb and Lu–Hf data has been in large part facilitated by instrument advances. However, the dramatic increase in time constrained zircon Lu–Hf analyses in the Earth science community has brought to the fore the importance of careful data collection and reduction workflows, onto which robust geological interpretations may be based. In this work, we discuss the fundamentals of Lu–Hf isotopes in zircon, which then allows us to provide a robust, accessible, methodology for the assessment of data quality. Additionally, we discuss some novel techniques for: data visualization — that facilitates better transparency of data interpretation; integration of geographic information — that may reveal spatial trends where temporal trends were only apparent before; and some novel statistical evaluation tools — that may provide more rigorous inter- and intra-sample comparisons. Keywords: Zircon, Geochronology, Isotope geochemistry, Lu–Hf isotopes, Geostatistics, Data visualizationhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987119301689 |
| spellingShingle | C.J. Spencer C.L. Kirkland N.M.W. Roberts N.J. Evans J. Liebmann Strategies towards robust interpretations of in situ zircon Lu–Hf isotope analyses Geoscience Frontiers |
| title | Strategies towards robust interpretations of in situ zircon Lu–Hf isotope analyses |
| title_full | Strategies towards robust interpretations of in situ zircon Lu–Hf isotope analyses |
| title_fullStr | Strategies towards robust interpretations of in situ zircon Lu–Hf isotope analyses |
| title_full_unstemmed | Strategies towards robust interpretations of in situ zircon Lu–Hf isotope analyses |
| title_short | Strategies towards robust interpretations of in situ zircon Lu–Hf isotope analyses |
| title_sort | strategies towards robust interpretations of in situ zircon lu hf isotope analyses |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987119301689 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT cjspencer strategiestowardsrobustinterpretationsofinsituzirconluhfisotopeanalyses AT clkirkland strategiestowardsrobustinterpretationsofinsituzirconluhfisotopeanalyses AT nmwroberts strategiestowardsrobustinterpretationsofinsituzirconluhfisotopeanalyses AT njevans strategiestowardsrobustinterpretationsofinsituzirconluhfisotopeanalyses AT jliebmann strategiestowardsrobustinterpretationsofinsituzirconluhfisotopeanalyses |