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Zircon Tiny but Timely LEFT: Zircon grain (400 µm) crystallized from a 530 Ma high-temperature partial melt, Prydz Bay, Antarctica. PHOTOMICROGRAPH (CROSSED POLARIZERS) BY NIGEL KELLY Simon L. Harley and Nigel M. Kelly* W here would Earth science be without zircon? Tiny crystals of zircon occur in many rocks, and because their atomic structure remains stable over very long periods of geological time, they are able to provide a picture of the early history of the Earth and of the evolution of the crust and mantle. Zircon has long been recognized as the best geochronometer using the radioactive decay of uranium to lead. Recent developments in analytical techniques, using small-diameter laser, ion and electron beams, high-precision mass spectrometry and a variety of microscopic imaging methods, allow us to obtain the ages of tiny volumes of complex crystals that record stages in their long growth history. Coupled measurements of the isotopes of oxygen and hafnium provide a mineralogical window into the separation of the Earth’s crust from the mantle and the temperature and character of processes involved in crustal evolution. Zircon is being used to unravel ever more complex geological systems, presenting exciting opportunities for research on this remarkable mineral. in the crust, zircon potentially contains a record, in its oxygen isotope composition, of the role of lowtemperature versus high-temperature processes in defining the character of source regions for melts (Valley 2003). Measurements of the U, Th and He contents of zircon can be used to infer the rates at which recently active landscapes developed and the times at which the exposed rocks cooled to nearsurface temperatures. Finally, zircon offers significant potential as a phase into which the highly radioactive isotopic products of nuclear reactions may be introduced in order to evaluate their impact on mineral structures (e.g. Hanchar and van Westrenen 2007). KEYWORDS: zircon, geochronology, continental crust, U–Pb, Hf, trace elements Central to all of these applications is the behaviour of zircon in complex Earth systems. Thanks to important developments in secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), laser- ablation induced coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (LA-ICP–MS) and low-blank thermal-ionisation mass spectrometry (TIMS), we are now able to accurately and precisely measure a battery of useful trace element and isotopic signatures in zircon. The interpretation of these isotopic and compositional data in terms of ages, isotopic reservoirs and processes requires the careful and systematic integration of microanalysis with petrology and mineral characterisation. INTRODUCTION Zircon, ZrSiO4, is a mineral of singular importance in Earth science. Its widespread use in geochronology, based on the decay of uranium (U) to lead (Pb), has established it as Earth’s timekeeper. Thus, zircon records the ages of hallmark events in Earth history, including its earliest evolution, the oldest sediments, extinction episodes, mountain-building events, and supercontinent construction and dispersal (Rubatto and Hermann 2007 this issue; Harley et al. 2007 this issue). Recent developments in microanalysis have extended the range of Earth problems that can be addressed using zircon. As a phase enriched in hafnium (Hf) compared to radioactive lutetium (Lu), zircon retains a strong fingerprint of the isotopic character of the sources of the magmatic rocks in which it crystallizes, evidence that is critical for models of formation and growth of continental crust (Scherer et al. 2007 this issue). As a phase that can accommodate significant amounts of temperature- or process-sensitive trace elements, including the rare earth elements (REE, or lanthanides), yttrium (Y) and titanium (Ti), zircon can also provide compelling chemical evidence for the mineral–melt–fluid processes operating during crust formation and maturation, hydrothermal alteration and diagenesis (Hanchar and van Westrenen 2007 this issue; Harley et al. 2007; Geisler et al. 2007 this issue). Despite the ravages of cycling through and This issue of Elements focuses on the advances in our understanding of zircon and highlights the gaps in our knowledge that have emerged from in situ isotopic, chemical, spectroscopic and microtextural studies on zircon formed at high and low temperatures. The systems range from meltbearing ultrahigh-temperature metamorphic environments (Harley et al. 2007) and ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic environments (Rubatto and Hermann 2007) to lowertemperature hydrothermal environments in which zircon behaviour may be dictated by its response to aggressive fluids (Geisler et al. 2007). Understanding the processes that operate in each environment is critical to the interpretation of zircon age data and the hafnium isotope information used to infer continental growth rates and earliest Earth history (Scherer et al. 2007). The importance of this understanding is highlighted by new experiments and models relating to the partitioning of trace elements among zircon, melts and fluids and to the dissolution–reprecipitation of zircon in fluids (Hanchar and van Westrenen 2007; Geisler et al. 2007). * Grant Institute of Earth Science, The University of Edinburgh Edinburgh EH9 3JW, United Kingdom E-mail: [email protected] [email protected] ELEMENTS, VOL. 3, PP. 13–18 13 F EBRUARY 2007 There is still much to learn about zircon and its behaviour. Zircon cannot be treated simply as a passive ‘safehouse’ of stored isotopic and chemical information but must instead be interpreted carefully, in its petrological, mineralogical and geological contexts, and in the light of all possible lines of evidence. Zircon has been a wonderful servant in our quest to unravel the history of the Earth but has much more to offer as we unlock the secrets of its chemical and physical responses to Earth processes. WHAT IS ZIRCON ANYWAY? Zircon is a tetragonal orthosilicate mineral in which isolated SiO4 tetrahedra are linked through sharing their edges and corners with intervening ZrO8 dodecahedra (FIG. 1). These ZrO8 dodecahedra share edges to form zigzag chains along the b axis, whereas along the c axis, edges are shared with the SiO4 tetrahedra to produce chains with alternating SiO4 and ZrO8 polyhedra. These sets of chains are separated by channels or voids that are unoccupied in pure zircon. However, in natural zircon, these channels may contain interstitial impurities at parts per million (ppm) to tens of ppm levels (Hoskin et al. 2000; Hanchar et al. 2001). The c-axis chains are important in controlling the anisotropic physical properties of zircon and its common prismatic habit. The effect of Zr4+−Si4+ repulsion on the symmetry of the cation sites in zircon is considerable. First, the SiO4 tetrahedra are elongated by 13% along the c axis compared with their size along the a axis. Second, the ZrO8 polyhedra resolve into two interpenetrating ZrO4 tetrahedra (FIG. 1). One type of tetrahedron has longer Zr−O bond lengths (0.227 nm) parallel to the c axis and can be visualised as forming elongate chains by sharing two of its edges with the alternating SiO4 tetrahedra (FIG. 2). The other type of ZrO4 tetrahedron has shorter Zr−O bond lengths (0.213 nm) and shares its four corners with SiO4 tetrahedra. Further details of the crystal structure of zircon are presented in the excellent review by Finch and Hanchar (2003). A view of the zircon structure projected from the a axis, stripped of the cross-linking shortened ZrO4 tetrahedra to highlight the chains of edge-sharing, alternating SiO4–ZrO4 tetrahedra parallel to the c axis (after Finch and Hanchar 2003). SiO4 tetrahedra are coloured yellow, and elongated ZrO4 tetrahedra blue. FIGURE 2 The overall structure of zircon is relatively open, with unoccupied space represented by the channels parallel to the c axis and the void volumes bounded by SiO4 and ZrO8 polyhedra, as shown in FIGURE 1. This structure results in zircon’s moderately high density, 4.66 g cm-3, and also contributes significantly to its very low absolute thermal expansion and compressibility and to the anisotropy of these parameters. Most of the small amount of volume expansion in zircon, about 0.6% from room temperature to its stability limit of 1690°C, is accommodated along the c axis by increase in the Zr−O bond length. Although pure zircon is highly incompressible, it is anisotropic in its compressibility because the Zr−O bonds parallel to the c axis are able to shorten preferentially. These properties make pure zircon or zircon with low contents of trace elements extremely resistant to physical modification related to changes in pressure or temperature, and render it an excellent refractory mineral that is potentially useful for storage of radioactive and toxic isotopes provided they have suitable ionic radii. WHAT IS ZIRCON GOOD FOR? Even with its underlying structural beauty, zircon would be of little interest to most Earth scientists if it were just plain ZrSiO4. However, the simplicity of zircon’s chemical formula belies its great scope for chemical diversity at the trace to minor element level. An indication of the variety of uses of zircon is provided in TABLE 1. Since most cations in zircon have very low diffusivity, many of zircon’s chemical signatures are preserved either from the time of its formation or from the last significant geological process to have acted on and modified its chemistry (Cherniak and Watson 2003). A view of the zircon structure projected from the a axis onto the plane defined by the b and c axes (after Finch and Hanchar 2003). SiO4 tetrahedra are coloured yellow, and ZrO8 dodecahedra are in shades of blue. One dodecahedron is unshaded to reveal its sub-structure consisting of two distorted ZrO4 tetrahedra. The elongated ZrO4 tetrahedra share upper and lower edges with the SiO4 tetrahedra. FIGURE 1 ELEMENTS Zircon can incorporate many elements, e.g. P, Sc, Nb, Hf, Ti, U, Th and REE, in trace (up to thousands of ppm) or minor (up to 3 wt%) amounts. These elements are incorporated through a number of single-site and coupled-cation substitution mechanisms (Hoskin and Schaltegger 2003). The pri14 F EBRUARY 2007 TABLE 1 KEY CHEMICAL FEATURES OF ZIRCON AND THEIR APPLICATIONS Chemical/physical property Substitutions/ other points to note Key applications Comments U and Th U up to 5000 ppm Th up to 1000 ppm (U4+, Th4+) = Si4+ U–Pb geochronology A concordia diagram can be used to evaluate the isotopes of U and their Pb decay products. Th/U ratios, used in the past to distinguish magmatic from metamorphic and hydrothermal zircon, must be treated with caution. He Formed by decay of U and Th Determination of exhumation and landscape development rates using U–Th–He thermochronometry Low-temperature chronometry is based on the closure of zircon to He loss. This method gives an age related to the time the zircon cooled through ~40°C. Hf HfO2 mostly <3 wt% Hf4+ = Si4+ Ti Ti up to 120 ppm Ti4+ = Si4+ Y and REE Y mostly <5000 ppm Total REE <2500 ppm (Y3+, REE3+)P5+ = Zr4+Si4+ O isotope composition 176Lu decays to 176Hf. High Hf/Lu in zircon means its ratio Investigation of crustal residency and continental growth; crustal versus mantle of 176Hf/177Hf changes very little with time, so it can be sources of magmas in which zircon formed used to infer sources by reference to an Earth model. Ti is maximised when zircon is in equilibrium with rutile. Ti thermometry can yield T of zircon crystallization, which Ti in zircon thermometry usually occurs late in the cooling of a magma, or T of metamorphic zircon growth with rutile. Reconstruction of magmatic histories; fingerprinting of magma sources; tuning of ages to mineral reactions Requires extensive knowledge of trace element partitioning among zircon, melts and competitor minerals over a range of P, T, composition and oxygen fugacity conditions. Fingerprinting the contribution of sediments and crust to the sources of magmas; examining crustal recycling Significant fractionation of 18O from 16O occurs at low T. Variations in 18O/16O isotopic composition of zircon are used to determine the role of sources that have been affected by low-T fractionation. zircon formation and by competition between zircon and other minerals in which some of these elements may be more compatible (Hanchar and van Westrenen 2007; Harley et al. 2007). REE and Y contents will be affected also by the operation of other coupled substitutions and by the requirement to charge-balance additional cations, such as Mg, Fe, Ca and Al, that may be incorporated on the interstitial sites described above (Hoskin et al. 2000; Geisler et al. 2007). Compilations of zircon from high- and low-temperature geological environments and formed through a variety of processes show that Y contents generally range between 10 and 5000 ppm and total REE typically between 100 and 2500 ppm (e.g. Hoskin and Schaltegger 2003). Considerable discussion has arisen as to the use of REE patterns and abundances as discriminants of the provenance of detrital zircon populations (Hoskin and Ireland 2000) and, in the case of zircon xenocrysts, of source-rock lithologies (Belousova et al. 2002). Considerations surrounding these and other uses of zircon REE data are explored further by Hanchar and van Westrenen (2007). mary controls on the substitutions are the ionic radii of the substituting cations compared with Zr4+ and Si4+ cations. Substitutions that minimise strain effects on either or both sites will be favoured. The crystal-chemical limitations are that Zr4+ in 8-fold co-ordination has an ionic radius of 0.084 nm and Si4+ in tetrahedral co-ordination an ionic radius of 0.026 nm. On this basis it has been suggested that (OH)4 can replace SiO4. There can be considerable substitution of Hf4+ (ionic radius = 0.083 nm) on the 8-fold Zr4+ site, and a solid solution towards the mineral hafnon (HfSiO4) exists. Zircon generally contains considerable HfO2 (TABLE 1), which is central to its utility as an indicator of crustal residence and growth via Hf isotope analysis (Hawkesworth and Kemp 2006; Scherer et al. 2007). U4+ (8-fold ionic radius 0.10 nm), Th4+ (0.105 nm) and Ti4+ (0.074 nm) can also be accommodated, generally at much lower abundance levels, on this site. Although U can reach wt% levels, its concentration is usually less than 5000 ppm, while the abundances of Th (<1000 ppm) and Ti (<120 ppm) are lower still. The incorporation of Ti into zircon, particularly if it has formed in equilibrium with rutile and quartz, is temperature sensitive and provides the basis for a new zircon geothermometer (Watson et al. 2006). This may be used, with caution, to determine the temperature of crystallization of magmas, migmatites and zircon–rutile assemblages in metamorphic rocks. Because of its 8-fold ionic radius of 0.129 nm, Pb2+ is not incorporated into growing zircon crystals at more than ppb levels under most conditions, which is crucial to geochronology. The cation substitutions mentioned above often lead to the production of spectacular internal textures in zircon that may be interpreted in terms of growth histories and diffusion−reaction or dissolution–reprecipitation processes. These features, for example oscillatory and sector zoning, can be imaged using cathodoluminescence (CL), backscattered electron imagery and a variety of other techniques (e.g. forescatter imagery, Nomarski interference imagery, infrared spectrometry, atomic force microscopy, Raman spectroscopy). Yet another of the many remarkable properties of zircon is that it often contains negligible amounts of cations that suppress its cathodoluminescence response, and so it can be imaged to very high resolution using CL. In addition, most of the substitutions involve replacement of the lower mass elements Zr and Si by much heavier elements (U, Th, REE, Hf), resulting in major shifts in average atomic mass, which are well imaged by changes in backscattered electron intensity. The most important coupled substitution involving both the Zr4+ and Si4+ sites in zircon is that commonly referred to as the ‘xenotime’ substitution. This substitution (TABLE 1) involves Y and REE substituting for Zr and charge-balancing P5+ (4-fold ionic radius = 0.029 nm) substituting for Si, which would ultimately produce xenotime, (Y,REE)PO4. Scandium (Sc3+, with an ionic radius of 0.087 nm) also substitutes for Zr, in quantities up to 250 ppm, in a similar coupled substitution. In principle the heavy trivalent REE, with their smaller ionic radii (e.g. 8-fold Lu3+ = 0.0977 nm), Y3+ (8-fold ionic radius 0.1019 nm) and tetravalent Ce4+ (8-fold ionic radius 0.097 nm) are closer to Zr4+ and so will be more favourably incorporated in the zircon structure (i.e. they are more compatible) than the larger light trivalent REE (e.g. La3+ = 0.116 nm). However, the absolute and relative abundances of the REE and Y in zircon will be influenced by their abundances and availability in the environments of ELEMENTS At this point it is worth recalling that zircon is an orthosilicate mineral, with the Zr and Si cations and their substitutes bound to oxygen anions in tetrahedral and 8-fold co-ordination. Given the slow diffusivities inferred and documented for oxygen in zircon (Cherniak and Watson 2003; Valley 2003), it is likely that magmatic zircon can preserve an oxygen isotope composition that was in equilibrium with the magma from which it crystallized. In confirmation 15 F EBRUARY 2007 of this, magmatic zircon grains with inherited xenocrystic cores have in several cases been shown to have distinctive 18O/16O isotopic compositions (expressed as δ18O in per mil units, ‰, relative to the Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water – VSMOW), interpreted as reflecting differences in the isotopic compositions of the magmas in which they formed. Given that mantle-derived zircon has a δ18O value of +5.5‰, and that O isotopes are significantly fractionated at low temperatures to produce potential crustal source rocks (e.g. sediments) with much higher oxygen isotope ratios (i.e. δ18O values of +12 to +14‰), the δ18O values of granitoid zircon may be used to trace the involvement of older, chemically evolved crust in magma genesis (Valley 2003). In other words, the oxygen isotope ratio of zircon can be used to discriminate between new, mantle-derived crust and crust that has been reworked (Valley 2003). This approach is even more powerful when combined with zircon U–Pb age data and Hf isotope information on the same analysed grains (e.g. Hawkesworth and Kemp 2006) These considerations highlight the importance of zircon as a geochronometer, the principles of which will be explained in the remaining section of this introduction. of the zircon grains from any one of the three ‘clocks’, by measuring the appropriate isotopic ratio and solving for time using the relevant exponential equation. We can go further and obtain three age estimates if we measure all three isotopic ratios. In an ideal closed system, the three age estimates would agree within the errors of measurement. However, in real zircon grains, we cannot assume that Th and U are equally ‘closed’ to post-crystallization effects. It is also essential to correct for any Pb initially present prior to the accumulation of radiogenic Pb in the grain, as this inherited Pb would lead to erroneously old age estimates. Yet another of the wonderful features of crystallizing zircon is that it can only incorporate negligible amounts of ambient Pb into its structure. Nearly all of the Pb in zircon is produced by U and Th decay – so corrections for inherited Pb are in most instances very small relative to the amounts of true radiogenic Pb* present in the grains. Inherited (or ‘common’) Pb can be corrected for by analysing nonradiogenic 204Pb, where present in the zircon, and then subtracting the 206Pb and 207Pb that would be associated with this 204Pb at a chosen reference age – the ‘common Pb correction’. The usual approach to zircon geochronology is to consider the U–Pb system alone, as there is no natural non-nuclear means of fractionating 235U from 238U. In addition, as the modern-day ratio of 235U/238U is well known (1/137.88), the need to actually analyse very low abundances of 235U is obviated [i.e. 207Pb*/235U = 137.88(206Pb*/238U)]. Instead of solving the 235U and 238U decay systems separately, we can plot mutually compatible sets of daughter/parent ratios, 207Pb*/235U and 206Pb*/238U, that would evolve in the zircon grains as time elapses since their formation (i.e. as they age). This is the basis of the concordia diagram (FIG. 3; Wetherill 1956). As this article is being written, we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of this elegant graphical device, which has opened the door to the systematic assessment of zircon and other accessory mineral U–Pb isotopic data. BACK TO BASICS: ZIRCON U–PB GEOCHRONOLOGY The potential of zircon as a mineral geochronometer was recognised by Holmes (1911), amongst others, well before the isotopes of Pb could be measured and long before 235U was identified as the second radioactive isotope of uranium. It is now known that there are three distinct radioactive decay series involving the parent isotopes 238U, 235U and 232Th, which produce as their final daughter products the isotopes 206Pb, 207Pb and 208Pb, respectively. Each of these decay processes involves several intermediate steps and short-lived intermediate isotopes. For example, the decay of 238U to 206Pb occurs via a chain of intervening alpha-decay steps (liberating 4He α-particles) coupled with beta-decay steps (releasing a β-particle and transforming a neutron to a proton). These steps yield short-lived isotopes that decay in seconds, years, decades or hundreds of thousands of years. However, because the final step in the decay series is many orders of magnitude slower than the earlier steps, the whole decay process can be mathematically described by a single decay equation relating the number of ultimate parent atoms remaining (e.g. 238U) and the number of final radiogenic daughter atoms (e.g. 206Pb*) to time: 206Pb*/238U 238t = eλ –1 The concordia curve itself is the locus of the mutually compatible or concordant 207Pb*/235U and 206Pb*/238U ratios, both of which increase outwards from the origin as the time since zircon crystallization passes by. At time zero, when (1) where e is the exponential function, t is time, and λ is the decay constant specific to this decay scheme, i.e. λ238 = 1.55125e-10. 206Pb* refers to the radiogenic 206Pb accumulated in the crystal as a result of the decay of 238U. In the case of 238U, it takes approximately 4468 million years for half the 238U initially present in the grain to decay to 206Pb – this is the half-life, which again is characteristic of the specific decay scheme. Similar expressions can be formulated for 207Pb* produced from the decay of 235U and 208Pb* produced from 232Th, with λ235 = 9.8485e-10 and λ232 = 4.9475e-11. The half-life of 235U is 704 million years and that of 232Th about 14 billion years. In the following we will consider the case of a suite of zircon grains formed at a single time, perhaps through crystallization of a felsic magma. Through the incorporation of U and Th at the time of growth, in every zircon grain there will, in effect, be three different ‘clocks’ ticking away, each at its characteristic rate. By virtue of the half-lives noted above, 235U decays about 7 times faster than 238U does, while 232Th decays even more slowly. In principle, we could find the age ELEMENTS Concordia diagram. Note that the axes are the ratios of the radiogenic daughter Pb isotopes divided by their respective parent U isotope. The concordia curve traces out the compatible ratios as they develop with time elapsed since the moment the ‘clocks’ are set in newly formed zircon, and is annotated with this time elapsed, or ‘age’. Lines a and b show the evolution of the compatible ratios in 1000 and 3000 Ma zircon respectively (see text). FIGURE 3 16 F EBRUARY 2007 the zircon forms, there is no radiogenic Pb* in the zircon. Some 1000 million years later, these ratios have increased to 1.6777 and 0.1678, respectively (FIG. 3, line a), because the two types of radiogenic Pb have accumulated through decay of their respective parent U isotope. So, if we sampled a rock formed 1000 Ma ago and analysed its zircon grains, we would, ideally, expect them to preserve these 207Pb*/235U and 206Pb*/238U ratios and hence lie on the concordia curve at the point corresponding to 1000 Ma. By the same logic, if we analysed zircon grains from an undisturbed rock that is now 3000 Ma old, we would expect the 207Pb*/235U and 206Pb*/238U ratios to have evolved to 18.1988 and 0.5926, respectively (FIG. 3 line b). These are concordant zircon grains: the two Pb*/U ratios as measured in the grains correspond to the same age (time elapsed), and the position along concordia is a direct measure of age. The individual analysis points plot as elongated ellipses or polyhedra because the two ratios, and hence their errors, are strongly correlated. A The elegance of the concordia diagram is that it also allows you to investigate and evaluate zircon Pb*/U analyses that do not lie on concordia. In such cases, where the ages determined from the 207Pb*/235U and 206Pb*/238U ratios do not agree, the zircon grains are said to be discordant. They are normally discordant if they lie below the concordia curve, which is the usual type of discordancy, and are termed reverse discordant if the analyses lie above the concordia curve (i.e. at a higher 206Pb*/238U for a given 207Pb*/235U ratio). B An example of the former situation is illustrated on the concordia diagrams of FIGURE 4. In this case discordant zircon Pb*/U analyses have been generated through the superposition of a second, real, geological event on a suite of zircon grains some 3000 million years after they initially formed. This event not only formed new zircon crystals, possibly with distinctive morphologies and trace element signatures, but also caused variable loss (without any Pb isotope fractionation) of the previously accumulated radiogenic Pb from domains in the older zircon grains (FIG. 4A). Whatever the precise mechanism causing this Pb loss (e.g. Geisler et al. 2007), the large ionic radius of Pb2+ renders it susceptible to removal from the old zircon grains. Concordia diagram and episodic Pb loss. Variable loss of Pb from older zircon grains, arising because of the effects of a second event, produces a discordia between the older formation age (now 4000 Ma) and the age of the second event (1000 Ma). FIGURE 4 FIGURE 4B illustrates the effect on the concordia diagram if the zircon grains plotted in FIG. 4A evolve for a further 1000 million years. All grains will now have accumulated radiogenic Pb* over this 1000 million years, so that those newly formed in the second event will be concordant at 1000 Ma (FIG. 4B). If all the radiogenic Pb* accumulated up to the time of the second event was lost from the first-generation zircon grains, then these would be completely reset, and all memory of the antiquity of these 4000 Ma old grains would be lost; they too would record ages of 1000 Ma. Alternatively, and more typically, the loss of Pb in these old zircon grains is only partial or confined to spaced microdomains. In this case a series of discordant analyses may result, spread out along a discordia (FIG. 4B) that intersects the concordia at two points: an upper (older) intercept giving the formation age of the zircon grains – 4000 Ma in this case – and a lower intercept giving an age of 1000 Ma, in accord with the newly formed grains. of cores and overgrowths in such cases may yield concordant populations that define the ages of the growth/modification events, but even with careful microtextural control, it is not uncommon to find that some zircon populations define discordia. Complex U–Pb isotopic data can be interpreted and utilised to gain insights into Earth history, but only in concert with complementary chemical and isotopic information, which includes the REE, Ti, Hf isotopes and O isotopes, briefly alluded to above and listed in TABLE 1. A number of these key signatures of zircon behaviour and the processes involved in zircon modification and recrystallization are considered in the articles that follow. The case described above is an idealised example of episodic Pb loss, which is a major cause of discordant zircon populations. Nevertheless, it serves to illustrate how the concordia diagram can be ‘read’ to reveal several pieces of geologically useful information. As will be shown in the articles that follow, we now are very aware through microanalytical and mictotextural studies that many zircon grains (especially in metamorphic rocks, but also in granites) preserve more than one period of growth or grain modification. Analysis ELEMENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We thank the editors of Elements for providing us with this forum for presenting some of the current developments in zircon research. In particular, we thank Ian Parsons and Pierrette Tremblay for their tireless editorial and organisational work on our behalf. We also thank all contributors and reviewers, without which this issue would not have been possible. . 17 F EBRUARY 2007 GLOSSARY Accessory mineral – A mineral that represents <1% of the modal pro- LA-ICP–MS (laser-ablation inductively coupled plasma – mass portion of the minerals in a rock. These minerals are commonly (but not in all cases) enriched in trace elements important for the interpretation of rock history. spectrometry) – A microanalytical method that employs a focused laser beam to ablate material from samples. The ejected matter is ionised using a plasma before being passed through to a mass spectrometer. Backscattered electron imaging – A technique in which the highenergy electrons produced by elastic collision of an incident electron beam with the electron cone of a sample atom are imaged using a detector within an SEM. The yield of backscattered electrons is proportional to the number of sample electrons, therefore offering the potential to image chemical zoning within a target sample. Monazite – A phosphate mineral rich in light rare earth elements (LREE) BSE (bulk silicate Earth) – What is left after subtracting the core from and lithosphere through collision of continents and/or accretion of microcontinents or island arcs to a continent at the end of a Wilson Cycle. and commonly Th, based on the general formula (La,Ce,Th)PO4. It incorporates appreciable U and Y (up to several weight %) through coupled substitutions. Orogenesis – Mountain building resulting from thickening of the crust the bulk Earth composition; also referred to as ‘primitive mantle’. Cathodoluminescence (CL) – Light emitted from minerals during bombardment by an electron beam, typically imaged using a detector fitted to a scanning electron microscope or an optical microscope. Luminescence within minerals is enhanced by particular elements (e.g. Dy) but is potentially suppressed by other elements (e.g. U, Th, Fe) or defects in the crystal structure. Zoning observed in CL images therefore reflects chemical variations within individual crystals. Supracrustal rocks – Sedimentary or volcanic rocks formed at or near CHUR (chondritic uniform reservoir) – CHUR’s characteristics are P–T paths – When rock masses are buried deep in the Earth’s crust, the derived from meteorite studies. The BSE and CHUR reservoirs are assumed to have identical ratios of refractory lithophile elements (e.g. Lu/Hf, Sm/Nd). ‘paths’ along which they move can be described in terms of the changes in pressure (depth) and temperature. The relationship between pressure and temperature over the time span of the metamorphism reflects the tectonic history of the rocks in question. Concordance – Agreement of ages obtained by the 235U–207Pb 238U–206Pb Earth’s surface. Those found today in ancient portions of continents were buried and metamorphosed before being exposed by uplift and erosion. They provide important clues (e.g. basalt pillows, cross bedding) about ancient depositional environments and contain the only records of early life. and chronometers. Recrystallization – A general term used to refer to in situ modification or change in the character, and potentially the chemistry, of a mineral or rock. Recrystallization may be partial or total, and may involve distinct processes such as reaction–diffusion or replacement, and coupled dissolution–reprecipitation. Depleted Mantle – Mantle that has had melt extracted from it. Some elements fractionate more strongly into the melt phase. As a result, the depleted mantle’s Lu/Hf and Sm/Nd values are higher than those of BSE. 238U–206Pb and 235U–207Pb ages. This commonly results from the partial loss of radiogenic Pb by a zircon during alteration or heating and recrystallization. For recent Pb loss, the ratio of the Pb daughter isotopes may be used to calculate a 207Pb/206Pb age, which may still date zircon crystallization. If the Pb loss is ancient, the 207Pb/206Pb age is only a minimum crystallization age. Discordance – Disagreement between SIMS (secondary ion mass spectrometry) – Also referred to as an ion microprobe or microscope, SIMS measures the chemical or isotopic composition of small sample volumes by focusing a beam of highenergy primary ions onto a polished sample surface, ablating atoms and molecules, and generating secondary ions that are analysed by mass spectrometry. The high spatial resolution offered by SIMS (commonly <30 µm wide and <1 µm deep during analysis of geological materials) allows in situ analysis of geological materials. The method is relatively non-destructive, allowing multiple analyses to be performed within single grains or zones within grains, but has lower analytical precision than ID-TIMS. ID-TIMS (isotope-dilution thermal-ionisation mass spectrometry) – A method of isotopic analysis in which an isotopic tracer is added to a dissolved sample (e.g. zircon) to make a homogeneous isotopic mixture, the isotopic composition of which is analysed using TIMS. This technique is currently the form of isotopic measurement with the highest precision, but it requires complete dissolution of part of or whole grains. Zoning – Variation in chemical composition among different domains Inheritance – The presence of older zircon grains in an igneous or meta- within a single crystal. The geometry of zoning patterns preserved in crystals may give insights into the processes that led to the formation of new crystals or the alteration of previously existing grains. For example, oscillatory zoning (regular, finely spaced, circular zoning patterns) is commonly preserved in magmatic zircon crystals and reflects fluctuating trace element concentrations in the parent magma. morphic rock that did not crystallize from that rock’s parent magma. The inherited zircon grains may have been incorporated into a magma through the partial melting of a pre-existing zircon-bearing rock or through assimilation of zircon-bearing country rocks during magma ascent. REFERENCES Belousova E, Griffin W, O’Reilly SY, Fisher N (2002) Igneous zircon: trace element composition as an indicator of source rock type. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 143: 602-622 Cherniak DJ, Watson EB (2003) Diffusion in zircon. In: Hanchar JM, Hoskin PWO (eds) Zircon. 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