Stability of Zircon and its Isotopic Ratios in High-Temperature Fluids: Long-Term (4 months) Isotope Exchange Experiment at 850 °C and 50 MPa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bindeman, Ilya N.; Schmitt, Axel K.; Lundstrom, Craig C.; Hervig, Richard L.

2018-05-01

Stability of zircon in hydrothermal fluids and vanishingly slow rates of diffusion identify zircon as a reliable recorder of its formation conditions in recent and ancient rocks. Debate, however, persists on how rapidly oxygen and key trace elements (e.g., Li, B, Pb) diffuse when zircon is exposed to hot aqueous fluids. Here, we report results of a nano- to micrometer-scale investigation of isotopic exchange using natural zircon from Mesa Falls Tuff (Yellowstone) treated with quartz-saturated, isotopically (18O, D, 7Li, and 11B) labeled water with a nominal δ18O value of +450‰ over 4 months at 850°C and 50 MPa. Frontside (crystal rim inwards) δ18O depth profiling of zircon by magnetic sector SIMS shows initially high but decreasing 18O/16O over a 130 nm non-Fickian profile, with a decay length comparable to the signal from surficial Au coating deposited onto zircon. In contrast, backside (crystal interior outwards) depth profiling on a 2-3 µm thick wafer cut and thinned from treated zircon by focused ion beam (FIB) milling lacks any significant increase in 18O/16O during penetration of the original surface layer. Near-surface time-of-flight (TOF-SIMS) frontside profiles of uncoated zircon from 4-month and 1-day-long experiments as well as untreated zircons display similar enrichments of 18O over a distance of 20 nm. All frontside 18O profiles are here interpreted as transient surface signals from nm-thick surface enrichment or contamination unrelated to diffusion. Likewise, frontside depth profiling of H, Li, and B isotopes are similar for long- and short-duration experiments. Additionally, surface U-Pb dating of zircon from the 4-month experiment returned U-Pb ages by depth profiling with 1 µm penetration that were identical to untreated samples. Frontside and backside depth-profiling thus demonstrate that diffusive 18O enrichment in the presence of H2O is much slower than predicted from experiments in Watson and Cherniak (1997). Instead, intracrystalline

Zircon-scale insights into the history of a Supervolcano, Bishop Tuff, Long Valley, California, with implications for the Ti-in-zircon geothermometer

USGS Publications Warehouse

Reid, M.R.; Vazquez, J.A.; Schmitt, A.K.

2011-01-01

Zircon has the outstanding capacity to record chronological, thermal, and chemical information, including the storage history of zoned silicic magma reservoirs like the one responsible for the Bishop Tuff of eastern California, USA. Our novel ion microprobe approach reveals that Bishop zircon rims with diverse chemical characteristics surround intermediate domains with broadly similar compositions. The highest Y, REE, U, and Th concentrations tend to accompany the largest excesses in Y + REE3+:P beyond what can be explained by xenotime substitution in zircon. Apparent Ti-in-zircon temperatures of <720??C for zircon rims are distinctly lower than most of the range in eruption temperatures, as estimated from FeTi-oxide equilibria and zircon solubility at quench. While permissive of crystallization of zircon at near-solidus conditions, the low Ti-in-zircon temperatures are probably better explained by sources of inaccuracy in the temperature estimates. After apparently nucleating from different melts, zircons from across the Bishop Tuff compositional spectrum may have evolved to broadly similar chemical and thermal conditions and therefore it is possible that there was no significant thermal gradient in the magma reservoir at some stage in its evolution. There is also no compelling evidence for punctuated heat ?? chemical influxes during the intermediate stages of zircon growth. Judging by the zircon record, the main volume of the erupted magma evolved normally by secular cooling but the latest erupted portion is characterized by a reversal in chemistry that appears to indicate perfusion of the magma reservoir by-or zircon entrainment in-a less evolved melt from the one in which the zircons had previously resided. ?? 2010 Springer-Verlag.

Experimental evidence for use of aluminum in zircon as a new tracer to distinguish peraluminous and metaluminous melts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Y.; Trail, D.

2017-12-01

Aluminum (Al) is the third most abundant rock-forming element in Earth's crust. It also substitutes into the zircon lattice as trace impurity. For zircons that lack parent rock information, e.g. Hadean zircon (>4.0 Ga), Al in zircon could be a potentially useful tool to investigate the formation and evolution of the parental magma. Aluminum saturation index (ASI; molar ratio of Al2O3/(CaO+Na2O+K2O)) is widely used to distinguish peraluminous rocks (ASI>1) from metaluminous rocks (ASI<1). We grew zircons in piston cylinder from granitic melts, with different ASI values but same temperature, pressure and water content. Synthetic zircons with variable sizes, as large as 20 µm, were observed under SEM and analyzed using LA-ICP-MS. Our analyses reveal that the Al content of zircons that crystalized from a peraluminous melt (ASI=1.25) is, on average, one magnitude higher than crystals from peralkaline melt (ASI=0.5), e.g., 100s of ppm, vs. 10s of ppm. This indicates that aluminum solubility in zircon is related to the ASI value of parental melt. This experimental result agrees with studies of natural zircons, where Al contents of peraluminous zircons ( 10 ppm) are an order of magnitude higher than zircons from metaluminous rocks ( 1.3 ppm) (Trail et al., 2017). We suggest that melts with ASI>1 can result in an elevated alumina activity, which leads to zircons with elevated Al contents. The notably higher Al concentration in experimental zircons (10s to 100s ppm), compared with natural zircons (1 to 10 ppm), could be explained by the much higher crystallization temperature, e.g., >1100°C vs. <900°C. Both field and experimental studies support the notion that a relationship exists between the Al content in zircon and the melt ASI value. This conclusion has several meaningful applications: 1) it may be used to infer source rock characteristics of Hadean zircons, and to shed light on the formation and evolution of the earliest crust; 2) it may provide additional

Zircon-Based Ceramics Composite Coating for Environmental Barrier Coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suzuki, M.; Sodeoka, S.; Inoue, T.

2008-09-01

Studies on plasma spraying of zircon (ZrSiO4) have been carried out by the authors as one of the candidates for an environmental barrier coating (EBC) application, and had reported that substrate temperature is one of the most important factors to obtain crack-free and highly adhesive coating. In this study, several amounts of yttria were added to zircon powder, and the effect of the yttria addition on the structure and properties of the coatings were evaluated to improve the stability of the zircon coating structure at elevated temperature. The coatings obtained were composed of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), glassy silica, whereas the one prepared from monolithic zircon powder was composed of the metastable high temperature tetragonal phase of zirconia and glassy silica. After the heat treatment over 1200 °C, silica and zirconia formed zircon in all coatings. However, coatings with higher amounts of yttria exhibited lower amounts of zircon. This resulted in the less open porosity of the coating at elevated temperature. These yttria-added coatings also showed good adhesion even after the heat treatment, while monolithic zircon coating pealed off.

Silicic melt evolution in the early Izu-Bonin arc recorded in detrital zircons: Zircon U-Pb geochronology and trace element geochemistry for Site U1438, Amami Sankaku Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barth, A. P.; Tani, K.; Meffre, S.; Wooden, J. L.; Coble, M. A.

2016-12-01

Understanding the petrologic evolution of oceanic arc magmas through time is important because these arcs reveal the processes of formation and the early evolution of juvenile continental crust. The Izu-Bonin (IB) arc system has been targeted because it is one of several western Pacific intraoceanic arcs initiated at 50 Ma and because of its prominent spatial asymmetry, with widespread development of relatively enriched rear arc lavas. We examined Pb/U and trace element compositions in zircons recovered at IODP Site 351-U1438 and compared them to regional and global zircon suites. These new arc zircon data indicate that detrital zircons will yield new insights into the generation of IB silicic melts and form a set of useful geochemical proxies for interpreting ancient arc detrital zircon provenance. Project IBM drilling target IBM1 was explored by Expedition 351 at Site U1438, located in the proximal back-arc of the northern Kyushu-Palau Ridge (KPR) at 27.3°N. A 1.2 km thick section of Paleogene volcaniclastic rocks, increasingly lithified and hydrothermally altered with depth, constitutes a proximal rear arc sedimentary record of IB arc initiation and early arc evolution. The ages and compositions of U1438 zircons are compatible with provenance in one or more edifices of the northern KPR and are incompatible with drilling contamination. Melt zircon saturation temperatures and Ti-in-zircon thermometry suggest a provenance in relatively cool and silicic KPR melts. The abundances of selected trace elements with high native concentrations provide insight into the petrogenesis of U1438 detrital zircon host melts, and may be useful indicators of both short and long-term variations in melt compositions in arc settings. The U1438 zircons are slightly enriched in U and LREE and are depleted in Nb compared to zircons from mid-ocean ridges and the Parece-Vela Basin, as predicted for melts in a primitive oceanic arc setting with magmas derived from a highly depleted mantle

Coordinated U–Pb geochronology, trace element, Ti-in-zircon thermometry and microstructural analysis of Apollo zircons

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Crow, Carolyn A.; McKeegan, Kevin D.; Moser, Desmond E.

Here, we present the results of a coordinated SIMS U–Pb, trace element, Ti-in-zircon thermometry, and microstructural study of 155 lunar zircons separated from Apollo 14, 15, and 17 breccia and soil samples that help resolve discrepancies between the zircon data, the lunar whole rock history and lunar magma ocean crystallization models. The majority of lunar grains are detrital fragments, some nearly 1 mm in length, of large parent crystals suggesting that they crystallized in highly enriched KREEP magmas. The zircon age distributions for all three landing sites exhibit an abundance of ages at ~4.33 Ga, however they differ in thatmore » only Apollo 14 samples have a population of zircons with ages between 4.1 and 3.9 Ga. These younger grains comprise only 10% of all dated lunar zircons and are usually small and highly shocked making them more susceptible to Pb-loss. These observations suggest that the majority of zircons crystallized before 4.1 Ga and that KREEP magmatism had predominantly ceased by this time. We also observed that trace element analyses are easily affected by contributions from inclusions (typically injected impact melt) within SIMS analyses spots. After filtering for these effects, rare-earth element (REE) abundances of pristine zircon are consistent with one pattern characterized by a negative Eu anomaly and no positive Ce anomaly, implying that the zircons formed in a reducing environment. This inference is consistent with crystallization temperatures based on measured Ti concentrations and new estimates of oxide activities which imply temperatures ranging between 958 ± 57 and 1321 ± 100 °C, suggesting that zircon parent magmas were anhydrous. Together, the lunar zircon ages and trace elements are consistent with a ≤300 My duration of KREEP magmatism under anhydrous, reducing conditions. We also report two granular texture zircons that contain baddeleyite cores, which both yield 207Pb– 206Pb ages of 4.33 Ga. These grains are our best

Coordinated U-Pb geochronology, trace element, Ti-in-zircon thermometry and microstructural analysis of Apollo zircons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crow, Carolyn A.; McKeegan, Kevin D.; Moser, Desmond E.

2017-04-01

We present the results of a coordinated SIMS U-Pb, trace element, Ti-in-zircon thermometry, and microstructural study of 155 lunar zircons separated from Apollo 14, 15, and 17 breccia and soil samples that help resolve discrepancies between the zircon data, the lunar whole rock history and lunar magma ocean crystallization models. The majority of lunar grains are detrital fragments, some nearly 1 mm in length, of large parent crystals suggesting that they crystallized in highly enriched KREEP magmas. The zircon age distributions for all three landing sites exhibit an abundance of ages at ∼4.33 Ga, however they differ in that only Apollo 14 samples have a population of zircons with ages between 4.1 and 3.9 Ga. These younger grains comprise only 10% of all dated lunar zircons and are usually small and highly shocked making them more susceptible to Pb-loss. These observations suggest that the majority of zircons crystallized before 4.1 Ga and that KREEP magmatism had predominantly ceased by this time. We also observed that trace element analyses are easily affected by contributions from inclusions (typically injected impact melt) within SIMS analyses spots. After filtering for these effects, rare-earth element (REE) abundances of pristine zircon are consistent with one pattern characterized by a negative Eu anomaly and no positive Ce anomaly, implying that the zircons formed in a reducing environment. This inference is consistent with crystallization temperatures based on measured Ti concentrations and new estimates of oxide activities which imply temperatures ranging between 958 ± 57 and 1321 ± 100 °C, suggesting that zircon parent magmas were anhydrous. Together, the lunar zircon ages and trace elements are consistent with a ⩽300 My duration of KREEP magmatism under anhydrous, reducing conditions. We also report two granular texture zircons that contain baddeleyite cores, which both yield 207Pb-206Pb ages of 4.33 Ga. These grains are our best constraints on

Coordinated U–Pb geochronology, trace element, Ti-in-zircon thermometry and microstructural analysis of Apollo zircons

DOE PAGES

Crow, Carolyn A.; McKeegan, Kevin D.; Moser, Desmond E.

2016-12-28

Here, we present the results of a coordinated SIMS U–Pb, trace element, Ti-in-zircon thermometry, and microstructural study of 155 lunar zircons separated from Apollo 14, 15, and 17 breccia and soil samples that help resolve discrepancies between the zircon data, the lunar whole rock history and lunar magma ocean crystallization models. The majority of lunar grains are detrital fragments, some nearly 1 mm in length, of large parent crystals suggesting that they crystallized in highly enriched KREEP magmas. The zircon age distributions for all three landing sites exhibit an abundance of ages at ~4.33 Ga, however they differ in thatmore » only Apollo 14 samples have a population of zircons with ages between 4.1 and 3.9 Ga. These younger grains comprise only 10% of all dated lunar zircons and are usually small and highly shocked making them more susceptible to Pb-loss. These observations suggest that the majority of zircons crystallized before 4.1 Ga and that KREEP magmatism had predominantly ceased by this time. We also observed that trace element analyses are easily affected by contributions from inclusions (typically injected impact melt) within SIMS analyses spots. After filtering for these effects, rare-earth element (REE) abundances of pristine zircon are consistent with one pattern characterized by a negative Eu anomaly and no positive Ce anomaly, implying that the zircons formed in a reducing environment. This inference is consistent with crystallization temperatures based on measured Ti concentrations and new estimates of oxide activities which imply temperatures ranging between 958 ± 57 and 1321 ± 100 °C, suggesting that zircon parent magmas were anhydrous. Together, the lunar zircon ages and trace elements are consistent with a ≤300 My duration of KREEP magmatism under anhydrous, reducing conditions. We also report two granular texture zircons that contain baddeleyite cores, which both yield 207Pb– 206Pb ages of 4.33 Ga. These grains are our best

Temporal Evolution of Volcanic and Plutonic Magmas Related to Porphyry Copper Ores Based on Zircon Geochemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dilles, J. H.; Lee, R. G.; Wooden, J. L.; Koleszar, A. M.

2015-12-01

Porphyry Cu (Mo-Au) and epithermal Au-Ag ores are globally associated with shallow hydrous, strongly oxidized, and sulfur-rich arc intrusions. In many localities, long-lived magmatism includes evolution from early andesitic volcanic (v) and plutonic (p) rocks to later dacitic or rhyolitic compositions dominated by plutons. We compare zircon compositions from three igneous suites with different time spans: Yerington, USA (1 m.y., p>v), El Salvador, Chile (4 m.y., p>v), and Yanacocha, Peru (6 m.y., v>p). At Yerington granite dikes and ores formed in one event, at ES in 2 to 3 events spanning 3 m.y., and at Yanacocha in 6 events spanning 5 m.y. At both ES and Yanacocha, high-Al amphiboles likely crystallized at high temperature in the mid-crust and attest to deep magmas that periodically recharged the shallow chambers. At Yanacocha, these amphiboles contain anhydrite inclusions that require magmas were sulfur-rich and strongly oxidized (~NNO+2). The Ti-in-zircon geothermometer provides estimates of 920º to 620º C for zircon crystallization, and records both core to rim cooling and locally high temperature rim overgrowths. Ore-related silicic porphyries yield near-solidus crystallization temperatures of 750-650°C consistent with low zircon saturation temperatures. The latter zircons have large positive Ce/Ce* and small negative Eu/Eu*≥0.4 anomalies attesting to strongly oxidized conditions (Ballard et al., 2001), which we propose result from crystallization and SO2 loss to the magmatic-hydrothermal ore fluid (Dilles et al., 2015). The Hf, REE, Y, U, and Th contents of zircons are diverse in the magma suites, and Th/U vs Yb/Gd plots suggest a dominant role of crystal fractionation with lesser roles for both crustal contamination and mixing with high temperature deep-sourced mafic magma. Ce/Sm vs Yb/Gd plots suggest that magma REE contents at <900°C are dominated by early crystallization of hornblende and apatite, and late crystallization (~<780°C) of titanite

Gold in Accessory Zircon (the Kozhim Massif, Subpolar Urals)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Denisova, Yuliya; Pystin, Aleksandr

2017-12-01

The crystals of zircon due to their resistance to external impact of various processes can reveal information about the environment of their formation and the inclusions observed of them. Zircon contains different mineral inclusions: biotite, plagioclase, quartz, apatite, etc. However, there is no information about gold inclusions in the zircons from granites of the Sudpolar Urals. The study results of the inclusions of gold in accessory zircon of the Kozhim granitic massif are presented in this paper. The studied mineral is a dark-brown translucent short-prismatic crystal containing the inclusion of gold and the allocations of quartz. According to studies, the inclusion of gold formed during the growth of zircon and it is the gold covered with a thin film of oxide gold. It was confirmed that the crystallization of the studied zircon occurred at a temperature of 800°C and above on the stage of formation of granites of Kozhim massif. The assumption is made about the additional temperature in the course of which was caused by decreasing of temperature up to 700° C and below during postmagmatic stage.

Decoding a protracted zircon geochronological record in ultrahigh temperature granulite, and persistence of partial melting in the crust, Rogaland, Norway

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laurent, Antonin T.; Bingen, Bernard; Duchene, Stephanie; Whitehouse, Martin J.; Seydoux-Guillaume, Anne-magali; Bosse, Valerie

2018-04-01

This contribution evaluates the relation between protracted zircon geochronological signal and protracted crustal melting in the course of polyphase high to ultrahigh temperature (UHT; T > 900 °C) granulite facies metamorphism. New U-Pb, oxygen isotope, trace element, ion imaging and cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging data in zircon are reported from five samples from Rogaland, South Norway. The data reveal that the spread of apparent age captured by zircon, between 1040 and 930 Ma, results both from open-system growth and closed-system post-crystallization disturbance. Post-crystallization disturbance is evidenced by inverse age zoning induced by solid-state recrystallization of metamict cores that received an alpha dose above 35 × 1017 α g-1. Zircon neocrystallization is documented by CL-dark domains displaying O isotope open-system behaviour. In UHT samples, O isotopic ratios are homogenous (δ18O = 8.91 ± 0.08‰), pointing to high-temperature diffusion. Scanning ion imaging of these CL-dark domains did not reveal unsupported radiogenic Pb. The continuous geochronological signal retrieved from the CL-dark zircon in UHT samples is similar to that of monazite for the two recognized metamorphic phases (M1: 1040-990 Ma; M2: 940-930 Ma). A specific zircon-forming event is identified in the orthopyroxene and UHT zone with a probability peak at ca. 975 Ma, lasting until ca. 955 Ma. Coupling U-Pb geochronology and Ti-in-zircon thermometry provides firm evidence of protracted melting lasting up to 110 My (1040-930 Ma) in the UHT zone, 85 My (ca. 1040-955 Ma) in the orthopyroxene zone and some 40 My (ca. 1040-1000 Ma) in the regional basement. These results demonstrate the persistence of melt over long timescales in the crust, punctuated by two UHT incursions.

Generation of Silicic Melts in the Early Izu-Bonin Arc Recorded by Detrital Zircons in Proximal Arc Volcaniclastic Rocks From the Philippine Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barth, A. P.; Tani, K.; Meffre, S.; Wooden, J. L.; Coble, M. A.; Arculus, R. J.; Ishizuka, O.; Shukle, J. T.

2017-10-01

A 1.2 km thick Paleogene volcaniclastic section at International Ocean Discovery Program Site 351-U1438 preserves the deep-marine, proximal record of Izu-Bonin oceanic arc initiation, and volcano evolution along the Kyushu-Palau Ridge (KPR). Pb/U ages and trace element compositions of zircons recovered from volcaniclastic sandstones preserve a remarkable temporal record of juvenile island arc evolution. Pb/U ages ranging from 43 to 27 Ma are compatible with provenance in one or more active arc edifices of the northern KPR. The abundances of selected trace elements with high concentrations provide insight into the genesis of U1438 detrital zircon host melts, and represent useful indicators of both short and long-term variations in melt compositions in arc settings. The Site U1438 zircons span the compositional range between zircons from mid-ocean ridge gabbros and zircons from relatively enriched continental arcs, as predicted for melts in a primitive oceanic arc setting derived from a highly depleted mantle source. Melt zircon saturation temperatures and Ti-in-zircon thermometry suggest a provenance in relatively cool and silicic melts that evolved toward more Th and U-rich compositions with time. Th, U, and light rare earth element enrichments beginning about 35 Ma are consistent with detrital zircons recording development of regional arc asymmetry and selective trace element-enriched rear arc silicic melts as the juvenile Izu-Bonin arc evolved.

Zircon growth in shear zones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaulina, Tatiana

2013-04-01

The possibility of direct dating of the deformation process is critical for understanding of orogenic belts evolution. Establishing the age of deformation by isotopic methods is indispensable in the case of uneven deformation overlapping, when later deformation inherits the structural plan of the early strains, and to distinguish them on the basis of the structural data only is impossible. A good example of zircon from the shear zones is zircon formed under the eclogite facies conditions. On the one hand, the composition of zircon speaks about its formation simultaneously to eclogitic paragenesis (Rubatto, Herman, 1999; Rubatto et al., 2003). On the other hand, geological studies show that mineral reactions of eclogitization are often held only in areas of shear deformations, which provides access of fluid to the rocks (Austrheim, 1987; Jamtveit et al., 2000; Bingen et al., 2004). Zircons from mafic and ultramafic rocks of the Tanaelv and Kolvitsa belts (Kola Peninsula, the Baltic Shield) have showed that the metamorphic zircon growth is probably controlled by the metamorphic fluid regime, as evidenced by an increase of zircon quantity with the degree of shearing. The internal structure of zircon crystals can provide an evidence of zircon growth synchronous with shearing. The studied crystals have a sector zoning and often specific "patchy" zoning (Fig. 1), which speaks about rapid change of growth conditions. Such internal structure can be compared with the "snowball" garnet structure reflecting the rotation of crystals during their growth under a shift. Rapidly changing crystallization conditions can also be associated with a small amount of fluid, where supersaturation is changing even at a constant temperature. Thus, the growth of metamorphic zircon in shear zones is more likely to occur in the fluid flow synchronous with deformation. A distinctive feature of zircons in these conditions is isometric shape and sector "patchy" zoning. The work was supported by

Magmatic oxygen fugacity estimated using zircon-melt partitioning of cerium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smythe, Duane J.; Brenan, James M.

2016-11-01

Using a newly-calibrated relation for cerium redox equilibria in silicate melts (Smythe and Brenan, 2015), and an internally-consistent model for zircon-melt partitioning of Ce, we provide a method to estimate the prevailing redox conditions during crystallization of zircon-saturated magmas. With this approach, oxygen fugacities were calculated for samples from the Bishop tuff (USA), Toba tuff (Indonesia) and the Nain plutonic suite (Canada), which typically agree with independent estimates within one log unit or better. With the success of reproducing the fO2 of well-constrained igneous systems, we have applied our Ce-in-zircon oxygen barometer to estimating the redox state of Earth's earliest magmas. Using the composition of the Jack Hills Hadean zircons, combined with estimates of their parental magma composition, we determined the fO2 during zircon crystallization to be between FMQ -1.0 to +2.5 (where FMQ is the fayalite-magnetite-quartz buffer). Of the parental magmas considered, Archean tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) compositions yield zircon-melt partitioning most similar to well-constrained modern suites (e.g., Sano et al., 2002). Although broadly consistent with previous redox estimates from the Jack Hills zircons, our results provide a more precise determination of fO2, narrowing the range for Hadean parental magmas by more than 8 orders of magnitude. Results suggest that relatively oxidized magmatic source regions, similar in oxidation state to that of 3.5 Ga komatiite suites, existed by ∼4.4 Ga.

Zircon dating and mineralogy of the Mokong Pan-African magmatic epidote-bearing granite (North Cameroon)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tchameni, R.; Sun, F.; Dawaï, D.; Danra, G.; Tékoum, L.; Nomo Negue, E.; Vanderhaeghe, O.; Nzolang, C.; Dagwaï, Nguihdama

2016-09-01

We present the mineralogy and age of the magmatic epidote-bearing granite composing most of the Mokong pluton, in the Central Africa orogenic belt (North Cameroon). This pluton intrudes Neoproterozoic (~830 to 700 Ma) low- to high-grade schists and gneisses (Poli-Maroua group), and is crosscut or interleaved with bodies of biotite granite of various sizes. The pluton is weakly deformed in its interior, but solid-state deformation increases toward its margins marked by narrow mylonitic bands trending NNE-SSW. The magmatic epidote granitic rocks are classified as quartz monzodiorite, granodiorite, monzogranite, and syenogranite. They are medium- to coarse-grained and composed of K-feldspar + plagioclase + biotite + amphibole + epidote + magnetite + titanite + zircon + apatite. In these granites, the pistacite component [atomic Fe+3/(Fe3+ + Al)] in epidote ranges from 16 to 29 %. High oxygen fugacity (log ƒO2 - 14 to -11) and the preservation of epidote suggest that the magma was oxidized. Al-in hornblende barometry and hornblende-plagioclase thermometry indicate hornblende crystallization between 0.53 and 0.78 GPa at a temperature ranging from 633 to 779 °C. Zircon saturation thermometry gives temperature estimates ranging from 504 to 916 °C, the latter being obtained on samples containing inherited zircons. U/Pb geochronology by LA-ICP-MS on zircon grains characterized by magmatic zoning yields a concordia age of 668 ± 11 Ma (2 σ). The Mokong granite is the only known occurrence magmatic epidote in Cameroon, and is an important milestone for the comparison of the Central Africa orogenic belt with the Brasiliano Fold Belt, where such granites are much more abundant.

HAFNIAN ZIRCONS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

von Knorring, O.; Hornung, G.

1961-06-17

Two hafnia zircons were examined in detail, one from Mtoko in Southern Rhodesia, containing 21% HfO/sub 2/, and the other from Karibib in South-West Africa, with 31% HfO/sub 2/. In both cases the zircons are associated with the later tantalum-rich phase of mineralization. The Mtoko zircon forms small, mauve- colored, independent crystals in the albitic zone of the pegmatite. The zircon from Karibib occurs in larger reddish-brown masses, partly intergrown with minute manganotantalite crystals and set in a matrix of lithium-bearing mica, albite, quartz and kaolinized feldspar. Some crystals show dominant pyramid faces, with a suppressed prism. Both zircons exhibitmore » an intense golden-yellow fluorescence in UV light. The zircon from Karibib was found to be only weakly radioactive. Data are given concerning various properties of the two zircons. (P.C.H.)« less

Effect of the Sintering Temperature on the Formation of Ferroelectric Properties of a Lead Zirconate-Titanate Ceramic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barabanova, E. V.; Topchiev, A. A.; Malyshkina, O. V.

2018-04-01

Effect of the sintering temperature on the formation of the microstructure, the domain structure, and the ferroelectric properties of a lead zirconate-titanate Pb(Ti x Zr1 - x )O3 piezoelectric ceramics has been studied. It is shown that the ferroelectric phase forms at a sintering temperature of 860°C. At higher sintering temperatures, the main effect on the properties is due to a unit cell deformation and free charge carriers.

Corresponding states correlation for temperature dependent surface tension of normal saturated liquids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yi, Huili; Tian, Jianxiang

2014-07-01

A new simple correlation based on the principle of corresponding state is proposed to estimate the temperature-dependent surface tension of normal saturated liquids. The correlation is a linear one and strongly stands for 41 saturated normal liquids. The new correlation requires only the triple point temperature, triple point surface tension and critical point temperature as input and is able to represent the experimental surface tension data for these 41 saturated normal liquids with a mean absolute average percent deviation of 1.26% in the temperature regions considered. For most substances, the temperature covers the range from the triple temperature to the one beyond the boiling temperature.

Investigation of the effect of temperature on aging behavior of Fe-doped lead zirconate titanate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Promsawat, Napatporn; Promsawat, Methee; Janphuang, Pattanaphong; Marungsri, Boonruang; Luo, Zhenhua; Pojprapai, Soodkhet

The aging degradation behavior of Fe-doped Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) subjected to different heat-treated temperatures was investigated over 1000h. The aging degradation in the piezoelectric properties of PZT was indicated by the decrease in piezoelectric charge coefficient, electric field-induced strain and remanent polarization. It was found that the aging degradation became more pronounced at temperature above 50% of the PZT’s Curie temperature. A mathematical model based on the linear logarithmic stretched exponential function was applied to explain the aging behavior. A qualitative aging model based on polar macrodomain switchability was proposed.

Role of zircon in tracing crustal growth and recycling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Compston, W.; Williams, I. S.; Armstrong, R. A.; Claoue-Long, J. C.; Kinny, P. D.; Foster, J. J.; Kroener, A.; Pidgeon, R. T.; Myers, J. S.

Single crystal ion probe ages of zircons is discussed, which allow much better time resolution compared to other geochronological methods, although the technique is not without problems. Rocks from two areas that contain composite zircon populations, including true magmatic zircons as well as a variety of xenocrystic types are described. It is often difficult to distinguish these; xenocrystic zircons, for example, cannot always be identified on the basis of morphology alone. Additional evidence is needed before making age interpretations. Evidence is also presented of zircon growth long after the original time of crystallization, in some cases apparently at temperatures less than 300 C. The spectacular discovery of 4.1 to 4.2 Ga detrital zircons in metaquartzites from the Mount Narryer area of Western Australia is described. Similar zircons with ages as old as 4276 Ma have been found in the nearby Jack Hills area. The source areas or parent lithologies of these zircons have not yet been determined, but the author expects that they may be unrecognized or buried antecedents of the K rich Narryer gneisses. U or Th concentrations of zircon cannot be used to discriminate between felsic and mafic source rocks.

Role of zircon in tracing crustal growth and recycling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Compston, W.; Williams, I. S.; Armstrong, R. A.; Claoue-Long, J. C.; Kinny, P. D.; Foster, J. J.; Kroener, A.; Pidgeon, R. T.; Myers, J. S.

1988-01-01

Single crystal ion probe ages of zircons is discussed, which allow much better time resolution compared to other geochronological methods, although the technique is not without problems. Rocks from two areas that contain composite zircon populations, including true magmatic zircons as well as a variety of xenocrystic types are described. It is often difficult to distinguish these; xenocrystic zircons, for example, cannot always be identified on the basis of morphology alone. Additional evidence is needed before making age interpretations. Evidence is also presented of zircon growth long after the original time of crystallization, in some cases apparently at temperatures less than 300 C. The spectacular discovery of 4.1 to 4.2 Ga detrital zircons in metaquartzites from the Mount Narryer area of Western Australia is described. Similar zircons with ages as old as 4276 Ma have been found in the nearby Jack Hills area. The source areas or parent lithologies of these zircons have not yet been determined, but the author expects that they may be unrecognized or buried antecedents of the K rich Narryer gneisses. U or Th concentrations of zircon cannot be used to discriminate between felsic and mafic source rocks.

Empirical constraints on the effects of radiation damage on helium diffusion in zircon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, Alyssa J.; Hodges, Kip V.; van Soest, Matthijs C.

2017-12-01

In this study, we empirically evaluate the impact of radiation damage on zircon (U-Th)/He closure temperatures for a suite of zircon crystals from the slowly cooled McClure Mountain syenite of south-central Colorado, USA. We present new zircon, titanite, and apatite conventional (U-Th)/He dates, zircon laser ablation (U-Th)/He and U-Pb dates, and zircon Raman spectra for crystals from the syenite. Titanite and apatite (U-Th)/He dates range from 447 to 523 Ma and 88.0 to 138.9 Ma, respectively, and display no clear correlation between (U-Th)/He date and effective uranium concentration. Conventional zircon (U-Th)/He dates range from 230.3 to 474 Ma, while laser ablation zircon (U-Th)/He dates show even greater dispersion, ranging from 5.31 to 520 Ma. Dates from both zircon (U-Th)/He datasets decrease with increasing alpha dose, indicating that most of the dispersion can be attributed to radiation damage. Alpha dose values for the dated zircon crystals range from effectively zero to 2.15 × 1019 α /g, spanning the complete damage spectrum. We use an independently constrained thermal model to empirically assign a closure temperature to each dated zircon grain. If we assume that this thermal model is robust, the zircon radiation damage accumulation and annealing model of Guenthner et al. (2013) does not accurately predict closure temperatures for many of the analyzed zircon crystals. Raman maps of the zircons dated by laser ablation document complex radiation damage zoning, sometimes revealing crystalline zones in grains with alpha dose values suggestive of amorphous material. Such zoning likely resulted in heterogeneous intra-crystalline helium diffusion and may help explain some of the discrepancies between our empirical findings and the Guenthner et al. (2013) model predictions. Because U-Th zoning is a common feature in zircon, radiation damage zoning is likely to be a concern for most ancient, slowly cooled zircon (U-Th)/He datasets. Whenever possible, multiple

Sulfur in zircons: A new window into melt chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, H.; Bell, E. A.; Boehnke, P.; Barboni, M.; Harrison, T. M.

2017-12-01

The abundance and isotopic composition of sulfur are important tools for exploring the photochemistry of the atmosphere, the thermal history of mantle and igneous rocks, and ancient metabolic processes on the early Earth. Because the oldest terrestrial samples are zircons, we developed a new in-situ procedure to analyze the sulfur content of zircons using the CAMECA ims 1290 at UCLA. We analyzed zircons from three metaluminous/I-type granites (reduced and oxidized Peninsular range and Elba), which exhibit low sulfur abundance with the average of 0.5ppm, and one peraluminous/S-type zircon (Strathbogie Range), which shows an elevated sulfur level with the average of 1.5ppm. Additionally, we found that sulfur content ranges between 0.4 and 2.3 ppm in young volcanic zircons (St. Lucia). Our analyses of zircons from the Jack Hills, Western Australia, whose ages range between 3.4 and 4.1 Ga, show a variety of sulfur contents. Three out of the ten zircons are consistent with the sulfur contents of S-type zircons; the rest have low sulfur contents, which are similar to those of I-type zircons. The high sulfur content in some of these Jack Hills zircons can be interpreted as indicating their origin in either a S-type granite or a volcanic reservoir. We favor the former interpretation since the Ti-in-zircon temperatures of our Jack Hills zircons is lower than those of volcanic zircons. Future work will be undertaken to develop a systematic understanding of the relationship between melt volatile content, melt chemistry, and zircon sulfur content.

Implications of Bishop Tuff zircon U-Pb ages for rates of zircon growth and magma accumulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reid, M. R.; Schmitt, A. K.

2012-12-01

eruption by tens of ka, domains that could be difficult to detect by single crystal analyses. SIMS analyses can selectively sample more interior portions of grains whereas whole grain TIMS analyses will be volumetrically biased towards the outermost ~20% of the BT zircons. Spots centered on BT zircon cores sample a domain representing only a few volume percent of the crystal; if mantled completely by eruption-aged growth, single crystal zircon ages are predicted to be <5 ka older than eruption, extrapolating from the SIMS dates. When, compared to grain interiors, the greater average near-rim U concentrations are factored into this mass balance, the influence of these older domains is further diminished. A scenario that can at least partially reconcile the disparate zircon dates in the context of evolution of the BT and the dynamics of zircon crystallization is as follows: (1) zircon nucleation and relatively rapid growth an average of ~100 ka before eruption; (2) significant decay in zircon growth rates as temperatures and Zr melt gradients relax; and, finally, (3) mantling of earlier zircon cores by rejuvenation and renewed BT zircon growth during the lead-up to eruption. Comparisons between spot and single grain dating show that most zircon growth likely occurred close to eruption. [1] Crowley et al., 2007.Geology 35, 1123. [2] Rivera et al., 2011. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 311, 420. [3] Simon and Reid, 2005. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 235, 123.

Magmatic Longevity Constrained by ID-TIMS U-Pb Dating of Zircon and Titanite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szymanowski, D.; Wotzlaw, J. F.; Ellis, B. S.; Bachmann, O.; Von Quadt, A.

2016-12-01

Clues about the timescales and thermal conditions associated with the growth and evacuation of large silicic magma reservoirs are frequently drawn from radiometric dating, diffusion modelling, or thermomechanical modelling. A growing amount of petrological and geochronological evidence, supported by thermal modelling, suggests that many silicic magma reservoirs may exist for some 104-106 years in the form of high-crystallinity mushes at relatively low temperatures ( 700-750°C; [1-3]). Geochronological studies addressing this issue typically utilise the U-Pb system in zircon capable of recording extended periods of crystallisation, particularly in evolved calc-alkaline systems that spend most of their lifetime zircon-saturated. In this study, we integrate U-Pb dating of zircon and titanite to investigate the longevity of the magma reservoir that produced the Kneeling Nun Tuff, a 35 Ma, >900 km3 crystal-rich rhyolitic super-eruption from the Mogollon-Datil volcanic field in New Mexico (USA). High-precision ID-TIMS U-Pb dates of single crystals of both zircon and titanite independently record a continuous crystallisation history over >400,000 years. We combine the dating of both accessory phases with textural, major, trace element and isotopic studies of single crystals, placing tight constraints on the thermal conditions of magma accumulation and storage while recording differentiation and rejuvenation processes within the magma reservoir. The results suggest a protracted `cool' upper-crustal storage of magma prior to the Kneeling Nun Tuff eruption followed by a melting event which reduced the magma crystallinity and conditioned it for eruption. [1] Bachmann & Bergantz (2004), J. Petrol. 45, 1565-1582. [2] Gelman et al. (2013), Geology 41, 759-762. [3] Cooper & Kent (2014), Nature 506, 480-483.

Zircon ages in granulite facies rocks: decoupling from geochemistry above 850 °C?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kunz, Barbara E.; Regis, Daniele; Engi, Martin

2018-03-01

Granulite facies rocks frequently show a large spread in their zircon ages, the interpretation of which raises questions: Has the isotopic system been disturbed? By what process(es) and conditions did the alteration occur? Can the dates be regarded as real ages, reflecting several growth episodes? Furthermore, under some circumstances of (ultra-)high-temperature metamorphism, decoupling of zircon U-Pb dates from their trace element geochemistry has been reported. Understanding these processes is crucial to help interpret such dates in the context of the P-T history. Our study presents evidence for decoupling in zircon from the highest grade metapelites (> 850 °C) taken along a continuous high-temperature metamorphic field gradient in the Ivrea Zone (NW Italy). These rocks represent a well-characterised segment of Permian lower continental crust with a protracted high-temperature history. Cathodoluminescence images reveal that zircons in the mid-amphibolite facies preserve mainly detrital cores with narrow overgrowths. In the upper amphibolite and granulite facies, preserved detrital cores decrease and metamorphic zircon increases in quantity. Across all samples we document a sequence of four rim generations based on textures. U-Pb dates, Th/U ratios and Ti-in-zircon concentrations show an essentially continuous evolution with increasing metamorphic grade, except in the samples from the granulite facies, which display significant scatter in age and chemistry. We associate the observed decoupling of zircon systematics in high-grade non-metamict zircon with disturbance processes related to differences in behaviour of non-formula elements (i.e. Pb, Th, U, Ti) at high-temperature conditions, notably differences in compatibility within the crystal structure.

Hydrogen diffusion in Zircon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ingrin, Jannick; Zhang, Peipei

2016-04-01

Hydrogen mobility in gem quality zircon single crystals from Madagascar was investigated through H-D exchange experiments. Thin slices were annealed in a horizontal furnace flushed with a gas mixture of Ar/D2(10%) under ambient pressure between 900 ° C to 1150 ° C. FTIR analyses were performed on oriented slices before and after each annealing run. H diffusion along [100] and [010] follow the same diffusion law D = D0exp[-E /RT], with log D0 = 2.24 ± 1.57 (in m2/s) and E = 374 ± 39 kJ/mol. H diffusion along [001] follows a slightly more rapid diffusion law, with log D0 = 1.11 ± 0.22 (in m2/s) and E = 334 ± 49 kJ/mol. H diffusion in zircon has much higher activation energy and slower diffusivity than other NAMs below 1150 ° C even iron-poor garnets which are known to be among the slowest (Blanchard and Ingrin, 2004; Kurka et al. 2005). During H-D exchange zircon incorporates also deuterium. This hydration reaction involves uranium reduction as it is shown from the exchange of U5+ and U4+ characteristic bands in the near infrared region during annealing. It is the first time that a hydration reaction U5+ + OH- = U4+ + O2- + 1/2H2, is experimentally reported. The kinetics of deuterium incorporation is slightly slower than hydrogen diffusion, suggesting that the reaction is limited by hydrogen mobility. Hydrogen isotopic memory of zircon is higher than other NAMs. Zircons will be moderately retentive of H signatures at mid-crustal metamorphic temperatures. At 500 ° C, a zircon with a radius of 300 μm would retain its H isotopic signature over more than a million years. However, a zircon is unable to retain this information for geologically significant times under high-grade metamorphism unless the grain size is large enough. Refrences Blanchard, M. and Ingrin, J. (2004) Hydrogen diffusion in Dora Maira pyrope. Physics and Chemistry of Minerals, 31, 593-605. Kurka, A., Blanchard, M. and Ingrin, J. (2005) Kinetics of hydrogen extraction and deuteration in

Refractory Materials of Zirconate. Part 2: Synthesis and some properties of strontium, zirconate, calcium zirconate and barium zirconate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Okubo, Tsutomo; Yonemochi, Osamu; Nakamura, Kazuo; Maeda, Minoru

1988-01-01

Chemical compounds SrZrO3, CaZrO3, and BaZrO3 were synthesized by solid reaction and arc fusion, and their properties examined. Results were as follows: (1) in the synthesis of CaZrO3 by solid reaction, ZrO2 solid solution with cubic form was produced, which then changed into CaZrO3; (2) the BaZrO3 was a cubic form and did not show any transformation, while SrZrO3 and CaZrO3 with an orthorhombic form transformed to a cubic form at high temperature; and (3) the solubility of BaZrO3 in acid and its vaporization rate at a high temperature were greater than those of zirconates.

Transformations to granular zircon revealed: Twinning, reidite, and ZrO2 in shocked zircon from Meteor Crater (Arizona, USA)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cavosie, Aaron; Timms, Nicholas E.; Erickson, Timmons M.; Hagerty, Justin J.; Hörz, Friedrich

2016-01-01

Granular zircon in impact environments has long been recognized but remains poorly understood due to lack of experimental data to identify mechanisms involved in its genesis. Meteor Crater in Arizona (United States) contains abundant evidence of shock metamorphism, including shocked quartz, the high pressure polymorphs coesite and stishovite, diaplectic SiO2 glass, and lechatelierite (fused SiO2). Here we report the presence of granular zircon, a new shocked mineral discovery at Meteor Crater, that preserve critical orientation evidence of specific transformations that occurred during its formation at extreme impact conditions. The zircon grains occur as aggregates of sub-µm neoblasts in highly shocked Coconino Formation Sandstone (CFS) comprised of lechatelierite. Electron backscatter diffraction shows that each grain consists of multiple domains, some with boundaries disoriented by 65°, a known {112} shock-twin orientation. Other domains have crystallographic c-axes in alignment with {110} of neighboring domains, consistent with the former presence of the high pressure ZrSiO4 polymorph reidite. Additionally, nearly all zircon preserve ZrO2 + SiO2, providing evidence of partial dissociation. The genesis of CFS granular zircon started with detrital zircon that experienced shock-twinning and reidite formation from 20 to 30 GPa, ultimately yielding a phase that retained crystallographic memory; this phase subsequently recrystallized to systematically oriented zircon neoblasts, and in some areas partially dissociated to ZrO2. The lechatelierite matrix, experimentally constrained to form at >2000 °C, provided an ultra high-temperature environment for zircon dissociation (~1670 °C) and neoblast formation. The capacity of granular zircon to preserve a cumulative P-T record has not been recognized previously, and provides a new method for retrieving histories of impact-related mineral transformations in the crust at conditions far beyond which most rocks melt.

Zircon U-Pb Ages from an Ultra-High Temperature Metapelite, Rauer Group, East Antarctica: Implications for Overprints by Grenvillian and Pan-African Events

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wang, Yanbin; Tong, Laixi; Liu, Dunyi

2007-01-01

SHRIMP U-Pb dating of zircon from an ultra-high temperature (UHT, ~1000 °C) granulite-facies metapelite from the Rauer Group, Mather Peninsula, east Antarctica, has yielded evidence for two episodes of metamorphic zircon growth, at ~1.00 Ga and ~530 Ma, and two episodes of magmatism in the source region for the protolith sediment, at ~2.53 and ~2.65 Ga, were identified from the zircon cores. Successive zircon growth at ~1.00 Ga and ~530 Ma records a sequence of distinct, widely spaced high-temperature metamorphic and/or anatectic events related to Grenvillian and Pan-African orogenesis. This study presents the first robust geochronological evidence for the timing of UHT metamorphism of the Rauer Group, supporting arguments that the peak UHT metamorphic event occurred at ~1.00 Ga and was overprinted by a separate high-grade event at ~530 Ma. The new age data indicate that the UHT granulites of the Rauer Group experienced a complex, multi-stage tectonothermal history, which cannot simply be explained via a single Pan-African (~500 Ma) high-grade tectonic event. This is critical in understanding the role of the eastern Prydz Bay region during the assembly of the east Gondwana supercontinent, and the newly recognized inherited Archaean ages (~2.53 and ~2.65 Ga) suggest a close tectonic relationship between the Rauer Group and the adjacent Archaean of the Vestfold Hills

(De)coupled zircon metamictization, radiation damage, and He diffusivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ault, A. K.; Guenthner, W.; Reiners, P. W.; Moser, A. C.; Miller, G. H.; Refsnider, K. A.

2017-12-01

We develop and apply a new protocol for targeting crystals for the zircon (U-Th)/He (He) thermochronometry to maximize effective U (eU) and corresponding closure temperature variability to develop zircon He date-eU correlations observed in some datasets. Our approach exploits visual proxies for radiation damage accumulation (metamictization) during zircon selection. We show that by purposefully targeting a spectrum of zircon textures from pristine to metamict grains, it is possible to generate broad eU variation in suites of zircon from a single sample and zircon He date-eU-metamictization trends that can be exploited to resolve increasingly complex thermal histories. We present plane light photographs, eU concentration, and zircon He results from 59 individual zircons from nine crystalline rock samples. Six of the nine samples come from exposed Proterozoic granitoids on SE Baffin Island, Canada; Boulder Creek, CO; Sandia Mountains, NM; and Mecca Hills, CA. We report data from three Archean Baffin samples to compare with the Proterozoic Baffin sample date-eU-metamictization trend. In each Proterozoic sample, target zircons display a spectrum of metamictization from pristine, transparent crystals to purple-brown, translucent grains. Progressive loss of transparency and increase in discoloration consistently corresponds to an increase in eU in all samples. Individual zircon eU varies from 89-1885 ppm and, within each sample, the total eU spread is 538 ppm to 1374 ppm. For any given eU value, the Archean zircon appear comparatively more metamict than the Proterozoic Baffin grains and samples collectively define a 1681 ppm range in eU, with more restrictive intrasample eU spreads (199-1120 ppm). Proterozoic samples from Baffin, Sandia, and Front Range yield negative zircon He date-eU correlations with intrasample date ranges of 90-783 Ma. Increasing eU and younger dates correspond with increasing metamictization. In contrast, all three Proterozoic Mecca Hills samples

Dating kimberlite emplacement with zircon and perovskite (U-Th)/He geochronology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanley, Jessica; Flowers, Rebecca

2017-04-01

Kimberlites provide rich information about the composition and evolution of cratonic lithosphere. They can entrain xenoliths and xenocrysts from the entire lithospheric column as they transit rapidly to the surface, providing information on the state of the deep lithosphere as well as any sedimentary units covering the craton at the time of eruption. Accurate geochronology of these eruptions is key for interpreting this information and discerning spatiotemporal trends in lithospheric evolution, but kimberlites can sometimes be difficult to date with available methods. Here we explore whether (U-Th)/He dating of zircon and perovskite can serve as reliable techniques for determining kimberlite emplacement ages by dating a suite of sixteen southern African kimberlites by zircon and/or perovskite (U-Th)/He (ZHe, PHe). Most samples with abundant zircon yielded ZHe dates reproducible to ≤15% dispersion that are in good agreement with published eruption ages, though there were several samples that were more scattered. Since the majority of dated zircon were xenocrystic, zircon with reproducible dates were fully reset during eruption or resided at temperatures above the ZHe closure temperature ( 180 °C) prior to entrainment in the kimberlite magma. We attribute scattered ZHe dates to shallowly sourced zircon that underwent incomplete damage annealing and/or partial He loss during the eruptive process. All seven kimberlites dated with PHe yielded dates reproducible to ≤15% dispersion and reasonable results. As perovskite has not previously been used as a (U-Th)/He chronometer, we conducted two preliminary perovskite 4He diffusion experiments to obtain initial estimates of its temperature sensitivity. These experiments suggest a PHe closure temperature of >300 °C. Perovskite in kimberlites is unlikely to be xenocrystic and its relatively high temperature sensitivity suggests that PHe dates will typically record emplacement rather than post-emplacement processes. ZHe

Coherence length saturation at the low temperature limit in two-dimensional hole gas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shan, Pujia; Fu, Hailong; Wang, Pengjie; Yang, Jixiang; Pfeiffer, L. N.; West, K. W.; Lin, Xi

2018-05-01

The plateau-plateau transition in the integer quantum Hall effect is studied in three Hall bars with different widths. The slopes of the Hall resistance as a function of magnetic field follow the scaling power law as expected in the plateau-plateau transition, and saturate at the low temperature limit. Surprisingly, the saturation temperature is irrelevant with the Hall bar size, which suggests that the saturation of the coherence length is intrinsic.

Trace element chemistry of zircons from oceanic crust: A method for distinguishing detrital zircon provenance

USGS Publications Warehouse

Grimes, Craig B.; John, Barbara E.; Kelemen, P.B.; Mazdab, F.K.; Wooden, J.L.; Cheadle, Michael J.; Hanghoj, K.; Schwartz, J.J.

2007-01-01

We present newly acquired trace element compositions for more than 300 zircon grains in 36 gabbros formed at the slow-spreading Mid-Atlantic and Southwest Indian Ridges. Rare earth element patterns for zircon from modern oceanic crust completely overlap with those for zircon crystallized in continental granitoids. However, plots of U versus Yb and U/Yb versus Hf or Y discriminate zircons crystallized in oceanic crust from continental zircon, and provide a relatively robust method for distinguishing zircons from these environments. Approximately 80% of the modern ocean crust zircons are distinct from the field defined by more than 1700 continental zircons from Archean and Phanerozoic samples. These discrimination diagrams provide a new tool for fingerprinting ocean crust zircons derived from reservoirs like that of modern mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) in both modern and ancient detrital zircon populations. Hadean detrital zircons previously reported from the Acasta Gneiss, Canada, and the Narryer Gneiss terrane, Western Australia, plot in the continental granitoid field, supporting hypotheses that at least some Hadean detrital zircons crystallized in continental crust forming magmas and not from a reservoir like modern MORB. ?? 2007 The Geological Society of America.

Annealing effects on cathodoluminescence of zircon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsuchiya, Y.; Nishido, H.; Noumi, Y.

2011-12-01

U-Pb zircon dating (e. g., SHRIMP) is an important tool to interpret a history of the minerals at a micrometer-scale, where cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging allows us to recognize internal zones and domains with different chemical compositions and structural disorder at high spatial resolution. The CL of zircon is attributed by various types of emission centers, which are extrinsic ones such as REE impurities and intrinsic ones such as structural defects. Metamictization resulted from radiation damage to the lattice by alpha particles from the decay of U and Th mostly causes an effect on the CL features of zircon as a defect center. However, slightly radiation-damaged zircon, which is almost nondetectable by XRD, has not been characterized using CL method. In this study, annealing effects on CL of zircon has been investigated to clarify a recovery process of the damaged lattice at low radiation dose. A single crystal of zircon from Malawi was selected for CL measurements. It contains HfO2: 2.30 w.t %, U: 241 ppm and Th: 177 ppm. Two plate samples perpendicular to c and a axes were prepared for annealing experiments during 12 hours from room temperature to 1400 degree C. Color CL images were captured using a cold-cathode microscope (Luminoscope: Nuclide ELM-3R). CL spectral measurements were conducted using an SEM (JEOL: JSM-5410) combined with a grating monochromator (Oxford: Mono CL2) to measure CL spectra ranging from 300 to 800 nm in 1 nm steps with a temperature controlled stage. The dispersed CL was collected by a photoncounting method using a photomultiplier tube (Hamamatsu: R2228) and converted to digital data. All CL spectra were corrected for the total instrumental response. Spectral analysis reveals an anisotropy of the CL emission bands related to intrinsic defect center in blue region, radiation-induced defect center from 500 to 700 nm, and trivalent Dy impurity center at 480 and 580 nm, but their relative intensities are almost constant. CL on the

On the longevity of silicic magma based on multi-isotope investigation of zircons and modeling their survivals destinies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bindeman, I. N.; Wotzlaw, J. F.; Melnik, O. E.

2015-12-01

Large volumes of crystal poor, near-liquidus rhyolites are erupted worldwide as tuffs and lavas in rift and hot spots more common previously on early earth, creating temporally very high magma production rates. In this contribution we combine results of IDTIMS dating of zircons with numerical modeling of zircon crystallization. New investigation of zircons in major Yellowstone tuffs: Huckleberry Ridge (Members A,B,C), Mesa Falls, and Lava Creek (A,B) tuffs was done by a combination of in situ measurements of oxygen isotopes followed by ID-TIMS U-Pb dating, Hf isotopes and trace elemental investigation of single crystals. We discover that nearly all zircons are of eruption age, but display significant isotope (O,Hf) diversity and often show decoupled O and Hf isotope systematics. This record rapid (~103yrs) double or triple remelting and sequestration from diverse Archean crust and hydrothermally altered shallow-crustal rocks from previous eruptive cycles, followed by effective mixing of co-existing magma reservoirs with diverse zircons prior to eruptions. Similar results characterize other studied Snake River Plain rhyolites in pre-Yellowstone Heise complex. These results collectively suggest that zircons crystallize after reheating above saturation rejuvenation in isotopically-diverse areas of the crust in the magma plumbing system. Modeling of zircon and quartz dissolution and crystallization trajectories outline conditions of survival (inheritance) vs complete dissolution on conductive timescales, and when combined with a phase diagram, magma T-t paths can be computed. Zircon rejuvenation requires hot, >770-800°C peak temperatures lasting 10-102yrs. We speculate that near liquidus hot and dry Yellowstone rhyolites are kept alive in a multi-batch state by a series of interconnected pods and sills that can rapidly get thermomechanically assembled into large, shallow and eruptable supervolcanoic magma bodies. We suggest that overpressure and roof dynamics and

Creation of a continent recorded in zircon zoning

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moser, D.E.; Bowman, J.R.; Wooden, J.; Valley, J.W.; Mazdab, F.; Kita, N.

2008-01-01

We have discovered a robust microcrystalline record of the early genesis of North American lithosphere preserved in the U-Pb age and oxygen isotope zoning of zircons from a lower crustal paragneiss in the Neoarchean Superior province. Detrital igneous zircon cores with ??18O values of 5.1???-7.1??? record creation of primitive to increasingly evolved crust from 2.85 ?? 0.02 Ga to 2.67 ?? 0.02 Ga. Sharp chemical unconformity between cores and higher ??18O (8.4???-10.4???) metamorphic overgrowths as old as 2.66 ?? 0.01 Ga dictates a rapid sequence of arc unroofing, burial of detrital zircons in hydrosphere-altered sediment, and transport to lower crust late in upper plate assembly. The period to 2.58 ?? 0.01 Ga included ???80 m.y. of high-temperature (???700-650 ??C), nearly continuous overgrowth events reflecting stages in maturation of the subjacent mantle root. Huronian continental rifting is recorded by the youngest zircon tip growth at 2512 ?? 8 Ma (??? 600 ??C) signaling magma intraplating and the onset of rigid plate behavior. This >150 m.y. microscopic isotope record in single crystals demonstrates the sluggish volume diffusion of U, Pb, and O in zircon throughout protracted regional metamorphism, and the consequent advances now possible in reconstructing planetary dynamics with zircon zoning. ?? 2008 The Geological Society of America.

Combined garnet and zircon geochronology of the ultra-high temperature metamorphism: Constraints on the rise of the Orlica-Śnieżnik Dome, NE Bohemian Massif, SW Poland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walczak, Katarzyna; Anczkiewicz, Robert; Szczepański, Jacek; Rubatto, Daniela; Košler, Jan

2017-11-01

Garnet and zircon geochronology combined with trace element partitioning and petrological studies provide tight constraints on evolution of the UHT-(U)HP terrain of the Orlica-Śnieżnik Dome (OSD) in the NE Bohemian massif. Lu-Hf dating of peritectic garnet from two mesocratic granulites constrained the time of its initial growth at 346.9 ± 1.2 and 348.3 ± 2.0 Ma recording peak 2.5 GPa pressure and 950 °C temperature. In situ, U-Pb SHRIMP dating of zircon from the same granulite gave a younger age of 341.9 ± 3.4 Ma. Ti-in-zircon thermometry indicates crystallization at 810-860 °C pointing to zircon formation on the retrograde path. Lu partitioning between garnet rim and zircon suggest equilibrium growth and thus U-Pb zircon age constrain the terminal phase of garnet crystallization which lasted about 6 Ma. All Sm-Nd garnet ages obtained for mesocratic and mafic granulites are identical and consistently younger than the corresponding Lu-Hf dates. They are interpreted as reflecting cooling of granulites through the Sm-Nd closure temperature at about 337 Ma. The estimated PTt path documents the ca. 10 Ma evolution cycle of the OSD characterized by two distinct periods: (1) 347 - > 342 Ma period corresponds to nearly isothermal decompression resulting from crustal scale folding and vertical extrusion of granulites, and (2) at > 342-337 Ma which corresponds to a fast, nearly isobaric cooling.

Opening the closed box: lattice diffusion in zircon?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wheeler, J.; MacDonald, J.; Goodenough, K. M.; Crowley, Q.; Harley, S.; Mariani, E.

2015-12-01

In principle, any radiogenic parent or daughter element can diffuse through any crystalline lattice. Given improved analytic techniques and mathematical models, geochronology is beginning to take such diffusion into account in a quantitative fashion. Whilst lattice diffusion compromises simple interpretation of radiometric data, it can, when combined with spatially resolved data, provide more detailed insight into thermal histories. In regions that have experienced particularly high temperatures diffusion may become significant in minerals normally thought to be reliably closed. We have modelled Pb diffusion in zircon, building on earlier work on Ar diffusion in micas - the mathematics being basically the same. We are motivated by some challenging isotope data from zircon in the Lewisian Complex of NW Scotland (a TTG region with a long Archaean and Proterozoic history). For example we have grains with old rims and younger cores. Whilst other explanations are possible, we show how lattice diffusion of Pb is plausible, using experimental diffusion data together with estimates of ultra-high temperatures from the region. We have modified a previous model for Ar diffusion ("Diffarg") to include variations in parent isotope concentration, so we can understand the consequences of U zonation within zircon grains during prolonged thermal histories. This is also relevant to asking why Pb has apparently not diffused in zircon from other UHT regions - or has it?

An integrated zircon geochronological and geochemical investigation into the Miocene plutonic evolution of the Cyclades, Aegean Sea, Greece: part 2—geochemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolhar, Robert; Ring, Uwe; Kemp, Anthony I. S.; Whitehouse, Martin J.; Weaver, Steve D.; Woodhead, Jon D.; Uysal, I. Tonguc; Turnbull, Rose

2012-12-01

Zircons from 14 compositionally variable granitic rocks were examined in detail using CL image-guided micro-analysis to unravel the complex magmatic history above the southward retreating Hellenic subduction zone system in the Aegean Sea. Previously published U-Pb ages document an episodic crystallisation history from 17 to 11 Ma, with peraluminous (S-type) granitic rocks systematically older than closely associated metaluminous (I-type) granitic rocks. Zircon O- and Hf isotopic data, combined with trace element compositions, are highly variable within and between individual samples, indicative of open-system behaviour involving mantle-derived melts and evolved supracrustal sources. Pronounced compositional and thermal fluctuations highlight the role of magma mixing and mingling, in accord with field observations, and incremental emplacement of distinct melt batches coupled with variable degrees of crustal assimilation. In the course of partial fusion, more fertile supracrustal sources dominated in the earlier stages of Aegean Miocene magmatism, consistent with systematically older crystallisation ages of peraluminous granitic rocks. Differences between zircon saturation and crystallisation temperatures (deduced from zircon Ti concentrations), along with multimodal crystallisation age spectra for individual plutons, highlight the complex and highly variable physico-compositional and thermal evolution of silicic magma systems. The transfer of heat and juvenile melts from the mantle varied probably in response to episodic rollback of the subducting lithospheric slab, as suggested by punctuated crystallisation age spectra within and among individual granitic plutons.

Oxygen diffusion in zircon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watson, E. B.; Cherniak, D. J.

1997-05-01

Oxygen diffusion in natural, non-metamict zircon was characterized under both dry and water-present conditions at temperatures ranging from 765°C to 1500°C. Dry experiments were performed at atmospheric pressure by encapsulating polished zircon samples with a fine powder of 18O-enriched quartz and annealing the sealed capsules in air. Hydrothermal runs were conducted in cold-seal pressure vessels (7-70 MPa) or a piston cylinder apparatus (400-1000 MPa) on zircon samples encapsulated with both 18O-enriched quartz and 18O water. Diffusive-uptake profiles of 18O were measured in all samples with a particle accelerator, using the 18O(p, α) 15N reaction. For dry experimental conditions at 1100-1500°C, the resulting oxygen diffusivities (24 in all) are well described by: D dry (m 2/s) = 1.33 × 10 -4exp(-53920/T) There is no suggestion of diffusive anisotropy. Under wet conditions at 925°C, oxygen diffusion shows little or no dependence upon P H 2O in the range 7-1000 MPa, and is insensitive to total pressure as well. The results of 27 wet experiments at 767-1160°C and 7-1000 MPa can be described a single Arrhenius relationship: D wet (m 2/s) = 5.5 × 10 -12exp(-25280/T) The insensitivity of oxygen diffusion to P H 2O means that applications to geologic problems can be pursued knowing only whether the system of interest was 'wet' (i.e., P H 2O > 7MPa ) or 'dry'. Under dry conditions (presumably rare in the crust), zircons are extremely retentive of their oxygen isotopic signatures, to the extent that δ 18O would be perturbed at the center of a 200 μm zircon only during an extraordinarily hot and protracted event (e.g., 65 Ma at 900°C). Under wet conditions, δ 18O may or may not be retained in the central regions of individual crystals, cores or overgrowth rims, depending upon the specific thermal history of the system.

Paleomagnetism of Hadean and Archean Detrital Zircons from the Jack Hills, Western Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weiss, B. P.; Lima, E. A.; Alexander, E.; Bell, E. A.; Boehnke, P.; Wielicki, M. M.; Harrison, M.; Fu, R. R.; Kehayias, P.; Glenn, D. R.; Walsworth, R. L.; Araujo, J. F. D.; Einsle, J. F.; Harrison, R.; Trail, D.; Watson, E. B.

2016-12-01

Determining the history of Earth's dynamo prior to the oldest known well-preserved rock record is one of the ultimate challenges in the field of paleomagnetism. The dynamo's early history has major implications for the evolution of the core, the initiation of plate tectonics, the physics of magnetic field generation, and the habitability of the early Earth. The only known minerals that might retain paleomagnetic records from well before 3.5 billion years ago (Ga) are detrital zircon crystals found in sedimentary rocks in Western Australia. Ranging up to 4.38 Ga in age, they are the oldest known terrestrial minerals. Tarduno et al. (2015) argued that detrital zircons contain records of an active dynamo dating back to 4.2 Ga. However, it has not been demonstrated that the zircons have escaped remagnetization during the intervening time since their formation (Weiss et al. 2016). Therefore, the age of magnetization in the Jack Hills zircons and the existence of a dynamo prior to 3.5 Ga have yet to be established. To address this issue, we have been studying the magnetism and thermal and aqueous alteration histories of single Archean and Hadean Jack Hills zircon crystals. Peak unblocking temperatures combined with electron backscatter diffraction indicate that the zircons contain inclusions of magnetite and hematite. Electron microscopy, X-ray tomography, and quantum diamond magnetometry indicate that much of the iron oxides in the zircons are associated with cracks and are therefore likely secondary. However, our newly developed Li-in-zircon geospeedometry technique shows for the first time that a small fraction of Hadean zircons retain sharp gradients in Li concentration (see figure), indicating they likely have never heated above the magnetite Curie temperature since their formation at >4 Ga. We describe thermal demagnetization and Thellier-Thellier paleointensity studies of these zircons and implications for the existence of a Hadean dynamo.

Molybdenite saturation in silicic magmas: Occurrence and petrological implications

USGS Publications Warehouse

Audetat, A.; Dolejs, D.; Lowenstern, J. B.

2011-01-01

We identified molybdenite (MoS2) as an accessory magmatic phase in 13 out of 27 felsic magma systems examined worldwide. The molybdenite occurs as small (<20 ??m) triangular or hexagonal platelets included in quartz phenocrysts. Laser-ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analyses of melt inclusions in molybdenite-saturated samples reveal 1-13 ppm Mo in the melt and geochemical signatures that imply a strong link to continental rift basalt-rhyolite associations. In contrast, arc-associated rhyolites are rarely molybdenite-saturated, despite similar Mo concentrations. This systematic dependence on tectonic setting seems to reflect the higher oxidation state of arc magmas compared with within-plate magmas. A thermodynamic model devised to investigate the effects of T, f O2 and f S2 on molybdenite solubility reliably predicts measured Mo concentrations in molybdenite-saturated samples if the magmas are assumed to have been saturated also in pyrrhotite. Whereas pyrrhotite microphenocrysts have been observed in some of these samples, they have not been observed from other molybdenite-bearing magmas. Based on the strong influence of f S2 on molybdenite solubility we calculate that also these latter magmas must have been at (or very close to) pyrrhotite saturation. In this case the Mo concentration of molybdenite-saturated melts can be used to constrain both magmatic f O2 and f S2 if temperature is known independently (e.g. by zircon saturation thermometry). Our model thus permits evaluation of magmatic f S2, which is an important variable but is difficult to estimate otherwise, particularly in slowly cooled rocks. ?? The Author 2011. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

Raman study of radiation-damaged zircon under hydrostatic compression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nasdala, Lutz; Miletich, Ronald; Ruschel, Katja; Váczi, Tamás

2008-12-01

Pressure-induced changes of Raman band parameters of four natural, gem-quality zircon samples with different degrees of self-irradiation damage, and synthetic ZrSiO4 without radiation damage, have been studied under hydrostatic compression in a diamond anvil cell up to ~10 GPa. Radiation-damaged zircon shows similar up-shifts of internal SiO4 stretching modes at elevated pressures as non-damaged ZrSiO4. Only minor changes of band-widths were observed in all cases. This makes it possible to estimate the degree of radiation damage from the width of the ν3(SiO4) band of zircon inclusions in situ, almost independent from potential “fossilized pressures” or compressive strain acting on the inclusions. An application is the non-destructive analysis of gemstones such as corundum or spinel: broadened Raman bands are a reliable indicator of self-irradiation damage in zircon inclusions, whose presence allows one to exclude artificial color enhancement by high-temperature treatment of the specimen.

Zircon and monazite response to prograde metamorphism in the Reynolds Range, central Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rubatto, Daniela; Williams, Ian S.; Buick, Ian S.

2001-01-01

We report an extensive field-based study of zircon and monazite in the metamorphic sequence of the Reynolds Range (central Australia), where greenschist- to granulite-facies metamorphism is recorded over a continuous crustal section. Detailed cathodoluminescence and back-scattered electron imaging, supported by SHRIMP U-Pb dating, has revealed the different behaviours of zircon and monazite during metamorphism. Monazite first recorded regional metamorphic ages (1576 ± 5 Ma), at amphibolite-facies grade, at ˜600 °C. Abundant monazite yielding similar ages (1557 ± 2 to 1585 ± 3 Ma) is found at granulite-facies conditions in both partial melt segregations and restites. New zircon growth occurred between 1562 ± 4 and 1587 ± 4 Ma, but, in contrast to monazite, is only recorded in granulite-facies rocks where melt was present (≥700 °C). New zircon appears to form at the expense of pre-existing detrital and inherited cores, which are partly resorbed. The amount of metamorphic growth in both accessory minerals increases with temperature and metamorphic grade. However, new zircon growth is influenced by rock composition and driven by partial melting, factors that appear to have little effect on the formation of metamorphic monazite. The growth of these accessory phases in response to metamorphism extends over the 30 Ma period of melt crystallisation (1557-1587 Ma) in a stable high geothermal regime. Rare earth element patterns of zircon overgrowths in leucosome and restite indicate that, during the protracted metamorphism, melt-restite equilibrium was reached. Even in the extreme conditions of long-lasting high temperature (750-800 °C) metamorphism, Pb inheritance is widely preserved in the detrital zircon cores. A trace of inheritance is found in monazite, indicating that the closure temperature of the U-Pb system in relatively large monazite crystals can exceed 750-800 °C.

Late accretion to the Moon recorded in zircon (U-Th)/He thermochronometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelly, Nigel M.; Flowers, Rebecca M.; Metcalf, James R.; Mojzsis, Stephen J.

2018-01-01

We conducted zircon (U-Th)/He (ZHe) analysis of lunar impact-melt breccia 14311 with the aim of leveraging radiation damage accumulated in zircon over extended intervals to detect low-temperature or short-lived impact events that have previously eluded traditional isotopic dating techniques. Our ZHe data record a coherent date vs. effective Uranium concentration (eU) trend characterized by >3500 Ma dates from low (≤75 ppm) eU zircon grains, and ca. 110 Ma dates for high (≥100 ppm) eU grains. A progression between these date populations is apparent for intermediate (75-100 ppm) eU grains. Thermal history modeling constrains permissible temperatures and cooling rates during and following impacts. Modeling shows that the data are most simply explained by impact events at ca. 3950 Ma and ca. 110 Ma, and limits allowable temperatures of heating events between 3950-110 Ma. Modeling of solar cycling thermal effects at the lunar surface precludes this as the explanation for the ca. 110 Ma ZHe dates. We propose a sample history characterized by zircon resetting during the ca. 3950 Ma Imbrium impact event, with subsequent heating during an impact at ca. 110 Ma that ejected the sample to the vicinity of its collection site. Our data show that zircon has the potential to retain 4He over immense timescales (≥3950 Myrs), thus providing a valuable new thermochronometer for probing the impact histories of lunar samples, and martian or asteroidal meteorites.

Geochemistry of zircons from basic rocks of the Korosten anorthosite-mangerite-charnockite-granite complex, north-western region of the Ukrainian Shield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shumlyanskyy, Leonid; Belousova, Elena; Petrenko, Oksana

2017-09-01

The concentrations of 26 trace elements have been determined by laser ablation ICP-MS in zircons from four samples of basic rocks of the Korosten anorthosite-mangerite-charnockite-granite plutonic complex, the Ukrainian Shield. Zircons from the Fedorivka and Torchyn gabbroic intrusions and Volynsky anorthosite massif have distinctive abundances of many trace elements (REE, Sr, Y, Mn, Th). Zircons from the gabbroic massifs are unusually enriched in trace elements, while zircons from pegmatites in anorthosite are relatively depleted in trace elements. High concentrations of trace elements in zircons from gabbroic intrusions can be explained by their crystallization from residual interstitial melts enriched in incompatible elements. The zircons studied demonstrate a wide range of Ti concentrations, which reflects their temperature of crystallization: the zircons most enriched in Ti, from mafic pegmatites of the Horbuliv quarry (20-40 ppm), have the highest temperature of crystallization (845 ± 40 °C). Lower (720-770 °C) temperatures of zircon crystallization in gabbroic rocks are explained by its crystallization from the latest portions of the interstitial melt or by simultaneous crystallization of ilmenite. The Ce anomaly in zircons correlates with the degree of oxidation of the coexisting ilmenite.

Alpha-Recoil Damage Annealing Effecfs on Zircon Crystallinity and He Diffusivity: Improving Damage-Diffusivity Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thurston, O. G.; Guenthner, W.; Garver, J. I.

2017-12-01

The effects of radiation damage on He diffusion in zircon has been a major research focus in thermochronology over the past decade. In the zircon-He system, alpha-recoil damage effects He diffusivity in two ways: a decrease in He diffusivity at low radiation damage levels, and an increase in He diffusivity at high radiation damage levels. The radiation damage accumulation process within zircon is well understood; however, the kinetics of annealing of alpha-recoil damage at geologic timescales as they pertain to damage-diffusivity models, and for metamict zircon (i.e. transition from crystalline to amorphous glass via damage accumulation), has not been well constrained. This study aims to develop a more complete model that describes the annealing kinetics for zircon grains with a broad range of pre-annealing, alpha-induced radiation damage. A suite of zircon grains from the Lucerne pluton, ME were chosen for this study due to their simple thermal history (monotonic cooling), notable range of effective uranium (eU, eU = [U] +0.235*[Th]) (15 - 34,239 ppm eU), and large range of radiation damage as measured by Raman shift from crystalline (>1005 cm-1) to metamict (<1000 cm-1). The zircon grains selected represent the full range of eU and radiation damage present in the pluton. The zircon grains were first mapped for overall crystallinity using Raman spectroscopy, then annealed at different time-temperature (t-T) schedules from 1 hr to 24 hrs at temperatures ranging from 700-1100 °C, followed by remapping with Raman spectroscopy to track the total Raman shift for each t-T step. The temperature window selected is at the "roll-over" point established in prior studies (Zhang et al., 2000), at which most laboratory annealing occurs. Our data show that high radiation damage zircon grains show larger Raman shifts than low radiation damage zircon grains when exposed to the same t-T step. The high damage zircon grains typically show a Raman shift of 4 cm-1 toward crystalline

Formation of bubbly horizon in liquid-saturated porous medium by surface temperature oscillation.

PubMed

Goldobin, Denis S; Krauzin, Pavel V

2015-12-01

We study nonisothermal diffusion transport of a weakly soluble substance in a liquid-saturated porous medium in contact with a reservoir of this substance. The surface temperature of the porous medium half-space oscillates in time, which results in a decaying solubility wave propagating deep into the porous medium. In this system, zones of saturated solution and nondissolved phase coexist with ones of undersaturated solution. The effect is first considered for the case of annual oscillation of the surface temperature of water-saturated ground in contact with the atmosphere. We reveal the phenomenon of formation of a near-surface bubbly horizon due to temperature oscillation. An analytical theory of the phenomenon is developed. Further, the treatment is extended to the case of higher frequency oscillations and the case of weakly soluble solids and liquids.

A search for thermal excursions from ancient extraterrestrial impacts using Hadean zircon Ti-U-Th-Pb depth profiles.

PubMed

Abbott, Sunshine S; Harrison, T Mark; Schmitt, Axel K; Mojzsis, Stephen J

2012-08-21

Few terrestrial localities preserve more than a trace lithic record prior to ca. 3.8 Ga greatly limiting our understanding of the first 700 Ma of Earth history, a period inferred to have included a spike in the bolide flux to the inner solar system at ca. 3.85-3.95 Ga (the Late Heavy Bombardment, LHB). An accessible record of this era may be found in Hadean detrital zircons from the Jack Hills, Western Australia, in the form of μm-scale epitaxial overgrowths. By comparing crystallization temperatures of pre-3.8 Ga zircon overgrowths to the archive of zircon temperature spectra, it should, in principle, be possible to identify a distinctive impact signature. We have developed Ti-U-Th-Pb ion microprobe depth profiling to obtain age and temperature information within these zircon overgrowths and undertaken a feasibility study of its possible use in identifying impact events. Of eight grains profiled in this fashion, four have overgrowths of LHB-era age. Age vs. temperature profiles reveal a period between ca. 3.85-3.95 Ga (i.e., LHB era) characterized by significantly higher temperatures (approximately 840-875 °C) than do older or younger zircons or zircon domains (approximately 630-750 °C). However, temperatures approaching 900 °C can result in Pb isotopic exchange rendering interpretation of these profiles nonunique. Coupled age-temperature depth profiling shows promise in this role, and the preliminary data we report could represent the first terrestrial evidence for impact-related heating during the LHB.

Provenance studies by fission-track dating of zircon-etching and counting procedures

USGS Publications Warehouse

Naeser, N.D.; Zeitler, P.K.; Naeser, C.W.; Cerveny, P.F.

1987-01-01

In sedimentary rocks that have not been heated to high enough temperatures to anneal fission tracks in zircon (greater than ≈ 160°C), fission-track ages of individual detrital zircon grains provide valuable information about the source rocks eroded to form the sediments. The success of such studies depends, however, on the degree to which the ages determined from the detrital suite accurately portray the range of grain ages that are present in the suite. This in turn depends to a large extent on using counting and, in particular, etching procedures that permit proper sampling of grains with a wide range of age and uranium concentrations. Results are reported here of an experimental study of a ‘detrital’ zircon suite manufactured from several zircon populations of known age. This study suggests that multiple etches are required when a complete spectrum of ages in a zircon suite is desired.

Provenance studies by fission-track dating of zircon-etching and counting procedures

USGS Publications Warehouse

Naeser, Nancy D.; Zeitler, Peter K.; Naeser, Charles W.; Cerveny, Philip F.

1987-01-01

In sedimentary rocks that have not been heated to high enough temperatures to anneal fission tracks in zircon (greater than approximately equals 160 degree C), fission-track ages of individual detrital zircon grains provide valuable information about the source rocks eroded to form the sediments. The success of such studies depends, however, on the degree to which the ages determined from the detrital suite accurately portray the range of grain ages that are present in the suite. This in turn depends to a large extent on using counting and, in particular, etching procedures that permit proper sampling of grains with a wide range of age and uranium concentrations. Results are reported here of an experimental study of a 'detrital' zircon suite manufactured from several zircon populations of known age. This study suggests that multiple etches are required when a complete spectrum of ages in a zircon suite is desired.

Milling assisted synthesis of calcium zirconate СаZrО3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalinkin, A. M.; Nevedomskii, V. N.; Kalinkina, E. V.; Balyakin, K. V.

2014-08-01

Monophase calcium zirconate (CaZrO3) has been prepared from the equimolar ZrO2 + CaCO3 mixture by two-step synthesis process. In the first step, mechanical treatment of the mixture is performed in an AGO-2 planetary ball mill. In the second step, the milled mixture is annealed to form calcium zirconate. High-energy ball milling of the (ZrO2+CaCO3) mixture results in decrease in the temperature of CaZrO3 formation during annealing at 950 °C. The enhancement of CaZrO3 synthesis is due to accumulation of excess energy by the reagents, decreasing the particle size and notable increase in the interphase area because of “smearing” of CaCO3 on ZrO2 particles during milling. Nanocrystalline calcium zirconate has been produced by controlling the annealing temperature and time.

Isotopic-Geochemical Features of Zircon and Its Significance for Reconstructing the Geological History of Paleoarchean Granulites in the Ukrainian Shield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lobach-Zhuchenko, S. B.; Kaulina, T. V.; Lokhov, K. I.; Egorova, Yu. S.; Skublov, S. G.; Galankina, O. L.; Antonov, A. V.

2017-12-01

This paper presents the results of a complex study (morphology of grains, internal texture in cathodoluminescence and backscattered electrons, microprobe analysis, Lu-Hf data) of five groups (generations) of zircon crystals differing in age and separated from the same granulite sample pertaining to the Bug River Complex of the Ukrainian Shield. The data show that the oldest zircon crystals of the first group (3.74 Ga in age) are xenogenic and initially crystallized from a granitic melt; zircon of the second group (3.66 Ga) formed from a mafic melt contaminated by felsic country rocks. The third group (3.59 Ga) is represented by zircons that formed about 100 Ma later than the second group under conditions of granulite-facies metamorphism and with the participation of fluid-saturated anatectic melt. Two Paleoproterozoic zircon groups ( 2.5 and 2.1 Ga) also formed under granulite-facies conditions; to a certain extent, their structure and composition were controlled by fluid. The geochemistry of all zircon generations provides evidence for their crystallization in the continental crust, but from the sources differing in the contribution of mantle-derived material and in oxygen fugacity.

A search for thermal excursions from ancient extraterrestrial impacts using Hadean zircon Ti-U-Th-Pb depth profiles

PubMed Central

Abbott, Sunshine S.; Harrison, T. Mark; Schmitt, Axel K.; Mojzsis, Stephen J.

2012-01-01

Few terrestrial localities preserve more than a trace lithic record prior to ca. 3.8 Ga greatly limiting our understanding of the first 700 Ma of Earth history, a period inferred to have included a spike in the bolide flux to the inner solar system at ca. 3.85–3.95 Ga (the Late Heavy Bombardment, LHB). An accessible record of this era may be found in Hadean detrital zircons from the Jack Hills, Western Australia, in the form of μm-scale epitaxial overgrowths. By comparing crystallization temperatures of pre-3.8 Ga zircon overgrowths to the archive of zircon temperature spectra, it should, in principle, be possible to identify a distinctive impact signature. We have developed Ti-U-Th-Pb ion microprobe depth profiling to obtain age and temperature information within these zircon overgrowths and undertaken a feasibility study of its possible use in identifying impact events. Of eight grains profiled in this fashion, four have overgrowths of LHB-era age. Age vs. temperature profiles reveal a period between ca. 3.85–3.95 Ga (i.e., LHB era) characterized by significantly higher temperatures (approximately 840–875 °C) than do older or younger zircons or zircon domains (approximately 630–750 °C). However, temperatures approaching 900 °C can result in Pb isotopic exchange rendering interpretation of these profiles nonunique. Coupled age-temperature depth profiling shows promise in this role, and the preliminary data we report could represent the first terrestrial evidence for impact-related heating during the LHB. PMID:22869711

Uniformly mantle-like δ18O in zircons from oceanic plagiogranites and gabbros

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grimes, Craig B.; Ushikubo, Takayuki; John, Barbara E.; Valley, John W.

2011-01-01

Lower ocean crust is primarily gabbroic, although 1-2% felsic igneous rocks that are referred to collectively as plagiogranites occur locally. Recent experimental evidence suggests that plagiogranite magmas can form by hydrous partial melting of gabbro triggered by seawater-derived fluids, and thus they may indicate early, high-temperature hydrothermal fluid circulation. To explore seawater-rock interaction prior to and during the genesis of plagiogranite and other late-stage magmas, oxygen-isotope ratios preserved in igneous zircon have been measured by ion microprobe. A total of 197 zircons from 43 plagiogranite, evolved gabbro, and hydrothermally altered fault rock samples have been analyzed. Samples originate primarily from drill core acquired during Ocean Drilling Program and Integrated Ocean Drilling Program operations near the Mid-Atlantic and Southwest Indian Ridges. With the exception of rare, distinctively luminescent rims, all zircons from ocean crust record remarkably uniform δ18O with an average value of 5.2 ± 0.5‰ (2SD). The average δ18O(Zrc) would be in magmatic equilibrium with unaltered MORB [δ18O(WR) ~ 5.6-5.7‰], and is consistent with the previously determined value for equilibrium with the mantle. The narrow range of measured δ18O values is predicted for zircon crystallization from variable parent melt compositions and temperatures in a closed system, and provides no indication of any interactions between altered rocks or seawater and the evolved parent melts. If plagiogranite forms by hydrous partial melting, the uniform mantle-like δ18O(Zrc) requires melting and zircon crystallization prior to significant amounts of water-rock interactions that alter the protolith δ18O. Zircons from ocean crust have been proposed as a tectonic analog for >3.9 Ga detrital zircons from the earliest (Hadean) Earth by multiple workers. However, zircons from ocean crust are readily distinguished geochemically from zircons formed in continental crustal

Multiple sources for the origin of Late Jurassic Linglong adakitic granite in the Shandong Peninsula, eastern China: Zircon U-Pb geochronological, geochemical and Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic evidence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Liang; Jiang, Shao-Yong; Dai, Bao-Zhang; Jiang, Yao-Hui; Hou, Ming-Lan; Pu, Wei; Xu, Bin

2013-03-01

The Linglong granite is one of the most important Mesozoic plutons in the Shandong Peninsula, eastern China, and its petrogenesis has long been controversial, particularly with regard to the nature of source region and geodynamic setting. Our new precise zircon U-Pb dating results reveal that the Linglong granite was emplaced in the Late Jurassic (157-160 Ma). In addition, abundant inherited zircons are identified in the granite with four groups of age peaked at ~ 208, ~ 750, ~ 1800 and ~ 2450 Ma. Geochemical studies indicate that the Linglong granite is weakly peraluminous I-type granite, and is characterized by high SiO2, Sr and La, but low MgO, Y and Yb contents, strongly fractionated REE pattern and high Sr/Y and La/Yb ratios. It also exhibits high initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.7097 to 0.7125), low ɛNd(t) (- 17.7 to - 20.3) and variable zircon ɛHf(t) (- 22.2 to - 8.7) values. Calculation of the zircon saturation temperature (TZr) reveals that the magma temperatures are 760 ± 20 °C, and the lowest TZr value of 740 °C may be close to initial magma temperature of this inheritance-rich rock. Interpretation of the elemental and isotopic data suggests that the Linglong granite has some affinities with the adakite, and was most likely derived from partial melting of thickened lower crust without any significant contribution of mantle components. The presence of a large number of inherited zircons and variable Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic compositions reveal that the Linglong granite probably has multiple sources consisting of the lower crust of both South China Block and North China Block, as well as the collision-related alkaline rocks and UHP metamorphic rocks. The continental arc-rifting related to the Izanagi plate subduction was the most likely geodynamic force for formation of the Jurassic Linglong adakatic granite in the Shandong Peninsula.

Assessing Causes and Consequences of Columbia River Basalt Volcanism with Zircon Geochronology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kasbohm, J.; Schoene, B.

2017-12-01

The Columbia River Basalt (CRB) is the youngest and best-preserved continental flood basalt province, but its mechanism of origin remains disputed. While some workers favor a mantle plume source to generate the large volume of flood basalts, others prefer subduction-related processes such as slab breakoff. Additionally, based on current geochronological (K-Ar and 40Ar/39Ar) estimates for the age of the CRB, there appears to be a very broad temporal coincidence between the main eruptive phase of the CRB and the Mid-Miocene Climate Optimum (MMCO), a period of elevated global temperatures and atmospheric CO2. Currently, large analytical uncertainties preclude the detailed calculation of volumetric eruption rates, which will be essential to test models of origin and to pinpoint correlation to climate records. To develop a complete record of eruption rates through the CRB, we use CA-ID-TIMS U-Pb zircon geochronology, which is capable of yielding 2σ uncertainties on single analyses of ca. 10 kyr. While basalt does not typically saturate zircon, interflow sediments, paleosols, and volcaniclastic layers in the CRB stratigraphy contain felsic zircon-bearing ash, likely sourced from both the Cascades arc and incipient Snake River plain volcanism. We use U-Pb zircon dates from these horizons to bracket the age of basalt flows. Preliminary results show that 88% of the total volume of the CRB (the Imnaha, Grande Ronde, and Wanapum Basalts) erupted in 700 kyr, beginning 16.6 Ma, with an average effusion rate of 0.26 km3/yr and with occurrence of lava flows propagating from south to north at a minimum rate of 0.3 m/yr. Thus far, these results do not preclude a mantle plume origin, but do place quantitative constraints on geodynamic numerical models hoping to constrain flood basalt origins. Although models based on prior geochronology have suggested that degassing from the CRB was insufficient to cause the MMCO, our calculated reduction in the duration of the main phase of CRB

Long-Term (4 mo) Oxygen Isotope Exchange Experiment between Zircon and Hydrothermal Fluid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bindeman, I. N.; Schmitt, A. K.; Lundstrom, C.; Golledge, S.

2013-12-01

Knowing oxygen diffusivity in zircon has several critical applications: 1) establishing zircon stability and solubility in hot silica-saturated hydrothermal solutions; 2) deriving metamorphic and magmatic heating timescales from intra-crystal oxygen isotopic gradients; 3) assessing the survivability of oxygen isotopic signatures in Hadean zircons. We report results of a microanalytical investigation of an isotope exchange experiment using a cold-seal pressure apparatus at 850°C and 500 MPa over 4 months duration. Natural zircon, quartz and rutile were sealed with a silica-rich solution doped with 18-O, D, 7-Li and 10-B in a gold capsule. The diffusion length-scales were examined by depth profiling using time-of-flight (TOF) and high-sensitivity dynamic secondary ionization mass spectrometry (SIMS). Starting materials had distinct and homogeneous δ18O: zircon from Mesa Falls tuff of Yellowstone (+3.6‰), rutile from Karelia (-29‰), Bishop Tuff Quartz (+8.4‰), and δ18O doped water (+400‰). Starting material zircon showed invariant 18O/16O during depth profiling. After the 4 month experiment, rutile crystal surfaces displayed etching (100's of nm), while zircon exteriors lacked visible change. Quartz was completely dissolved and reprecipitated in a minor residue. Rutile developed ~2 μm long Fickian diffusion profiles largely consistent with the wet diffusion coefficients for rutile previously reported [1]. Surface U-Pb dating of zircon detected no significant Pb loss from the outermost ~300 nm of the crystal face and returned identical core-face ages. We performed δ18O depth profiling of zircon in two directions. First, forward profiles (crystal rim inwards) by dynamic SIMS (no surface treatment besides Au-coating; Cs+ beam of 20 kV impact energy) showed initially high and decreasing 18O/16O over ~130 nm; TOF-SIMS forward profiles using a 2 kV Cs+ sputter beam and 25 kV Bi3+ primary ions on uncoated zircon surfaces (cleaned for 2 min with HF) yielded

U-Pb Dating of Zircons and Phosphates in Lunar Meteorites, Acapulcoites and Angrites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhou, Q.; Zeigler, R. A.; Yin, Q. Z.; Korotev, R. L.; Joliff, B. L.; Amelin, Y.; Marti, K.; Wu, F. Y.; Li, X. H.; Li, Q. L.;

Demonstrating the potential of yttrium-doped barium zirconate electrolyte for high-performance fuel cells.

PubMed

Bae, Kiho; Jang, Dong Young; Choi, Hyung Jong; Kim, Donghwan; Hong, Jongsup; Kim, Byung-Kook; Lee, Jong-Ho; Son, Ji-Won; Shim, Joon Hyung

2017-02-23

In reducing the high operating temperatures (≥800 °C) of solid-oxide fuel cells, use of protonic ceramics as an alternative electrolyte material is attractive due to their high conductivity and low activation energy in a low-temperature regime (≤600 °C). Among many protonic ceramics, yttrium-doped barium zirconate has attracted attention due to its excellent chemical stability, which is the main issue in protonic-ceramic fuel cells. However, poor sinterability of yttrium-doped barium zirconate discourages its fabrication as a thin-film electrolyte and integration on porous anode supports, both of which are essential to achieve high performance. Here we fabricate a protonic-ceramic fuel cell using a thin-film-deposited yttrium-doped barium zirconate electrolyte with no impeding grain boundaries owing to the columnar structure tightly integrated with nanogranular cathode and nanoporous anode supports, which to the best of our knowledge exhibits a record high-power output of up to an order of magnitude higher than those of other reported barium zirconate-based fuel cells.

Zircon U-Pb age, Lu-Hf isotope, mineral chemistry and geochemistry of Sundamalai peralkaline pluton from the Salem Block, southern India: Implications for Cryogenian adakite-like magmatism in an aborted-rift

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Renjith, M. L.; Santosh, M.; Li, Tang; Satyanarayanan, M.; Korakoppa, M. M.; Tsunogae, T.; Subba Rao, D. V.; Kesav Krishna, A.; Nirmal Charan, S.

2016-01-01

The Sundamalai peralkaline pluton is one among the Cryogenian alkaline plutons occurring in the Dharmapuri Rift Zone (DRZ) of the Salem Block in the Southern Granulite Terrane (SGT) of India. Here we present zircon U-Pb age and Lu-Hf isotopic composition, mineral chemistry and geochemistry of the pluton to explore the petrogenesis and geodynamic implications. Systematic modal variation of orthoclase, Na-plagioclase, Ca-amphibole (ferro-edenite and hastingsite) and quartz developed quartz-monzonite and granite litho units in the Sundamalai pluton. Thermometry based on amphibole-plagioclase pair suggests that the pluton was emplaced and solidified at around 4.6 kbar pressure with crystallization of the major phases between 748 and 661 °C. Estimated saturation temperature of zircon (712-698 °C) is also well within this range. However, apatite saturation occurred at higher temperatures between 835 and 870 °C, in contrast with monazite saturation (718-613 °C) that continued up to the late stage of crystallization. Estimated oxygen fugacity values (log fO2: -14 to -17) indicate high oxidation state for the magma that stabilized titanite and magnetite. The magmatic zircons from Sundamalai pluton yielded a weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 832.6 ± 3.2 Ma. Geochemically, the Sundamalai rocks are high-K to shoshonitic, persodic (Na2O/K2O ratio > 1), silica-saturated (SiO2:65-72 wt.%), and peralkaline in composition (aluminum saturation index, ASI < 1; Alkalinity index, AI < 0). The initial magma was mildly metaluminous which evolved to strongly peralkaline as result of fractional crystallization (plagioclase effect) controlled differentiation between quartz-monzonite and granite. Both rock types have high content of Na2O (5.1-6.3 wt.%), Ba (350-2589 ppm) and Sr (264-1036 ppm); low content of Y (8.7-17 ppm) and Yb (0.96-1.69 ppm); elevated ratios of La/Yb (11-46) and Sr/Y (46-69) and are depleted in Ti, with a positive Sr anomaly suggesting an adakite-like composition and

Do Hf isotopes in magmatic zircons represent those of their host rocks?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Di; Wang, Xiao-Lei; Cai, Yue; Goldstein, Steven L.; Yang, Tao

2018-04-01

Lu-Hf isotopic system in zircon is a powerful and widely used geochemical tracer in studying petrogenesis of magmatic rocks and crustal evolution, assuming that zircon Hf isotopes can represent initial Hf isotopes of their parental whole rock. However, this assumption may not always be valid. Disequilibrium partial melting of continental crust would preferentially melt out non-zircon minerals with high time-integrated Lu/Hf ratios and generate partial melts with Hf isotope compositions that are more radiogenic than those of its magma source. Dissolution experiments (with hotplate, bomb and sintering procedures) of zircon-bearing samples demonstrate this disequilibrium effect where partial dissolution yielded variable and more radiogenic Hf isotope compositions than fully dissolved samples. A case study from the Neoproterozoic Jiuling batholith in southern China shows that about half of the investigated samples show decoupled Hf isotopes between zircons and the bulk rocks. This decoupling could reflect complex and prolonged magmatic processes, such as crustal assimilation, magma mixing, and disequilibrium melting, which are consistent with the wide temperature spectrum from ∼630 °C to ∼900 °C by Ti-in-zircon thermometer. We suggest that magmatic zircons may only record the Hf isotopic composition of their surrounding melt during crystallization and it is uncertain whether their Hf isotopic compositions can represent the primary Hf isotopic compositions of the bulk magmas. In this regard, using zircon Hf isotopic compositions to trace crustal evolution may be biased since most of these could be originally from disequilibrium partial melts.

Do Jack Hills Detrital Zircons Contain Records of the Early Geodynamo?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weiss, B. P.; Maloof, A. C.; Tailby, N. D.; Ramezani, J.; Fu, R. R.; Glenn, D. R.; Kehayias, P.; Walsworth, R. L.; Hanus, V.; Trail, D.; Watson, E. B.; Harrison, T. M.; Bowring, S. A.; Kirschvink, J. L.; Swanson-Hysell, N.; Coe, R. S.; Einsle, J. F.; Harrison, R. J.

2015-12-01

It is unknown when Earth's dynamo magnetic field originated. With crystallization ages ranging from 3.0-4.38 Ga, detrital zircon crystals found in the Jack Hills of Western Australia might preserve a record of the missing first billion years of Earth's magnetic field history. Recently, Tarduno et al. (2015) argued that magnetization in Jack Hills zircons provides evidence for a substantial geomagnetic field dating back to their U/Pb formation ages (3.3 and 4.2 Ga). However, the identification of such ancient field records requires establishing that the zircons have avoided remagnetization since their formation. At a minimum, it should be demonstrated that they have not been remagnetized since being deposited at ~3.0 Ga. To establish the timing and intensity of the metamorphic and alteration events experienced by the zircon, we conducted 12 paleomagnetic field tests in combination with U-Pb geochronology on their host rocks (see Weiss et al. 2015, EPSL). Our data show that the Hadean zircon-bearing rocks and surrounding region have been pervasively remagnetized, with the final major overprinting likely from emplacement of the Warakurna large igneous province at 1.1 Ga (see Figure). Even if some Jack Hills zircons do record a pre-depositional magnetization, they still could have been remagnetized sometime during the 1.4 Gy between their crystallization and their deposition. First, the temperatures capable of remagnetizing magnetite inclusions are well below those that could reset a U-Pb date or result in significant discordance. Therefore, thermal events capable of completely remagnetizing Jack Hills zircons could be undetected by the techniques reported by Tarduno at al. (2015). Second, the zircons' magnetization might be dominated by secondary ferromagnetic inclusions or contamination. To address the latter possibility, we are conducting electron microscopy, x-ray tomography, and magnetic field mapping on the zircons. Our initial quantum diamond magnetometry high

Proton trapping in yttrium-doped barium zirconate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamazaki, Yoshihiro; Blanc, Frédéric; Okuyama, Yuji; Buannic, Lucienne; Lucio-Vega, Juan C.; Grey, Clare P.; Haile, Sossina M.

2013-07-01

The environmental benefits of fuel cells have been increasingly appreciated in recent years. Among candidate electrolytes for solid-oxide fuel cells, yttrium-doped barium zirconate has garnered attention because of its high proton conductivity, particularly in the intermediate-temperature region targeted for cost-effective solid-oxide fuel cell operation, and its excellent chemical stability. However, fundamental questions surrounding the defect chemistry and macroscopic proton transport mechanism of this material remain, especially in regard to the possible role of proton trapping. Here we show, through a combined thermogravimetric and a.c. impedance study, that macroscopic proton transport in yttrium-doped barium zirconate is limited by proton-dopant association (proton trapping). Protons must overcome the association energy, 29 kJ mol-1, as well as the general activation energy, 16 kJ mol-1, to achieve long-range transport. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance studies show the presence of two types of proton environment above room temperature, reflecting differences in proton-dopant configurations. This insight motivates efforts to identify suitable alternative dopants with reduced association energies as a route to higher conductivities.

Proton trapping in yttrium-doped barium zirconate.

PubMed

Yamazaki, Yoshihiro; Blanc, Frédéric; Okuyama, Yuji; Buannic, Lucienne; Lucio-Vega, Juan C; Grey, Clare P; Haile, Sossina M

2013-07-01

The environmental benefits of fuel cells have been increasingly appreciated in recent years. Among candidate electrolytes for solid-oxide fuel cells, yttrium-doped barium zirconate has garnered attention because of its high proton conductivity, particularly in the intermediate-temperature region targeted for cost-effective solid-oxide fuel cell operation, and its excellent chemical stability. However, fundamental questions surrounding the defect chemistry and macroscopic proton transport mechanism of this material remain, especially in regard to the possible role of proton trapping. Here we show, through a combined thermogravimetric and a.c. impedance study, that macroscopic proton transport in yttrium-doped barium zirconate is limited by proton-dopant association (proton trapping). Protons must overcome the association energy, 29 kJ mol(-1), as well as the general activation energy, 16 kJ mol(-1), to achieve long-range transport. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance studies show the presence of two types of proton environment above room temperature, reflecting differences in proton-dopant configurations. This insight motivates efforts to identify suitable alternative dopants with reduced association energies as a route to higher conductivities.

Ceramic with zircon coating

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Hongyu (Inventor)

2003-01-01

An article comprises a silicon-containing substrate and a zircon coating. The article can comprise a silicon carbide/silicon (SiC/Si) substrate, a zircon (ZrSiO.sub.4) intermediate coating and an external environmental/thermal barrier coating.

Trace element geochemistry of zircons from mineralizing and non-mineralizing igneous rocks related to gold ores at Yanacocha, Peru

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koleszar, A. M.; Dilles, J. H.; Kent, A. J.; Wooden, J. L.

2012-12-01

Zircons record important details about the evolution of magmatic systems, are relatively insensitive to alteration, and have been used to investigate the geochemistry, temperature, and oxidation state of volcanic and plutonic system. We examine zircons that span 6-7 m.y. of calc-alkaline volcanic activity in the Yanacocha district of northern Peru, where dacitic intrusions are associated with high-sulfidation gold deposits. The 14.5-8.4 Ma Yanacocha Volcanics include cogenetic lavas and pyroclastic rocks and are underlain by the andesites and dacites of the Calipuy Group, the oldest Cenozoic rocks in the region. We present data for magmatic zircons from the Cerro Fraile dacitic pyroclastics (15.5-15.1 Ma) of the Calipuy Group, and multiple eruptive units within the younger Yanacocha Volcanics: the Atazaico Andesite (14.5-13.3 Ma), the Quilish Dacite (~14-12 Ma), the Azufre Andesite (12.1-11.6 Ma), the San Jose Ignimbrite (11.5-11.2 Ma), and the Coriwachay Dacite (11.1-8.4 Ma). Epithermal high sulfidation (alunite-bearing) gold deposits are associated with the dacite intrusions of the Coriwachay and Quilish Dacites. Zircons from the non-mineralizing rocks typically have lower Hf concentrations and record Ti-in-zircon temperatures that are ~100°C hotter than zircons from the mineralizing intrusions. Temperatures recorded by zircons from the mineralizing intrusions are remarkably similar to those of the underlying Cerro Fraile dacite pyroclastics, but the zircons discussed here generally record SHRIMP-RG 206Pb/238U ages within error of previously published Ar-Ar eruption ages (eliminating antecrystic or xenocrystic origins). These observations suggest that zircons in the mineralizing intrusions form after greater extents of crystallization (and thus record elevated Hf concentrations and lower temperatures) than do zircons in the non-mineralized deposits. Unlike zircons from mineralized units associated with the porphyry Cu(Mo) deposits in Yerington, Nevada, which

Corresponding state-based correlations for the temperature-dependent surface tension of saturated hydrocarbons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Jianxiang; Zhang, Cuihua; Zhang, Laibin; Zheng, Mengmeng; Liu, Shuzhen

2017-10-01

Based on the recent progresses on the corresponding state-based correlations for the temperature-dependent surface tension of saturated fluids [I. Cachadiña, A. Mulero and J. X. Tian, Fluid Phase Equilibr. 442 (2017) 68; J. X. Tian, M. M. Zheng, H. L. Yi, L. B. Zhang and S. Z. Liu, Mod. Phys. Lett. B 31 (2017) 1750110], we proposed a new correlation for saturated hydrocarbons. This correlation includes three fluid-independent parameters and inquires the critical temperature, the triple-point temperature and the surface tension at the triple-point temperature as inputs for each hydrocarbon. Results show that this correlation can reproduce NIST data with absolute average deviation (AAD) less than 1% for 10 out of 19 hydrocarbons and AAD less than 5% for 17 out of 19 hydrocarbons, clearly better than other correlations.

Developing Zircon as a Probe of Planetary Impact History

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wielicki, Matthew

2014-12-01

the Hadean population remains difficult and this study hopes to develop criteria to recognize impact zircon and possibly provide constraints on the early impactor flux. Five large terrestrial craters, Vredefort and Morokweng, South Africa, Sudbury and Manicouagan, Canada, and Popigai, Russia, are the focus of this study as smaller craters do not have the energy to produce thick melt sheets, which persist over time-scales sufficient for crystallization of zircon, permitting geochemical and geochronological analysis. Geochemical analysis of these impact-produced zircons yields similar chemical signatures to endogenic igneous zircon from crustal melts and highlights the need for well-developed criteria for discriminating impact and endogenic grains for impact geochronology. One such criterion is modeling of impact zircon crystallization temperature spectra for simulated impact events on targets of varying composition. Provided some assumptions the zircon crystallization spectra can be estimated from well established Zr systematics in crustal melts. Results for impacts into an Archean terrestrial surface (used as a proxy for the Hadean as little to no rock record exists >4.0 Ga) yields a crystallization spectra significantly higher than that reported for the Hadean zircon population and appears to rule out impacts as a dominant source for these ancient grains. When no dateable impact melt sheet exists, either due to the lack of energy of the impact itself or from subsequent erosion at Earth's surface, loss of radiogenic lead, Pb*, has been suggested as an alternative method to date the event. Pb*-loss was investigated from target rocks from Vredefort and Morokweng and suggests that Pb* diffusion, even in zircon isolated from shocked and brecciated target rocks, is remarkably slow. This may explain the seeming lack of 'reset' zircon in terrestrial impactites. Little is known about Pb* diffusion pathways associated with shock microstructures introduced during impact

Applying the Ce-in-zircon oxygen geobarometer to diverse silicic magmatic systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Claiborne, L. L.; Miller, C. F.

2012-12-01

Zircon provides information on age, temperature, and composition of the magma from which it grew. In systems such as Mount St. Helens, where zircon is not coeval with the rest of the crystal cargo, it provides the only accessible record of the extended history of the magmatic system, including cycles of intrusion, crystallization and rejuvenation beneath an active volcano (Claiborne et al., 2010). The rare earth elements, which are present in measureable quantities in zircon, provide information about the composition of the magma from which zircon grew. Unique among the generally trivalent rare earth elements, cerium can exist as either trivalent or tetravalent, depending on the oxidation state of the magma. The tetravalent ion is highly compatible in zircon, in the site that usually hosts tetravalent zirconium, and so the amount of Cerium in zircon relative (relative to what would be expected of trivalent Ce) depends the oxidation state of the magma from which it grew. Trail et al. (2011) proposed a calibration based on experimental data that uses the Ce anomaly in zircon as a direct proxy for magma oxidation (fugacity), describing the relationship between Ce in zircon and magma oxygen fugacity as ln(Ce/Ce*)D = (0.1156±0.0050)xln(fO2)+(13860±708)/T-(6.125±0.484). For systems like Mount St. Helens, where the major minerals record only events in the hundreds to thousands of years leading to eruption, (including the Fe-Ti oxides traditionally relied upon for records of oxidation state of the magmas), this presents a novel approach for understanding more extended histories of oxidation of magmas in the tens and hundreds of thousands of years of magmatism at a volcanic center. This calibration also promises to help us better constrain conditions of crystallization in intrusive portions of volcanic systems, as well as plutonic bodes. We apply this new oxygen geobarometer to natural volcanic and plutonic zircons from a variety of tectonic settings, and compare to

Effect of pressure on Zircon's (ZrSiO4) Raman active modes: a first-principles study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheremetyeva, Natalya; Cherniak, Daniele; Watson, Bruce; Meunier, Vincent

Zircon is a mineral commonly found in the Earth crust. Its remarkable properties have given rise to considerable attention. This includes possible inclusion of radioactive elements in natural samples, which allows for geochronological investigations. Subsequently, Zircon was proposed as possible host material for radioactive waste management. Internal radiation damage in zircon leads to the destruction of its crystal structure (an effect known as metamictization) which is subject to ongoing research. Recently, the effect of pressure and temperature on synthetic zircon has been analyzed experimentally using Raman spectroscopy which led to the calibration of zircon as a pressure sensor in diamond-anvil cell experiments. While there have been a number of theoretical studies, the effect of pressure on the Raman active modes of zircon has not been investigated theoretically. Here we present a first-principles pressure calibration of the Raman active modes in Zircon employing density-functional theory (DFT). We find excellent quantitative agreement of the slopes ∂ω / ∂P with the experimental ones and are able to rationalize the ω vs. P behavior based on the details of the vibrational modes.

A study of processing parameters in thermal-sprayed alumina and zircon mixtures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Y.; Khor, K. A.

2002-06-01

A method of plasma spraying of alumina and zircon mixtures to form ZrO2-mullite composites has been proposed and developed. The feedstock is prepared by a combination of mechanical alloying, which allows formation of fine-grained, homogeneous solid-solution mixtures, followed by plasma spheroidization that yields rapid solidified microstructures and enhanced compositional homogeneity. The effects of ball-milling duration and milling media were studied. It was found that zirconia is a more efficient milling media and that increasing milling duration enhanced the dissociation of zircon. Flame spray and plasma spray processes were used to spheroidize the spray-dried powders. The temperature of the flame spray was found to be insufficient to melt the powders completely. The processing parameters of the plasma spray played an important role in zircon decomposition and mullite formation. Increasing the arc current or reducing secondary gas pressure caused more zircon to decompose and more mullite to form after heat treatment at 1200 °C for 3 h. Dissociation of zircon and the amount of mullite for med can be enhanced significantly when using the more efficient, computerized plasma-spraying system and increasing the ball-milling duration from 4 to 8 h.

Lithium in Jack Hills zircons: Evidence for extensive weathering of Earth's earliest crust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ushikubo, Takayuki; Kita, Noriko T.; Cavosie, Aaron J.; Wilde, Simon A.; Rudnick, Roberta L.; Valley, John W.

2008-08-01

In situ Li analyses of 4348 to 3362 Ma detrital zircons from the Jack Hills, Western Australia by SIMS reveal that the Li abundances (typically 10 to 60 ppm) are commonly over 10,000 times higher than in zircons crystallized from mantle-derived magmas and in mantle-derived zircon megacrysts (typically < 2 ppb). High Li concentrations in zircons (10 to 250 ppm) have also been found in igneous zircons from three continental parent rocks: granites, Li-rich pegmatites, and migmatites in pelitic metasediment. The substitution of trivalent cations (REEs and Y) in zircon correlates with Li + 1 and P + 5 , suggesting that an interstitial site for Li, as well as the xenotime substitution for P, provides charge balance for REEs. Li is thus fixed in the zircon structure by coupled substitutions, and diffusive changes in [Li] composition are rate-limited by slow diffusion of REEs. The Jack Hills zircons also have fractionated lithium isotope ratios ( δ7Li = - 19 to + 13‰) about five times more variable than those recorded in primitive ocean floor basalts (2 to 8‰), but similar to continental crust and its weathering products. Values of δ7Li below - 10‰ are found in zircons that formed as early as 4300 Ma. The high Li compositions indicate that primitive magmas were not the source of Jack Hills zircons and the fractionated values of δ7Li suggest that highly weathered regolith was sampled by these early Archean magmas. These new Li data provide evidence that the parent magmas of ancient zircons from Jack Hills incorporated materials from the surface of the Earth that interacted at low temperature with liquid water. These data support the hypothesis that continental-type crust and oceans existed by 4300 Ma, within 250 million years of the formation of Earth and the low values of δ7Li suggest that weathering was extensive in the early Archean.

Zircon from historic eruptions in Iceland: reconstructing storage and evolution of silicic magmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carley, Tamara L.; Miller, Calvin F.; Wooden, Joseph L.; Bindeman, Ilya N.; Barth, Andrew P.

2011-10-01

Zoning patterns, U-Th disequilibria ages, and elemental compositions of zircon from eruptions of Askja (1875 AD), Hekla (1158 AD), Öræfajökull (1362 AD) and Torfajökull (1477 AD, 871 AD, 3100 BP, 7500 BP) provide insights into the complex, extended, histories of silicic magmatic systems in Iceland. Zircon compositions, which are correlated with proximity to the main axial rift, are distinct from those of mid-ocean ridge environments and fall at the low-Hf edge of the range of continental zircon. Morphology, zoning patterns, compositions, and U-Th ages all indicate growth and storage in subvolcanic silicic mushes or recently solidified rock at temperatures above the solidus but lower than that of the erupting magma. The eruptive products were likely ascending magmas that entrained a zircon "cargo" that formed thousands to tens of thousands of years prior to the eruptions.

Method of producing high purity zirconia powder from zircon powder

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Funahashi, T.; Uchimura, R.; Oguchi, Y.

A method is described of producing a zirconia powder from zirconia containing SiO/sub 2/, comprising the steps of: preparing a raw material mixture comprising the zircon powder containing the SiO/sub 2/ and a powdery carbon-containing material such that the mole ratio of C, which is contained in the carbon-containing material and does not gasify at temperatures below 100/sup 0/C. in a nonoxidizing atmosphere, to SiO/sub 2/ contained in the zircon powder is in the range from 0.4 to 2.0; and subjecting the raw material mixture to a desiliconizing heat treatment in a nonoxidizing atmosphere of which the presence is notmore » higher than 0.6 atm, the desiliconizing heat treatment being a combination of a first-stage heat treatment which is performed at a temperature in the range from 1200/sup 0/ to 1550/sup 0/C. for separating silica from the zircon powder and a second-stage heat treatment which is performed at a higher temperature in the range from above 1550/sup 0/C. to 2000/sup 0/C. for completely converting silica in the mixture under heat treatment into gaseous SiO and dissipating the gaseous SiO, wherein the raw material mixture is subjected to the desiliconizing heat treatment in the form of at least one lump whose bulk density is in the range from 0.7 to 2.0.« less

Using zircon (U-Th)/He damage-diffusivity patterns to quantify detachment-related basement exhumation in the Mecca Hills, CA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moser, A. C.; Ault, A. K.; Evans, J. P.; Reiners, P. W.; Stearns, M.; Guenthner, W.

2017-12-01

Exposures of gneiss and Orocopia Schist (OS) in the Mecca Hills, California, adjacent to the southernmost San Andreas Fault system, preserve the exhumation history of Oligocene detachment faulting. We investigate the duration, magnitude, and mechanisms of exhumation of these units at regional and local scales using in situ U-Pb zircon dating (n = 248), (U-Th)/He (He) thermochronometry (n = 39), and He date-effective U (eU) patterns. Zircons with variable preserved visual metamictization were targeted for He analyses to purposefully build a dataset with a range in eU concentration and zircon He closure temperatures, as well as induce a He date-eU correlation. Analyzed zircon crystals range from clear and transparent to purple-brown and translucent in each sample. Zircon cathodoluminescence images reveal oscillatory and sector chemical zoning. Each sample contains a population of largely Proterozoic U-Pb dates implying some grains accumulated radiation damage since 1.9-1.1 Ga. Zircon (U-Th)/He dates from seven samples of OS and gneiss yield a mean date of 24 ± 3.5 Ma (n = 32) and uniform dates over an 90-2950 ppm eU range. One gneiss sample yields a mean date of 65 ± 5.6 Ma (n = 7) over a limited eU spread ( 500-950 ppm). Mean zircon He dates from these two units overlap, but dates are broadly younger in northeastern exposures dominated by OS. Preliminary thermal history simulations integrating zircon U-Pb data, He date-eU patterns, and independent geologic constraints require at least 200 °C of cooling through the zircon He partial retention zone 30-21 Ma and show that the pre-70 Ma thermal history does not affect the predicted date-eU correlation. This shared rapid cooling history documented in the OS and gneiss imply these units were juxtaposed prior to 30 Ma and exhumed as a coherent structural block within the footwall of the Orocopia Mountains Detachment Fault in the Mecca Hills. Spatio-temporal variation in mean zircon He dates may delineate time

Re-evaluation of the origin and evolution of > 4.2 Ga zircons from the Jack Hills metasedimentary rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nemchin, A. A.; Pidgeon, R. T.; Whitehouse, M. J.

2006-04-01

New data are presented on internal structures, U-Pb systematics and oxygen isotope compositions of eight detrital zircons with ages greater than 4.2 Ga, from the Jack Hills metasedimentary belt, Australia. Cathodoluminescence imaging, ion-microprobe U-Pb and oxygen isotope results show evidence for an extensive period of complex zircon growth, secondary reaction and U-Pb isotopic disturbance from 4.36 to 3.90 Ga. In addition many of the zircons have discordant U-Pb systems and excess common Pb indicating a superimposed, relatively recent, reaction between radiation damaged zircon and low temperature fluids. The significance of oxygen isotope compositions for zircons with complex internal structures and U-Pb systems is complicated by uncertainty in the origin of the grains and the unknown effect of later reactions. However, a minority of grains with sharp oscillatory zoning, uniform and concordant U-Pb systems, igneous Th-U ratios and low common Pb contents, are interpreted as undisturbed primary magmatic zircons. The oldest identified, oscillatory zoned, magmatic grain, with an age 4363 ± 20 Ma, is one of a few reported magmatic grains with this age, which is interpreted as the oldest reliable age for Hadean magmatic zircons. Mantle δ18O values are reported for these zircons. Younger oscillatory zoned zircon, including oscillatory zoned cores in complex grains, have δ18O values lower than 6.5‰, which are within the range of ion microprobe analysed δ18O values for zircons in high temperature equilibrium with the normal mantle rocks of 5.3 ± 0.6‰ (2 standard deviations). These values are also within the range of δ18O values found in lunar zircons. The absence of heavy oxygen in the grains that can be interpreted as primary magmatic zircons and the complex history over the period from 4.36 to 3.9 Ga, seen in all other Jack Hills zircons and reflected in the internal structures and U-Pb isotopic systems, questions the model for the early Earth involving long

Li isotopes in archean zircons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouvier, A.; Ushikubo, T.; Kita, N.; Cavosie, A. J.; Kozdon, R.; Valley, J. W.

2009-12-01

Li is a fluid mobile, moderately incompatible element with a large mass difference between its two stable isotopes. Different processes can fractionate 7Li/6Li (fluid-rock interaction, metamorphic reactions, and Li diffusion), leading to variation by over 50‰ of δ7Li for common crustal material. These large variations make δ7Li a potential tracer of continental weathering and of the fluids affecting magma sources. Here, we report δ7Li and trace elements in Archean igneous zircons from TTG and sanukitoid granitoids from the Superior Province (Canada) in order to characterize Li in Archean zircons from well-described samples. These data are compared to detrital zircons from the Jack Hills (Western Australia) for which parent rock-type is uncertain. This study aims to better understand Li substitution in zircon and to evaluate the utility of δ7Li and [Li] for Archean petrogenesis. Zircons (n=71) were analyzed for δ7Li and trace elements (Li, P, Ca, Ti, V, Fe, Y, REE, U, Th) using an IMS-1280 ion microprobe. Most of the zircons display typical igneous REE patterns and zoning by CL. [Li] averages 13.1 ± 9 for TTG, 25.7 ± 19 for Sanukitoid and 31.0 ± 14 ppm for Jack Hills zircons, which are distinct from mantle-related zircons (<0.1 ppm). Values of δ7Li average 1.0 ± 4.5‰ for TTGs, 6.3 ± 4.4‰ for sanukitoids and -2.6 ± 8.8‰ for Jack Hills samples. Trace elements were analyzed from single spots in order to evaluate coupled substitutions. Atomic ratios (3Li+Y+REE)/P average 2.6, showing that Li and trivalent atoms are not charge-balanced by P, and suggesting that Li does not replace Zr, according to the xenotime substitution. However, (Y+REE)/(Li+P) atomic ratios average 1.0 ± 0.6, supporting the hypothesis that Li is interstitial and partly compensates trivalent cations. Several observations in this study suggest that [Li] is primary in the studied zircons: i) if Li is interstitial, charge-balance and slow diffusion of REE would control Li mobility

Young cumulate complex beneath Veniaminof caldera, Aleutian arc, dated by zircon in erupted plutonic blocks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bacon, C.R.; Sison, T.W.; Mazdab, F.K.

2007-01-01

Mount Veniaminof volcano, Alaska Peninsula, provides an opportunity to relate Quaternary volcanic rocks to a coeval intrusive complex. Veniaminof erupted tholeiitic basalt through dacite in the past ???260 k.y. Gabbro, diorite, and miarolitic granodiorite blocks, ejected 3700 14C yr B.P. in the most recent caldera-forming eruption, are fragments of a shallow intrusive complex of cumulate mush and segregated vapor-saturated residual melts. Sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) analyses define 238U-230Th isochron ages of 17.6 ?? 2.7 ka, 5+11/-10 ka, and 10.2 ?? 4.0 ka (2??) for zircon in two granodiorites and a diorite, respectively. Sparse zircons from two gabbros give 238-230Th model ages of 36 ?? 8 ka and 26 ?? 7 ka. Zircons from granodiorite and diorite crystallized in the presence of late magmatic aqueous fluid. Although historic eruptions have been weakly explosive Strombolian fountaining and small lava effusions, the young ages of plutonic blocks, as well as late Holocene dacite pumice, are evidence that the intrusive complex remains active and that evolved magmas can segregate at shallow levels to fuel explosive eruptions. ?? 2007 The Geological Society of America.

Detrital zircons and Earth system evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKenzie, R.

2016-12-01

Zircon is a mineral commonly produced in silicic magmatism. Therefore, due to its resilience and exceedingly long residence times in the continental crust, detrital zircon records can be used to track processes associated with silicic magmatism throughout Earth history. In this contribution I will address the potential role of preservational biases in zircon record, and further discuss how zircon datasets can be used to help better understand the relationship between lithospheric and Earth system evolution. I will use large compilations of zircon data to trace the composition and weatherability of the continental crust, to evaluate temporal rates of crustal recycling, and finally to track spatiotemporal variation in continental arc magmatism and volcanic CO2 outgassing throughout Earth history. These records demonstrate that secular changes in plate tectonic regimes played a prominent role in modulating conditions of the ocean+atmosphere system and long-term climate state for the last 3 billion years.

Thermal conductivity of water-saturated rocks from the KTB pilot hole at temperatures of 25 to 300°C

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pribnow, D.; Williams, C.F.; Sass, J.H.; Keating, R.

1996-01-01

The conductivitites of selected gneiss (two) and amphibolite (one) core samples have been measured under conditions of elevated temperature and pressure with a needle-probe. Water-saturated thermal conductivity measurements spanning temperatures from 25 to 300??C and hydrostatic pressures of 0.1 and 34 MPa confirm the general decrease in conductivity with increasing temperature but deviate significantly from results reported from measurements on dry samples over the same temperature range. The thermal conductivity of water-saturated amphibolite decreases with temperature at a rate approximately 40% less than the rate for dry amphibolite, and the conductivity of water-saturated gneiss decreases at a rate approximately 20% less than the rate for dry gneiss. The available evidence points to thermal cracking as the primary cause of the more rapid decrease in dry thermal conductivity with temperature. The effects of thermal cracking were also observed in the water-saturated samples but resulted in a net decrease in room-temperature conductivity of less than 3%. These results highlight the importance of duplicating in-situ conditions when determining thermal conductivity for the deep crust.

Zircon evidence for incorporation of terrigenous sediments into the magma source of continental basalts.

PubMed

Xu, Zheng; Zheng, Yong-Fei; Zhao, Zi-Fu

2018-01-09

Crustal components may be incorporated into continental basalts by either shallow contamination or deep mixing. While the former proceeds at crustal depths with common preservation of refractory minerals, the latter occurs at mantle depths with rare survival of relict minerals. Discrimination between the two mechanisms has great bearing to subcontinental mantle geochemistry. Here we report the occurrence of relict zircons in Cenozoic continental basalts from eastern China. A combined study of zircon U-Pb ages and geochemistry indicates that detrital zircons were carried by terrigenous sediments into a subcontinental subduction zone, where the zircon were transferred by fluids into the magma sources of continental basalts. The basalts were sampled from three petrotectonic units with distinct differences in their magmatic and metamorphic ages, making the crustal contamination discernible. The terrigenous sediments were carried by the subducting oceanic crust into the asthenospheric mantle, producing both soluble and insoluble materials at the slab-mantle interface. These materials were served as metasomatic agents to react with the overlying mantle wedge peridotite, generating a kind of ultramafic metasomatites that contain the relict zircons. Therefore, the occurrence of relict zircons in continental basalts indicates that this refractory mineral can survive extreme temperature-pressure conditions in the asthenospheric mantle.

Zircon U-Pb ages and Hf isotopic compositions indicate multiple sources for Grenvillian detrital zircon deposited in western Laurentia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howard, Amanda L.; Farmer, G. Lang; Amato, Jeffrey M.; Fedo, Christopher M.

2015-12-01

Combined U-Pb ages and Hf isotopic data from 1.0 Ga to 1.3 Ga (Grenvillian) detrital zircon in Neoproterozoic and Cambrian siliciclastic sedimentary rocks in southwest North America, and from igneous zircon in potential Mesoproterozoic source rocks, are used to better assess the provenance of detrital zircon potentially transported across Laurentia in major river systems originating in the Grenville orogenic highlands. High-precision hafnium isotopic analyses of individual ∼1.1 Ga detrital zircon from Neoproterozoic siliciclastic sedimentary rocks in Sonora, northern Mexico, reveal that these zircons have low εHf (0) (-22 to -26) and were most likely derived from ∼1.1 Ga granitic rocks embedded in local Mojave Province Paleoproterozoic crust. In contrast, Grenvillian detrital zircons in Cambrian sedimentary rocks in Sonora, the Great Basin, and the Mojave Desert, have generally higher εHf (0) (-15 to -21) as demonstrated both by high precision solution-based, and by lower precision laser ablation, ICPMS data and were likely derived from more distal sources further to the east/southeast in Laurentia. Comparison to new and existing zircon U-Pb geochronology and Hf isotopic data from Grenvillian crystalline rocks from the Appalachian Mountains, central and west Texas, and from Paleoproterozoic terranes throughout southwest North America reveals that zircon in Cambrian sandstones need not entirely represent detritus transported across the continent from Grenville province rocks in the vicinity of the present-day southern Appalachian Mountains. Instead, these zircons could have been derived from more proximal, high εHf (0), ∼1.1 Ga, crystalline rocks such as those exposed today in the Llano Uplift in central Texas and in the Franklin Mountains of west Texas. Regardless of the exact source(s) of the Grenvillian detrital zircon, new and existing whole-rock Nd isotopic data from Neoproterozoic to Cambrian siliciclastic sedimentary rocks in the Mojave Desert

Etching fission tracks in zircons

USGS Publications Warehouse

Naeser, C.W.

1969-01-01

A new technique has been developed whereby fission tracks can be etched in zircon with a solution of sodium hydroxide at 220??C. Etching time varied between 15 minutes and 5 hours. Colored zircon required less etching time than the colorless varieties.

At what conditions does zircon grow/dissolve during high-T metamorphism? Relating zircon textures to PT-conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kunz, Barbara E.; Regis, Daniele; Manzotti, Paola; Engi, Martin

2015-04-01

A key question in ziconology is when and how zircon grows during metamorphism. To shed light on zircon forming processes and the corresponding PT-conditions during high-T metamorphism a case study was undertaken. The Ivrea Zone (N-Italy) exposes a lower continental crustal section in which a continuous metamorphic field gradient from amphibolite to granulite facies is documented. This field gradient is thought to reflect protracted heating during late Paleozoic times, with a probable high-T peak in the Permian. We present first results from a primarily textural study supported by U-Pb ages, Th/U ratios and Ti-in-Zrn thermometry. Four types of zircon were identified based on their overgrowth proportions and the preservation of detrital cores. Zircon grains were thus classified as Type1 - detrital grains with no overgrowth or very narrow rims (300 Ma) and appears to reflect an early dehydration phase. Rim2b has Permian ages (median 275 Ma), is by far the most common overgrowth type, found in a wide PT-range. Its development appears related to biotite breakdown. Rim3 is texturally indicative of magmatic zircon, occurs only in diatexites. Rim4 is the latest overgrowth and is locally found at all metamorphic grades. Textural features suggest late fluid-related recrystallization of existing zircon. At lowest grade (675±35°C, 6±2 kbar) zircons show type1 only, overgrowths are too thin to clearly identify the rim type. Further upgrade (~700°C, 7 kbar) type1 and type2 dominate. Type2 zircons show rim1, rim2a and occasionally rim4. At the Mu-out isograd (750±50°C, 8.2±1.4 kbar) most zircons are of type2, now with rim2b instead of 2a, in addition to rim1 and rim4. Near and in granulite facies (to 800°C, 8±2 kbar) mostly zircon type2 and type4 are present. While rim1 gets more narrow with increasing metamorphic grade, rim2b grows significantly thicker. Occasionally rim2a and rim4 occur. Close to the Bt-out isograd (~860°C, 9.2±1.7 kbar), mostly type3 and type4 are

The role of detrital zircons in Hadean crustal research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nebel, Oliver; Rapp, Robert P.; Yaxley, Gregory M.

2014-03-01

crust was an initially homogeneous, thin, mafic layer. It was spiked with minor, low-degree, anatectic melts of granitoid composition formed from material that formerly resided at the surface and was subsequently buried. The process responsible for this was likely sag-subduction triggered by repeated volcanic resurfacing, possibly fed by early mantle plumes. Regional scale granitoid plutonism of the tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite suite (TTG) predominates granitoid-generating processes in the Eo-Archean, along with the first appearance of low-Ca (s-type) granites at around 3.9 Ga, evidenced by the first occurrence of detrital monazite in the Narryer Terrane. This coincides with the first addition of juvenile crust as documented by the global detrital zircon record and temperature signatures of the late heavy bombardment in Narryer Terrane zircons. This age probably marks the onset of Archean-style tectonics, likely associated with subduction activity, which lasted until ~ 3 Ga, when modern style plate tectonics emerged.

Micron-Scale Correlations Among Ti, P, Ce, and Y in Hadean Jack Hills Zircons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hofmann, A. E.; Cavosie, A. J.; Valley, J. W.; Eiler, J. M.

2007-12-01

Detrital zircons and the inclusions found therein are our only mineralogical constraints on geologic events that occurred on the Hadean Earth. These zircons are commonly small (ca. <100 μm in the longest dimension) and preserve micron to sub-micron chemical zonations indicative of a dynamic petrological history. Trace elements within zircon are of particular interest because concentrations and ratios of these elements can provide information regarding chemical and physical conditions during zircon growth. In this study, we analyzed Hadean-age detrital zircons from Archean metasediment in the Jack Hills (Australia) using the Caltech Microanalysis Center Cameca NanoSIMS 50L. Trace elements analyzed included Ti, P, Ce, and Y. Ti- thermometry [1,2,3] can potentially constrain growth and/or re-equilibration temperatures of zircons; P, Ce, and Y are known to enter the zircon lattice by the coupled xenotime-type substitution mechanism: (Y, REE)3+ + P5+ = Zr4+ + Si4+ [5]. The 89Y/28Si ratio was observed to correlate with, and was used as a proxy for, cathodoluminescence (CL) banding. Growth features manifested in CL (e.g., sector, oscillatory zoning) were observed in all zircons analyzed. CL zones vary from <1 μm to several microns in width; therefore, the NanoSIMS---with a beam diameter resolved to ca. 250 nm on the sample surface when operating with an O- primary beam---is uniquely suited for this scale of analysis. Regions displaying CL banding were imaged as 20 x 20 μm areas. All elements were normalized to 28Si; 49Ti/28Si ratios were converted to [Ti] via calibration based on analyses of synthetic, high-Ti zircons (provided by B. Watson) that were independently analyzed on Caltech's JEOL JXA-8200 electron microprobe. We observe three types of relationships between trace element distribution and CL banding in the zircons imaged: 1) strong positive correlations between CL banding, P, Ce, and Ti; 2) subtle positive correlations between CL banding, P, Ce, and Ti; 3) no

The age of unusual xenogenic zircons from Yakutian kimberlites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vladykin, N. V.; Lepekhina, E. A.

2009-12-01

Several spindle-shaped grains of zircon, which have a small size (<0.25 mm) and a distinct purplish pink coloration were found in the crushed samples of kimberlites from the Aykhal, Komsomolskaya-Magnitnaya, Botuobinskaya (Siberian platform), and Nyurbinskaya (Yakutia) pipes and olivine lamproites of the Khani massif (West Aldan). U-Pb SHRIMP II zircon dating performed at the VSEGEI Center for Isotopic Research yielded the ages of 1870-1890 Ma for the pipes of the Western province (Aykhal and Komsomolskaya) and 2200-2750 Ma for the pipes of the eastern province (Nyurbinskaya and Botuobinskaya), which allowed us to consider these zircons to be xenogenic to kimberlites. Although these zircons resemble in their age and color those from the granulite xenoliths in the Udachnaya pipe [2], no other granulite minerals are found there. Thus, major geological events in the mantle and lower crust, which led to the formation of zircon-bearing rocks, happened at 1800-1900 Ma in the northern part of the kimberlite province, whereas in the Eastern part of the province (Nakyn field) these events were much older (2220-2700 Ma). It is known that the period of 1800-1900 Ma in the Earth’s history was accompanied by intense tectonic movements and widespread alkaline-carbonatite magmatism. This magmatism was related to plume activity responsible for overheating the large portions of the mantle to the temperatures at which some diamonds in mantle rocks would burn (northern part of the kimberlite province). In the Nakyn area, the mantle underwent few or no geological processes at that time, and perhaps for this reason this area hosts more diamondiferous kimberlites. The age of olivine lamproites from the Khani massif is 2672-2732 Ma. Thus, these are some of the world’s oldest known K-alkaline rocks.

New correlation for the temperature-dependent viscosity for saturated liquids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Jianxiang; Zhang, Laibin

2016-11-01

Based on the recent progress on both the temperature dependence of surface tension [H. L. Yi, J. X. Tian, A. Mulero and I. Cachading, J. Therm. Anal. Calorim. 126 (2016) 1603, and the correlation between surface tension and viscosity of liquids [J. X. Tian and A. Mulero, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 53 (2014) 9499], we derived a new multiple parameter correlation to describe the temperature-dependent viscosity of liquids. This correlation is verified by comparing with data from NIST Webbook for 35 saturated liquids including refrigerants, hydrocarbons and others, in a wide temperature range from the triple point temperature to the one very near to the critical temperature. Results show that this correlation predicts the NIST data with high accuracy with absolute average deviation (AAD) less than 1% for 21 liquids and more than 3% for only four liquids, and is clearly better than the popularly used Vogel-Fulcher-Tamman (VFT) correlation.

Sphene and zircon in the Highland Range volcanic sequence (Miocene, southern Nevada, USA): Elemental partitioning, phase relations, and influence on evolution of silicic magma

USGS Publications Warehouse

Colombini, L.L.; Miller, C.F.; Gualda, G.A.R.; Wooden, J.L.; Miller, J.S.

2011-01-01

Sphene is prominent in Miocene plutonic rocks ranging from diorite to granite in southern Nevada, USA, but it is restricted to rhyolites in coeval volcanic sequences. In the Highland Range volcanic sequence, sphene appears as a phenocryst only in the most evolved rocks (72-77 mass% SiO2; matrix glass 77-78 mass% SiO2). Zr-in-sphene temperatures of crystallization are mostly restricted to 715 and 755??C, in contrast to zircon (710-920??C, Ti-in-zircon thermometry). Sphene rim/glass Kds for rare earth elements are extremely high (La 120, Sm 1200, Gd 1300, Lu 240). Rare earth elements, especially the middle REE (MREE), decrease from centers to rims of sphene phenocrysts along with Zr, demonstrating the effect of progressive sphene fractionation. Whole rocks and glasses have MREE-depleted, U-shaped REE patterns as a consequence of sphene fractionation. Within the co-genetic, sphene-rich Searchlight pluton, only evolved leucogranites show comparable MREE depletion. These results indicate that sphene saturation in intruded and extruded magmas occurred only in highly evolved melts: abundant sphene in less silicic plutonic rocks represents a late-stage 'bloom' in fractionated interstitial melt. ?? 2011 Springer-Verlag.

What can zircon ages from the Jack Hills detrital zircon suite really tell us about Hadean geodynamics?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whitehouse, Martin; Nemchin, Alexander

2015-04-01

As the only direct sample of the Hadean Earth, detrital zircon grains from the Jack Hills, Western Australia, have been the subject of intense investigation over the almost three decades since their discovery. A wide variety of geochemical and isotopic analyses of these grains, as well as their mineral inclusions, have been used variously to support two fundamentally different models for Hadean geodynamics: (i) Some form of (not necessarily modern-style) plate recycling generating felsic (continental-type?) crust at the boundaries [1, 2], or conversely (ii) the persistence of a long-lived, stagnant basaltic lid within which magmatism occurred as a result of internal temperature perturbations and/or impacts [3, 4], a model also generally consistent with a wide range of observations from post-Hadean geochemical reservoirs. Despite the considerable time and resources expended, the majority of these studies uncritically accept the individual U-Pb zircon ages, even though their veracity is key to many of the interpretations [5, 6]. We report here the results of an in-depth evaluation of all published (and new) U-Pb ages from the Jack Hills zircon suite in order to define age populations that can be used with a high degree of confidence in geodynamic interpretations. A notable problem in the interpretation of U-Pb data from ancient zircon grains (including those as young as the Neoarchean) is that disturbance of the systematics even several 100 Ma after crystallization causes data to spread along the concordia curve without becoming discernably discordant within the relatively large error bounds associated with U/Pb ages from in situ dating methods (e.g. SIMS). While 207Pb/206Pb ages are typically more precise, individually they provide no means to detect Pb-loss-induced younging. However, if two or preferably more analyses have been made in the same zircon growth zone, a reasonable evaluation of the possibility of Pb-loss can be made. In the available Jack Hills zircon

Crustal Zircons from the Podiform Chromitites in Luobusa Ophiolite, Tibet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, S.; Komiya, T.; Maruyama, S.

2004-12-01

For the past decade, diamonds and unusual mineral asemblages were reported in podiform chromitites of the Luobusa ophiolite, southern Tibet, China (Bai 1993, Bai 2000, Yan 2001) by heavy mineral separation. These include (1) native elements, (2) alloys, (3) carbide, (4) platinium group elements (PGE) and arsenides, (5) silicates (6) oxide, (7) carbonates, (8) minerals with unusual compositons. Despite many questions as to these minerals above still remain open, these mineral inclusions would provide us the important infomation on the formation of the podiform chromitites. In this study, over 100 zircons were discovered by heavy mineral separation of podiform chromitite in Luobusa ophiolite. The discovery of accessory zircons in chromitites allowed us to date the formation of the chromitite and history of tectonic evolutions. Here we report the U-Pb age and mineral inclusions of zircons and discuss with unusually old age zircons. 20 zircon grains in chromitites from No. 1 site were analyzed. Zircons from the chromitites in Luobusa ophiolite are usually euhedral-subhedral and some are rounded. Cathodoluminescence images of these zircons indicate that some zircons have clear oscillatory zoning, whereas other zircons show apparent homogeneous overgrowth. U-Pb dating of these zircons by LA-ICP-MS yielded two different ages. One group has relatively younger age, 107-534Ma, which plots nearly on a concordia line. Another group has older age 1460-1822Ma, which plots off the concordia line. There is insignificant difference of apparent ages within a single zircon grain. For example, a zircon has 1650 Ma in the core, whereas does 1654 Ma in the rim. We identified several mineral inclusions, quartz, feldspar, mica, apatite, within both yonger and older zircons using laser-Raman spectrometry and EPMA. No high-pressure minerals or mantle minerals were identified. This means that these unusually old zircons were formed in low-pressure crustal emvironment. Where did the zircons

Geochemistry, zircon U-Pb dating and Hf isotopies composition of Paleozoic granitoids in Jinchuan, NW China: Constraints on their petrogenesis, source characteristics and tectonic implication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Renyu; Lai, Jianqing; Mao, Xiancheng; Li, Bin; Ju, Peijiao; Tao, Shilong

2016-05-01

Granitoids are widely distributed in Jinchuan at the southwestern margin of the North China plate, which is also an important area of mineral deposits. The research subject of this article are two Paleozoic granitoids, a cataclastic syenogranite and a granodiorite porphyry. This study presents whole rock geochemistry and zircon U-Pb-Hf isotope data for the two granitoids to determine their petrogenesis, source characteristics and tectonic significance. The cataclastic syenogranite is characterized by metaluminous composition with high potassium, and LaN/YbN from 39 to 48. The composition with strong negative Eu anomalies and Zircon saturation temperatures (TZr) from 947 to 1072 °C classify this intrusion as an A-type granite. The granodiorite porphyry is metaluminous with high sodium, sub-alkaline, LaN/YbN ratios from 27 to 32. These I-type intrusions have no Eu anomalies and TZr ranges from 818 to 845 °C. Both the cataclastic syenogranite and granodiorite porphyry show enrichment of LREE and LILE and depletion of HREE and HFSE, except Hf and Zr. Using single zircon LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating, the emplacement age of the cataclastic syenogranite and granodiorite porphyry are determined at 433.4 ± 3.7 Ma and 361.7 ± 4.6 Ma, respectively. Zircons from the cataclastic syenogranits have uniform negative εHf(t) values (-11 ± 0.5 to -9 ± 0.5), implying the involvement of an old Palaeoproterozoic crustal source in magma genesis. The zircons from the granodiorite porphyry have εHf(t) values that range from -8 ± 1.0 to +10 ± 0.6, suggesting heterogeneous source materials involving both juvenile and ancient crust reworked crustal components. Based on the geological significance of granites at the southwestern margin of the North China plate, the closure of the North Qilian Ocean occurred at ∼444 Ma. Geochemical features suggest that the cataclastic syenogranite and granodiorite porphyry formed in an intraplate extensional and compressional setting, respectively. Hence

Thermodynamic properties of saturated liquid parahydrogen charted for important temperature range

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mc Carty, R. D.; Roder, H. M.

1967-01-01

Six entropy diagrams for parahydrogen in or near the saturated liquid state cover the temperature range from 29.16 degrees to 42.48 degrees R with pressures to 100 psia and mixtures of the liquid and vapor phases to 0.003 quality. The diagrams are printed in color, are 19 by 30 inches in size, and are suitable for wall mounting.

Zircon and monazite petrochronologic record of prolonged amphibolite to granulite facies metamorphism in the Ivrea-Verbano and Strona-Ceneri Zones, NW Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guergouz, Celia; Martin, Laure; Vanderhaeghe, Olivier; Thébaud, Nicolas; Fiorentini, Marco

2018-05-01

In order to improve the understanding of thermal-tectonic evolution of high-grade terranes, we conducted a systematic study of textures, REE content and U-Pb ages of zircon and monazite grains extracted from migmatitic metapelites across the amphibolite to granulite facies metamorphic gradient exposed in the Ivrea-Verbano and Strona-Ceneri Zones (Italy). This study documents the behaviour of these accessory minerals in the presence of melt. The absence of relict monazite grains in the metasediments and the gradual decrease in the size of inherited zircon grains from amphibolite to granulite facies cores indicate partial to total dissolution of accessory minerals during the prograde path and partial melting. The retrograde path is marked by (i) growth of new zircon rims (R1 and R2) around inherited cores in the mesosome, (ii) crystallisation of stubby zircon grains in the leucosome, especially at granulite facies, and (iii) crystallisation of new monazite in the mesosome. Stubby zircon grains have a distinctive fir-tree zoning and a constant Th/U ratio of 0.20. Together, these features reflect growth in the melt; conversely, the new zircon grains with R1 rims have dark prismatic habits and Th/U ratios < 0.1, pointing to growth in solid residues. U-Pb ages obtained on both types are similar, indicating contemporaneous growth of stubby zircon and rims around unresorbed zircon grains, reflecting the heterogeneous distribution of the melt at the grain scale. In the Ivrea-Verbano Zone the interquartile range (IQR) of U-Pb ages on zircon and monazite are interpreted to represent the length of zircon and monazite crystallisation in the presence of melt. Accordingly, they provide an indication on the minimum duration for high-temperature metamorphism and partial melting of the lower crust: 20 Ma and 30 Ma in amphibolite and granulite facies, respectively. In amphibolite facies, zircon crystallisation between 310 and 294 Ma (IQR) is interpreted to reflect metamorphic peak

Zircon U-Pb dating of eclogite from the Qiangtang terrane, north-central Tibet: a case of metamorphic zircon with magmatic geochemical features

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhai, Qing-guo; Jahn, Bor-ming; Li, Xian-hua; Zhang, Ru-yuan; Li, Qiu-li; Yang, Ya-nan; Wang, Jun; Liu, Tong; Hu, Pei-yuan; Tang, Suo-han

2017-06-01

Zircon is probably the most important mineral used in the dating formation of high-pressure (HP) and ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphic rocks. The origin of zircon, i.e., magmatic or metamorphic, is commonly assessed by its external morphology, internal structure, mineral inclusions, Th/U ratios and trace element composition. In this study, we present an unusual case of metamorphic zircon from the Qiangtang eclogite, north-central Tibet. The zircon grains contain numerous eclogite-facies mineral inclusions, including omphacite, phengite, garnet and rutile; hence, they are clearly of metamorphic origin. However, they display features similar to common magmatic zircon, including euhedral crystal habit, high Th/U ratios and enriched heavy rare earth elements pattern. We suggest that these zircon grains formed from a different reservoir from that for garnet where no trace elements was present and trace element equilibrium between zircon and garnet was achieved. U-Pb dating of zircon gave an age of 232-237 Ma for the eclogite, and that of rutile yielded a slightly younger age of ca. 217 Ma. These ages are consistent with the reported Lu-Hf mineral isochron and phengite Ar-Ar ages. The zircon U-Pb and mineral Lu-Hf isochron ages are interpreted as the time of the peak eclogite-facies metamorphism, whereas the rutile U-Pb and phengite Ar-Ar ages represent the time of exhumation to the middle crust. Thus, the distinction between metamorphic and magmatic zircons cannot be made using only Th/U ratios and heavy REE compositions for HP-UHP metamorphic rocks of oceanic derivation.

Zircon/fluid trace element partition coefficients measured by recrystallization of Mud Tank zircon at 1.5 GPa and 800-1000 °C

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ayers, John C.; Peters, Timothy J.

2018-02-01

Hydrothermal zircon grains have trace element characteristics such as low Th/U, high U, and high rare earth element (REE) concentrations that distinguish them from magmatic, metamorphic, and altered zircon grains, but it is unclear whether these characteristics result from distinctive fluid compositions or zircon/fluid fractionation effects. New experiments aimed at measuring zircon/fluid trace element partition coefficients Dz/f involved recrystallizing natural Mud Tank zircon with low trace element concentrations in the presence of H2O, 1 m NaOH, or 1 m HCl doped with ∼1000 ppm of rare earth elements (REE), Y, U and Th and ∼500 ppm of Li, B, P, Nb, Ba, Hf, and Ta. Experiments were run for 168 h at 1.5 GPa, 800-1000 °C, and fO2 = NNO in a piston cylinder apparatus using the double capsule method. LA-ICP-MS analysis shows that run product zircon crystals have much higher trace element concentrations than in Mud Tank zircon starting material. Dz/f values were estimated from run product zircon analyses and bulk composition using mass balance. Most elements behave incompatibly, with median Dz/f being highest for Hf = 8 and lowest for B = 0.02. Addition of NaOH or HCl had little influence on Dz/f values. Dz/f for LREE are anomalously high, likely due to contamination of run product zircon with quenched solutes enriched in incompatible elements, so DLREE were estimated using lattice strain theory. Brice curves for +3 ions yield zircon/fluid DLu/DLa of ∼800-5000. A Brice curve fit to +4 ions yielded DCe4+ values. Estimated concentrations of Ce3+ and Ce4+ show that the average Ce4+/Ce3+ in zircon of 27 is much higher than in fluid of 0.02. Th and U show little fractionation, with median DTh/DU = 0.7, indicating that the low Th/U in natural hydrothermal zircon is inherited from the fluid. Natural fluid compositions estimated from measured Dz/f and published compositions of hydrothermal zircon grains from aplite and eclogite reflect the mineralogy of the host rock, e

Shock Condition Forensics and Cryptic Phase Transformations from Crystallographic Orientation Relationships in Zircon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Timms, N. E.; Erickson, T. M.; Cavosie, A. J.; Pearce, M. A.; Reddy, S. M.; Zanetti, M.; Tohver, E.; Schmieder, M.; Nemchin, A. A.; Wittmann, A.

2016-08-01

We present an approach to constrain pressure and temperature conditions during impact events involving identification of cryptic histories of phase transformations from orientation relationships in shocked zircon, linked to new P-T phase diagrams.

Pressure, temperature, and electric field dependence of phase transformations in niobium modified 95/5 lead zirconate titanate

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dong, Wen D.; Carlos Valadez, J.; Gallagher, John A.

2015-06-28

Ceramic niobium modified 95/5 lead zirconate-lead titanate (PZT) undergoes a pressure induced ferroelectric to antiferroelectric phase transformation accompanied by an elimination of polarization and a volume reduction. Electric field and temperature drive the reverse transformation from the antiferroelectric to ferroelectric phase. The phase transformation was monitored under pressure, temperature, and electric field loading. Pressures and temperatures were varied in discrete steps from 0 MPa to 500 MPa and 25 °C to 125 °C, respectively. Cyclic bipolar electric fields were applied with peak amplitudes of up to 6 MV m{sup −1} at each pressure and temperature combination. The resulting electric displacement–electric field hysteresis loops weremore » open “D” shaped at low pressure, characteristic of soft ferroelectric PZT. Just below the phase transformation pressure, the hysteresis loops took on an “S” shape, which split into a double hysteresis loop just above the phase transformation pressure. Far above the phase transformation pressure, when the applied electric field is insufficient to drive an antiferroelectric to ferroelectric phase transformation, the hysteresis loops collapse to linear dielectric behavior. Phase stability maps were generated from the experimental data at each of the temperature steps and used to form a three dimensional pressure–temperature–electric field phase diagram.« less

Paleozoic and Paleoproterozoic Zircon in Igneous Xenoliths Assimilated at Redoubt Volcano, Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bacon, C. R.; Vazquez, J. A.; Wooden, J. L.

2010-12-01

-Alexander-Peninsular composite terrane prior to transport to its present location (e.g., Colpron and Nelson, Geological Society, London, Special Publication 318, 2009). Xenocrysts from the ~1865 Ma igneous rocks, and possibly also ~310 Ma gabbros, are contained in relatively low-temperature mush and partially melted gabbro that we interpret to have been derived from the margin of the subvolcanic magma accumulation and storage region defined by seismicity at 4-10 km bsl. The Redoubt crystal mush contains evidence for assimilation of ~1865 Ma igneous rocks that have no equivalent exposed in Alaska. The discovery of Paleoproterozoic grains as the dominant zircon component in crystal mush raises the question of the origin of other crystals in Redoubt magmas.

Modeling of Zircon (ZrSiO{sub 4}) and Zirconia (ZrO{sub 2}) using ADF-GUI Software

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lwin, Maung Tin Moe; Amin, Yusoff Mohd; Kassim, Hasan Abu

2010-07-07

Natural zircon (ZrSiO{sub 4}) has very high concentration of Uranium and Thorium of up to 5000 ppm. Radioactive decay process of alpha particles from these impurities affects some changes like several atomic displacements in the crystalline structure of zircon. The amount of track density caused by alpha particles decay process of these radioactive materials in zircon can be decreased with annealing temperatures from 700 deg. C to 980 deg. C. Recently it has been extensively studied as the possible candidate material for immobilization of fission products and actinides. Besides, zirconia (ZrO{sub 2}), product from natural zircon, is widely used inmore » industrial field because it has excellent chemical and mechanical properties at high temperature. Dielectric constant of monoclinic, cubic and tetragonal ZrO{sub 2} can be found in the range of 22, 35 and 50 by computer simulation works. In recent years, atomistic simulations and modeling have been studied, because a lot of computational techniques can offer atomic-level approaching with minimum errors in estimations. One favorite methods is Density Functional Theory (DFT). In this study, ADF-GUI software from DFT will be used to calculate the frequency and absorption Intensity of zircon and zirconia molecules. The data from calculations will be verified with experimental works such as Raman Spectroscopy, AFM and XRD.« less

Fission track dating of kimberlitic zircons

USGS Publications Warehouse

Haggerty, S.E.; Raber, E.; Naeser, C.W.

1983-01-01

The only reliable method for dating kimberlites at present is the lengthy and specialized hydrothermal procedure that extracts 206Pb and 238U from low-uranium zircons. This paper describes a second successful method by fission track dating of large single-crystal zircons, 1.0-1.5 cm in dimension. The use of large crystals overcomes the limitations imposed in conventional fission track analysis which utilizes crushed fragments. Low track densities, optical track dispersion, and the random orientation of polished surfaces in the etch and irradiation cycle are effectively overcome. Fission track ages of zircons from five African kimberlites are reported, from the Kimberley Pool (90.3 ?? 6.5 m.y.), Orapa (87.4 ?? 5.7 and 92.4 ?? 6.1 m.y.), Nzega (51.1 ?? 3.8 m.y.), Koffiefontein (90.0 ?? 8.2 m.y.), and Val do Queve (133.4 ?? 11.5 m.y.). In addition we report the first radiometric ages (707.9 ?? 59.6 and 705.5 ?? 61.0 m.y.) of crustal zircons from kimberlites in northwest Liberia. The fission track ages agree well with earlier age estimates. Most of the zircons examined in this study are zoned with respect to uranium but linear correlations are established (by regression analysis) between zones of variable uranium content, and within zones of constant uranium content (by analysis of variance). Concordance between the fission track method and the U/Pb technique is established and we concluded that track fading from thermal annealing has not taken place. Kimberlitic zircons dated in this study, therefore, record the time of eruption. ?? 1983.

A Change in Igneous Activity of the Jack Hills Zircon Sources ca. 3.9 Ga

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bell, E. A.; Harrison, T. M.

2010-12-01

New Ti-in-zircon crystallization temperature (Txlln) data for <4 Ga Jack Hills zircons reveal that the tight clustering of Hadean grains around a Txlln of 680°C, possibly indicative of felsic-to-intermediate minimum melting conditions, continues to ~3.92 Ga. Between 3.92-3.82 Ga the 680°C clustering ceases and most concordant grains cluster around an apparent Txlln of 610°C. A small group of zircons with higher Txlln (~750°C), present during the Hadean, is also observed during this period. After 3.82 Ga a Hadean-like distribution resumes for ~100 Ma. This large, concordant, low-Ti group at ~3.9 Ga is statistically distinct from the Hadean distribution and appears to be unique in the Jack Hills zircon record. The existence of coeval high- and low-Ti groups suggests that two distinct zircon-forming processes are distinguishable ~3.9 Ga, unlike during the Hadean. The significant numbers of zircons with apparent Txlln below 600°C may be suggestive of subsolidus formation, since igneous units with solidii below 600°C are relatively rare. The higher-Ti group is more consistent with an intermediate to mafic igneous origin but metamorphic overprinting or subsolidus formation at granulite grade cannot be ruled out by Txlln alone. A substantial proportion of the high-Ti group display oscillatory and disrupted oscillatory zoning in cathodoluminescence images, usually indicative of igneous origins and later metamorphism, respectively; most low-Ti grains are homogeneous. Several of each group display patchy zonation indicative of metamorphic overprinting. Although several grains with apparent Txlln >600°C display oscillatory zonation, the majority of the low-Ti group do not show textural evidence for igneous origins. We interpret these results to indicate the transition from a mechanism(s) that produced dominantly 680°C apparent zircon temperatures at ca. 3.9 Ga to include a new zircon-forming process in the sediment source(s), likely a protracted period of metamorphism

Temperature lapse rates at restricted thermodynamic equilibrium. Part II: Saturated air and further discussions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Björnbom, Pehr

2016-03-01

In the first part of this work equilibrium temperature profiles in fluid columns with ideal gas or ideal liquid were obtained by numerically minimizing the column energy at constant entropy, equivalent to maximizing column entropy at constant energy. A minimum in internal plus potential energy for an isothermal temperature profile was obtained in line with Gibbs' classical equilibrium criterion. However, a minimum in internal energy alone for adiabatic temperature profiles was also obtained. This led to a hypothesis that the adiabatic lapse rate corresponds to a restricted equilibrium state, a type of state in fact discussed already by Gibbs. In this paper similar numerical results for a fluid column with saturated air suggest that also the saturated adiabatic lapse rate corresponds to a restricted equilibrium state. The proposed hypothesis is further discussed and amended based on the previous and the present numerical results and a theoretical analysis based on Gibbs' equilibrium theory.

U-Pb zircon geochronology and Zr-in-rutile thermometry of eclogites from the Dulan area, North Qaidam ultra-high pressure (UHP) terrane, western China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernández Uribe, D.; Stubbs, K.; Lehman, M. R.; Gilmore, V.; Kylander-Clark, A. R.; Mattinson, C. G.

2016-12-01

The Dulan area, in the North Qaidam terrane, exposes UHP eclogites and gneisses that experienced a 20 Myr UHP event at P-T conditions of 30 kbar and 700 °C. Two eclogites were analyzed using Zr-in-rutile thermometry and zircon U-Pb + trace element analysis to constrain the metamorphic evolution of the area. A kyanite-phengite eclogite presents a mineral assemblage of grt + omp + ph + ky + rt + zo + qz. Rutile analyses show a Zr concentration of 173-250 ppm with a mean of 207 ± 19 ppm. The calculated temperatures yielded 685-716 °C with an average of 700 ± 7°C. Zircon U-Pb analyses gave an upper intercept age of 880 ± 89 Ma. These analyses from cathodoluminiscence (CL)-dark core zircons show a negative Eu anomaly and a steep HREE slope suggesting a magmatic origin for the protolith. Analyses from CL-bright rims gave a weighted mean age of 427 ± 2 Ma. These zircons show an eclogite facies trace elements pattern suggesting that the age represent the HP-UHP event. Titanium concentration in zircons gave a weighted mean of 4.41 ± 0.25 ppm. This Ti concentration yielded a calculated temperature of 674 °C A phengite eclogite shows a mineral assemblage of grt + omp + ph + rt + zo + qz. Rutile in matrix analyses show a Zr concentration of 123-161 ppm with a mean of 139 ± 9 ppm. Calculated temperatures for these rutiles ranges from 659-680 °C with a mean temperature of 668 ± 5 °C. U-Pb analyses from CL-dark zircon cores gave a weighted mean age of 844 ± 7 Ma. These zircons show a negative Eu anomaly and a steep HREE slope suggesting a magmatic origin for the protolith. Analyses from CL-grey rims gave a weighted mean age of 433 ± 4 Ma. These zircons show an eclogite facies trace elements pattern, representing the timing of the HP-UHP event. Titanium concentration in zircons gave a weighted mean of 3.13 ± 0.34 ppm. This concentration yielded calculated temperature 647 °C. The obtained ages are in the same range as the ones obtained for the northern and southern

Testing the reliability of information extracted from ancient zircon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kielman, Ross; Whitehouse, Martin; Nemchin, Alexander

2015-04-01

Studies combining zircon U-Pb chronology, trace element distribution as well as O and Hf isotope systematics are a powerful way to gain understanding of the processes shaping Earth's evolution, especially in detrital populations where constraints from the original host are missing. Such studies of the Hadean detrital zircon population abundant in sedimentary rocks in Western Australia have involved analysis of an unusually large number of individual grains, but also highlighted potential problems with the approach, only apparent when multiple analyses are obtained from individual grains. A common feature of the Hadean as well as many early Archaean zircon populations is their apparent inhomogeneity, which reduces confidence in conclusions based on studies combining chemistry and isotopic characteristics of zircon. In order to test the reliability of information extracted from early Earth zircon, we report results from one of the first in-depth multi-method study of zircon from a relatively simple early Archean magmatic rock, used as an analogue to ancient detrital zircon. The approach involves making multiple SIMS analyses in individual grains in order to be comparable to the most advanced studies of detrital zircon populations. The investigated sample is a relatively undeformed, non-migmatitic ca. 3.8 Ga tonalite collected a few kms south of the Isua Greenstone Belt, southwest Greenland. Extracted zircon grains can be combined into three different groups based on the behavior of their U-Pb systems: (i) grains that show internally consistent and concordant ages and define an average age of 3805±15 Ma, taken to be the age of the rock, (ii) grains that are distributed close to the concordia line, but with significant variability between multiple analyses, suggesting an ancient Pb loss and (iii) grains that have multiple analyses distributed along a discordia pointing towards a zero intercept, indicating geologically recent Pb-loss. This overall behavior has

Lipid order, saturation and surface property relationships: a study of human meibum saturation.

PubMed

Mudgil, Poonam; Borchman, Douglas; Yappert, Marta C; Duran, Diana; Cox, Gregory W; Smith, Ryan J; Bhola, Rahul; Dennis, Gary R; Whitehall, John S

2013-11-01

Tear film stability decreases with age however the cause(s) of the instability are speculative. Perhaps the more saturated meibum from infants may contribute to tear film stability. The meibum lipid phase transition temperature and lipid hydrocarbon chain order at physiological temperature (33 °C) decrease with increasing age. It is reasonable that stronger lipid-lipid interactions could stabilize the tear film since these interactions must be broken for tear break up to occur. In this study, meibum from a pool of adult donors was saturated catalytically. The influence of saturation on meibum hydrocarbon chain order was determined by infrared spectroscopy. Meibum is in an anhydrous state in the meibomian glands and on the surface of the eyelid. The influence of saturation on the surface properties of meibum was determined using Langmuir trough technology. Saturation of native human meibum did not change the minimum or maximum values of hydrocarbon chain order so at temperatures far above or below the phase transition of human meibum, saturation does not play a role in ordering or disordering the lipid hydrocarbon chains. Saturation did increase the phase transition temperature in human meibum by over 20 °C, a relatively high amount. Surface pressure-area studies showing the late take off and higher maximum surface pressure of saturated meibum compared to native meibum suggest that the saturated meibum film is quite molecularly ordered (stiff molecular arrangement) and elastic (molecules are able to rearrange during compression and expansion) compared with native meibum films which are more fluid agreeing with the infrared spectroscopic results of this study. In saturated meibum, the formation of compacted ordered islands of lipids above the surfactant layer would be expected to decrease the rate of evaporation compared to fluid and more loosely packed native meibum. Higher surface pressure observed with films of saturated meibum compared to native meibum

Hydrogen incorporation and charge balance in natural zircon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Hoog, J. C. M.; Lissenberg, C. J.; Brooker, R. A.; Hinton, R.; Trail, D.; Hellebrand, E.

2014-09-01

The water and trace element contents of natural igneous zircons were determined to constrain the mechanism of hydrogen incorporation. The low radiation-damage zircons were derived from Fe-Ti oxide gabbros from the Vema Fracture Zone (11°N, Mid-Atlantic Ridge). They contain up to 1212 ppmw H2O, 1.9 wt.% Y2O3 and 0.6 wt.% P2O5 and are generally strongly zoned. REE + Y are partially charge-balanced by P (Y, REE3+ + P5+ = Zr4+ + Si4+), but a large REE excess is present. On an atomic basis, this excess is closely approximated by the amount of H present in the zircons. We therefore conclude that H is incorporated by a charge-balance mechanism (H+ + REE3+ = Zr4+). This interpretation is consistent with FTIR data of the Vema zircons, which shows a strongly polarised main absorption band at ca. 3100 cm-1, similar to experimentally grown Lu-doped hydrous zircon. The size of this 3100 cm-1 band scales with H and REE contents. Apart from a small overlapping band at 3200 cm-1, no other absorption bands are visible, indicating that a hydrogrossular-type exchange mechanism does not appear to be operating in these zircons. Because of charge-balanced uptake of H, P and REE in zircon, the partitioning of these elements into zircon is dependent on each of their concentrations. For instance, DREEzrc/melt increases with increasing H and P contents of the melt, whereas DHzrc/melt increases with increasing REE content but decreases with increasing P content. In addition, H-P-REE systematics of sector zoning indicate kinetic effects may play an important role. Hence, using H in zircon to determine the water content of melts is problematic, and REE partitioning studies need to take into account P and H2O contents of the melt.

Effect of elevated temperature on membrane lipid saturation in Antarctic notothenioid fish.

PubMed

Malekar, Vanita C; Morton, James D; Hider, Richard N; Cruickshank, Robert H; Hodge, Simon; Metcalf, Victoria J

2018-01-01

Homeoviscous adaptation (HVA) is a key cellular response by which fish protect their membranes against thermal stress. We investigated evolutionary HVA (long time scale) in Antarctic and non-Antarctic fish. Membrane lipid composition was determined for four Perciformes fish: two closely related Antarctic notothenioid species ( Trematomus bernacchii and Pagothenia borchgrevinki ); a diversified related notothenioid Antarctic icefish ( Chionodraco hamatus ); and a New Zealand species ( Notolabrus celidotus ). The membrane lipid compositions were consistent across the three Antarctic species and these were significantly different from that of the New Zealand species. Furthermore, acclimatory HVA (short time periods with seasonal changes) was investigated to determine whether stenothermal Antarctic fish, which evolved in the cold, stable environment of the Southern Ocean, have lost the acclimatory capacity to modulate their membrane saturation states, making them vulnerable to anthropogenic global warming. We compared liver membrane lipid composition in two closely related Antarctic fish species acclimated at 0 °C (control temperature), 4 °C for a period of 14 days in T. bernacchii and 28 days for P. borchgrevinki, and 6 °C for 7 days in both species. Thermal acclimation at 4 °C did not result in changed membrane saturation states in either Antarctic species. Despite this, membrane functions were not compromised, as indicated by declining serum osmolality, implying positive compensation by enhanced hypo-osmoregulation. Increasing the temperature to 6 °C did not change the membrane lipids of P. borchgrevinki. However, in T. bernacchii, thermal acclimation at 6 °C resulted in an increase of membrane saturated fatty acids and a decline in unsaturated fatty acids. This is the first study to show a homeoviscous response to higher temperatures in an Antarctic fish, although for only one of the two species examined.

Alternative approaches used to assess structural changes of natural zircon caused by heat treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huong, L. T. T.; Thuyet, N. T. M.; Phan, T. L.; Tran, N.; Toan, D. N.; Thang, P. D.; Huy, B. T.

2018-03-01

It is known that large changes in the crystal structure of zircon (ZrSiO4) can be assessed through the linewidth of the characteristic Raman mode (Δν3) at 1008 cm-1. However, the use of Δν3 to assess small changes caused by heat treatment at temperatures below its decomposition temperature of 1670 °C is difficult. The present work points out that the combination of X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses, and photoluminescence (PL) and Raman (RS) measurements with different excitation wavelengths is an effective approach to solve the above problem. In this context, we have selected natural zircon containing some rare-earth (RE) impurities, and then studied the changes in its crystal structure caused by heat treatment at temperatures Tan=400-1600 °C. XRD analyses reveal that small modifications of the unit-cell parameters occur as Tan>600 °C. Taking the intensity ratios of the ν3 mode to RE-related emissions (Iν3/IRE) or the PL intensity ratios between RE-related emissions into consideration, the similar results in good agreement with the XRD analyses are also found. We believe that the small structural changes are related to the migration and redistribution of defects and impurities, and re-crystallization of zircon. This could be further confirmed though the relation between paramagnetic and ferromagnetic signals when Tan changes.

Electron magnetic resonance investigation of gadolinium diffusion in zircon powders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Biasi, R. S.; Grillo, M. L. N.

2011-11-01

The electron magnetic resonance (EMR) technique was used to investigate the diffusion of gadolinium in zircon (ZrSiO4) powders. The EMR absorption intensity was measured for several annealing times and three different temperatures of isothermal annealing: 1273, 1323 and 1373 K. The activation energy for diffusion, calculated from the experimental data using a theoretical model based on the Fick equation, was found to be EA=506±5 kJ mol-1. This value is close to the ones for the diffusion of Gd in UO2 and CeO2, but much larger than for the diffusion of gadolinium in a compound with the same crystal structure as zircon, YVO4. This is attributed to a difference in the relative sizes of the ions involved in the diffusion process.

Oxygen isotopic composition and U-Pb discordance in zircon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Booth, A.L.; Kolodny, Y.; Chamberlain, C.P.; McWilliams, M.; Schmitt, A.K.; Wooden, J.

2005-01-01

We have investigated U-Pb discordance and oxygen isotopic composition of zircon using high-spatial resolution ??18O measurement by ion microprobe. ??18O in both concordant and discordant zircon grains provides an indication of the relationship between fluid interaction and discordance. Our results suggest that three characteristics of zircon are interrelated: (1) U-Pb systematics and concomitant age discordance, (2) ??18O and the water-rock interactions implied therein, and (3) zircon texture, as revealed by cathodoluminescence and BSE imaging. A key observation is that U-Pb-disturbed zircons are often also variably depleted in 18O, but the relationship between discordance and ??18O is not systematic. ??18O values of discordant zircons are generally lighter but irregular in their distribution. Textural differences between zircon grains can be correlated with both U-Pb discordance and ??18O. Discordant grains exhibit either a recrystallized, fractured, or strongly zoned CL texture, and are characteristic of 18O depletion. We interpret this to be a result of metamictization, leading to destruction of the zircon lattice and an increased susceptibility to lead loss. Conversely, grains that are concordant have less-expressed zoning and a smoother CL texture and are enriched in 18O. From this it is apparent that various stages of water-rock interaction, as evidenced by systematic variations in ??18O, leave their imprint on both the texture and U-Pb systematics of zircon. Copyright ?? 2005 Elsevier Ltd.

New Insights on the Recrystallization and New Growth of Extensively Radiation-damaged Zircon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanchar, J. M.; Schmitz, M. D.; Wirth, R.

2012-12-01

Approximately 10 grams of cm-sized nearly metamict zircon crystals from the Saranac Prospect in the Bancroft District of Ontario were combined by breaking into small pieces and then ground under ethanol to a fine powder with an agate mortar and pestle in order to make enough homogeneously mixed material for multiple powder X-Ray and diffraction scans, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) measurements, and chemical abrasion isotope dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry (CA-TIMS). While these large zircon crystals ground to a powder have a larger surface area and not in the same physical state (i.e., brown and metamict) as what is typically analyzed in single zircon CA-ID-TIMS U-Pb analysis (clear euhedral grains), the physical and chemical changes that occur during the heat treatment used in CA-TIMS are thought to be similar processes. Aliquots of the ground zircon powder were annealed in situ using a Pt furnace in a powder diffractometer during which time simultaneous powder diffraction patterns were acquired starting at 25°C, at elevated temperature (from 500°C to 1400°C) at selected time intervals, and then again at 25°C. The powder X-ray diffraction results indicate that below ~900°C the recrystallization of the zircon powder commences but is incomplete, even after 36 hours, with diffuse low intensity diffraction peaks. At 1150°C the zircon powder shows significant recrystallization. At 1150°C, the recrystallization is essentially complete in less than one hour. Before heating the zircon powder samples consisted of clear, transparent to brown, translucent, complexly zoned fragments. After heating at 900°C the zircon powder retained a smaller percentage of clear or brown complexly zoned fragments, while the majority of material had transformed to oscillatory or irregularly zoned, dominantly white opaque microcrystalline fragments. The clear fragments were hypothesized to be preexisting original crystalline zircon, the brown

Fission track dating of kimberlitic zircons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haggerty, Stephen E.; Raber, Ellen; Naeser, Charles W.

1983-04-01

The only reliable method for dating kimberlites at present is the lengthy and specialized hydrothermal procedure that extracts 206Pb and 238U from low-uranium zircons. This paper describes a second successful method by fission track dating of large single-crystal zircons, 1.0-1.5 cm in dimension. The use of large crystals overcomes the limitations imposed in conventional fission track analysis which utilizes crushed fragments. Low track densities, optical track dispersion, and the random orientation of polished surfaces in the etch and irradiation cycle are effectively overcome. Fission track ages of zircons from five African kimberlites are reported, from the Kimberley Pool (90.3 ± 6.5 m.y.), Orapa (87.4 ± 5.7 and 92.4 ± 6.1 m.y.), Nzega (51.1 ± 3.8 m.y.), Koffiefontein (90.0 ± 8.2 m.y.), and Val do Queve (133.4 ± 11.5 m.y.). In addition we report the first radiometric ages (707.9 ± 59.6 and 705.5 ± 61.0 m.y.) of crustal zircons from kimberlites in northwest Liberia. The fission track ages agree well with earlier age estimates. Most of the zircons examined in this study are zoned with respect to uranium but linear correlations are established (by regression analysis) between zones of variable uranium content, and within zones of constant uranium content (by analysis of variance). Concordance between the fission track method and the U/Pb technique is established and we concluded that track fading from thermal annealing has not taken place. Kimberlitic zircons dated in this study, therefore, record the time of eruption.

Apollo 12 breccia 12013: Impact-induced partial Pb loss in zircon and its implications for lunar geochronology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thiessen, F.; Nemchin, A. A.; Snape, J. F.; Bellucci, J. J.; Whitehouse, M. J.

2018-06-01

Apollo 12 breccia 12013 is composed of two portions, one grey in colour, the other black. The grey portion of the breccia consists mainly of felsite thought to have formed during a single crystallisation event, while the black part is characterized by presence of lithic fragments of noritic rocks and individual plagioclase crystals. In this study, U-Pb analyses of Ca-phosphate and zircon grains were conducted in both portions of the breccia. The zircon grains within the grey portion yielded a large range of ages (4154 ± 7 to 4308 ± 6 Ma, 2σ) and show decreasing U and Th concentrations within the younger grains. Moreover, some grains exhibit recrystallisation features and potentially formation of neoblasts. The latter process requires high temperatures above 1600-1700 °C leading to the decomposition of the primary zircon grain and subsequent formation of new zircon occurring as neoblasts. As a result of the high temperatures, the U-Pb system of the remaining original zircon grains was most likely open for Pb diffusion causing partial resetting and the observed range of 207Pb/206Pb ages. The event that led to the Pb loss in zircon could potentially be dated by the U-Pb system in Ca-phosphates, which have a weighted average 207Pb/206Pb age across both lithologies of 3924 ± 3 Ma (95% conf.). This age is identical within error to the combined average 207Pb/206Pb age of 3926 ± 2 Ma that was previously obtained from Ca-phosphates within Apollo 14 breccias, zircon grains in Apollo 12 impact melt breccias, and the lunar meteorite SaU 169. This age was interpreted to date the Imbrium impact. The zircon grains located within the black portion of the breccia yielded a similar range of ages (4123 ± 13 to 4328 ± 14 Ma, 2σ) to those in the grey portion. Given the brecciated nature of this part of the sample, the interpretation of these ages as representing igneous crystallisation or resetting by impact events remains ambiguous since there is no direct link to their

Radiation Damage Study in Natural Zircon Using Neutrons Irradiation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lwin, Maung Tin Moe; Amin, Yusoff Mohd.; Kassim, Hasan Abu

2011-03-30

Changes of atomic displacements in crystalline structure of natural zircon (ZrSiO{sub 4}) can be studied by using neutron irradiation on the surface of zircon and compared the data from XRD measurements before and after irradiation. The results of neutron irradiation on natural zircon using Pneumatic Transfer System (PTS) at PUSPATI TRIGA Research Reactor in the Malaysian Nuclear Agency are discussed in this work. The reactor produces maximum thermal power output of 1 MWatt and the neutron flux of up to 1x10{sup 13} ncm{sup -2}s{sup -1}. From serial decay processes of uranium and thorium radionuclides in zircon crystalline structure, the emissionmore » of alpha particles can produce damage in terms of atomic displacements in zircon. Hence, zircon has been extensively studied as a possible candidate for immobilization of fission products and actinides.« less

Isotope U-Pb age on single zircon and REE distribution in rocks and zircon from paleoproterozoic Kandalaksha-Kolvitsa complex Baltic shield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steshenko, Ekaterina; Bayanova, Tamara; Drogobuzhskaya, Svetlana; Lyalina, Ludmila; Serov, Pavel; Chashchin, Viktor; Elizarov, Dmitriy

2017-04-01

Kandalaksha-Kolvitsa paleoproterozoic complex located in the N-E part of Baltic shield and consists of three zones. Marginal zone (mesocratic metanorite) lies at the base of the massif. Main zone is composed of leucocratic metagabbro. The upper zone is alteration of mataanorthosite and leucocratic metagabbro. All rocks were subjected to granulate and anorthositic metamorphism. Age of magmatic crystallization of the massif was determined for the first time, using the U-Pb isotope method for single zircon grains. Three fractions of single zircons from anorthosite of the Kandalaksha massif gave precise U-Pb age of 2435.5 ± 4.8 Ma. For the first time REE concentration (WR) was determined using a quadrupole mass spectrometer (Agilent 7500 ce ICP-MS) in the main varieties of rocks of the Kandalaksha-Kolvitsa paleoproterozoic complex. Anorthosite and leucocratic metagabbros (main zone) are characterized by a flat spectrum distribution of HREE, which were normalized by [1]. The REE pattern is characterized by significant positive anomalies of Eu ((Eu / Eu *)n = 3.72-3.91) in anorthosite and leucogabbros and 7.26 - in ortoamfibolitah. General content of individual elements that are common for this type of rocks: Cen = 5.82-8.54, Ybn = 1.54-1.58, which indicates that the process of crystallization of the rock occurred with predominant accumulation of plagioclase. According to geochemical and Nd-Sr isotopic data (ISr=0.702 - 0.706, ɛNd(T) = +1 - (-3)) Kandalaksha Kolvitsa complex, appear to have a general plume source with Paleoproterozoic layered intrusions of the Baltic Shield [2] Distribution of REE (ELAN-9000 ICP-MS) in zircon have a typical magmatic species: a positive Ce, negative Eu anomaly and HREE flat spectrum. Titanium content in zircons were measured for the calculation of their crystallization temperature with 8350C. These data are evidence of magmatic origin of zircon [3]. The scientific researches are supported by RFBR (projects № 15-35-20501, № 16

Petrology of Zircon-Bearing Diogenite Northwest Africa 10666

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tanner, T. B.; Jeffcoat, C. R.; Righter, M.; Berger, E. L.; Lapen, T. J.; Irving, A. J.; Kuehner, S. M.; Fujihara, G.

2017-01-01

The howardite, eucrite, and diogenite (HED) meteorites are a group of achondrites thought to be derived from the asteroid 4 Vesta, though there is active debate as to whether all diogenites are part of the HED suite. Petrologic investigation of the HED meteorite group provides a means of understanding early planetary differentiation processes and early evolution of planets in our solar system. Diogenites are predominantly coarse grained ortho-pyroxenites with some samples containing appreciable amounts of clinopyroxene, olivine, chromite, and plagioclase. Accessory metal, troilite, and apatite are common. Many diogenites are brecciated, however, there are few poorly to unbrecciated samples. Diogenites are important because they may represent the lower crust of 4 Vesta. Although Mg isotope data indicates that the sources of diogenites are ancient, their crystallization ages are difficult to constrain due to their protracted thermal histories. The limited chronologic data for diogenites also limits the ability to test petrogenetic connections with eucrites and even parent body. A reliable and high closure-temperature isotope system, such as U-Pb in zircon, is needed to address the timing of diogenite igneous crystallization. Description of the textures and mineralogy of diogenites are essential to their classification and understanding their formation, in particular, whether all phases are petrogenetically related. Here, we present detailed petrographic data from a rare zircon-bearing feldspathic diogenite, Northwest Africa (NWA) 10666 and provide textural evidence for igneous crystallization of the zircon.

Textural and U-Pb systematics (CA-TIMS) of stepwise leaching in zircon from granophyres in the Archean Stillwater Complex

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wall, C. J.; Scoates, J. S.; Friedman, R. M.; Meurer, W. P.

2011-12-01

The chemical abrasion-TIMS method or CA-TIMS uses a high-temperature annealing treatment to remove the effects of Pb-loss from radiation damaged parts of the zircon lattice and allows for highly precise and accurate U-Pb dating [1]. Zircon with high U-Th concentrations can be strongly metamict and it is not yet clear how effective the chemical abrasion treatment is when applied to these types of grains. In this study, we evaluate the link between the textural response and U-Pb systematics of zircon during chemical leaching for a granophyric rock from the Archean Stillwater Complex in Montana. The sample was selected based on the high abundance of zircon and the high degree of metamictization of the grains. Untreated and leached zircon grains were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and isotope dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS). In thin section, zircon grains are euhedral in morphology and tend to be associated with amphibole-rich zones. Under the SEM, zircon grains typically have two distinct zones, a Ca-rich amorphous zone in the core and a more intact outer shell. Five acid-leaching steps were carried out on grains with each step increasing in temperature and acid strength until the zircon residue completely dissolved (starting at a 50% strength HF/HNO3 mixture at 100°C for 4 hours and finishing at full strength acid at 170°C for 4 hours). SEM imaging was conducted on grains after each step with a noticeable change in the morphology of the grains. As the leaching progressed, the acid leach created large pathways through the crystal lattice until only grain fragments remained, in some cases even boring large holes into the centre of the zircon grain. The acid preferentially dissolved the more soluble Ca-rich zones leaving behind fragile zircon "shells". U-Pb results of untreated grains are highly discordant (37-80%) and yield a chord with an upper intercept age of 1981 ± 140 Ma, whereas leached grains are slightly less

Deformation-related microstructures in magmatic zircon and implications for diffusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reddy, Steven Michael; Timms, Nicholas E.; Hamilton, Patrick Joseph; Smyth, Helen R.

2009-02-01

An undeformed glomeroporphyritic andesite from the Sunda Arc of Java, Indonesia, contains zoned plagioclase and amphibole glomerocrysts in a fine-grained groundmass and records a complex history of adcumulate formation and subsequent magmatic disaggregation. A suite of xenocrystic zircon records Proterozoic and Archaean dates whilst a discrete population of zoned, euhedral, igneous zircon yields a SHRIMP U-Pb crystallisation age of 9.3 ± 0.2 Ma. Quantitative microstructural analysis of zircon by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) shows no deformation in the inherited xenocrysts, but intragrain orientation variations of up to 30° in 80% of the young zircon population. These variations are typically accommodated by both progressive crystallographic bending and discrete low angle boundaries that overprint compositional growth zoning. Dispersion of crystallographic orientations are dominantly by rotation about an axis parallel to the zircon c-axis [001], which is coincident with the dominant orientation of misorientation axes of adjacent analysis points in EBSD maps. Less common <100> misorientation axes account for minor components of crystallographic dispersion. These observations are consistent with zircon deformation by dislocation creep and the formation of tilt and twist boundaries associated with the operation of <001>{100} and <100>{010} slip systems. The restriction of deformation microstructures to large glomerocrysts and the young magmatic zircon population, and the absence of deformation within the host igneous rock and inherited zircon grains, indicate that zircon deformation took place within a low-melt fraction (<5% melt), mid-lower crustal cumulate prior to fragmentation during magmatic disaggregation and entrainment of xenocrystic zircons during magmatic decompression. Tectonic stresses within the compressional Sunda Arc at the time of magmatism are considered to be the probable driver for low-strain deformation of the cumulate in the late

The multistage crystallization of zircon in calc-alkaline granitoids: U-Pb age constraints on the timing of Variscan tectonic activity in SW Iberia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pereira, M. F.; Chichorro, M.; Moita, P.; Santos, J. F.; Solá, A. M. R.; Williams, I. S.; Silva, J. B.; Armstrong, R. A.

2015-07-01

CL imaging and U-Th-Pb data for a population of zircons from two of the Évora Massif granitoids (Ossa-Morena Zone, SW Iberia) show that both calc-alkaline granitoids have zircon populations dominated by grains with cores and rims either showing or not showing differences in Th/U ratio, and having ages in the range ca. 350-335 Ma (Early Carboniferous). Multistage crystallization of zircon is revealed in two main growth stages (ca. 344-342 Ma and ca. 336-335 Ma), well represented by morphologically complex zircons with cores and rims with different ages and different Th/U ratios that can be explained by: (1) crystallization from melts with different compositions (felsic peraluminous to felsic-intermediate metaluminous; 0.001 < Th/U ratio < 0.5) and (2) transient temperature fluctuations in a system where anatectic felsic melts periodically underwent injection of more mafic magmas at higher temperatures. The two studied calc-alkaline granitoids do not include inherited zircons (pre-Carboniferous), probably because they were formed at the highest grade of metamorphism ( T > 837 °C; granulite facies) and/or because they were derived from inheritance-poor felsic and mafic rocks from a previous cycle, as suggested by the internal structures of zircon cores. These Variscan magmatic rocks with crystallization ages estimated at ca. 336-335 Ma are spatially and temporally related to high-temperature metamorphism, anatexis, processes of interaction between crustal- and mantle-derived magmas and intra-orogenic extension that acted in SW Iberia during the Early Carboniferous.

Numerical modeling perspectives on zircon crystallization and magma reservoir growth at the Laguna del Maule volcanic field, central Chile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andersen, N. L.; Dufek, J.; Singer, B. S.

2017-12-01

Magma reservoirs in the middle to upper crust are though to accumulate incrementally over 104 -105 years. Coupled crystallization ages and compositions of zircon are a potentially powerful tracer of reservoir growth and magma evolution. However, complex age distributions and disequilibrium trace element partitioning complicate the interpretation of the zircon record in terms of magmatic processes. In order to make quantitative predictions of the effects of magmatic processes that contribute reservoir growth and evolution—such as cooling and crystallization, magma recharge and mixing, and rejuvenation and remelting of cumulate-rich reservoir margins—we develop a model of zircon saturation and growth within a numerical framework of coupled thermal transfer, phase equilibrium, and magma dynamics. We apply this model to the Laguna del Maule volcanic field (LdM), located in central Chile. LdM has erupted at least 40 km3 of rhyolite from 36 vents distributed within a 250 km2 lake basin. Ongoing unrest demonstrates the large, silicic magma system beneath LdM remains active to this day. Zircon from rhyolite erupted between c. 23 and 1.8 ka produce a continuous distribution of 230Th-238U ages ranging from eruption to 40 ka, as well as less common crystal domains up to 165 ka and rare xenocrysts. Zircon trace element compositions fingerprint compositionally distinct reservoirs that grew within the larger magma system. Despite the dominantly continuous distributions of ages, many crystals are characterized by volumetrically substantial, trace element enriched domains consistent with rapid crystal growth. We utilize numerical simulations to assess the magmatic conditions required to catalyze these "blooms" of crystallization and the magma dynamics that contributed to the assembly of the LdM magma system.

Effect of Capacitive and Resistive electric transfer on haemoglobin saturation and tissue temperature.

PubMed

Tashiro, Yuto; Hasegawa, Satoshi; Yokota, Yuki; Nishiguchi, Shu; Fukutani, Naoto; Shirooka, Hidehiko; Tasaka, Seishiro; Matsushita, Tomofumi; Matsubara, Keisuke; Nakayama, Yasuaki; Sonoda, Takuya; Tsuboyama, Tadao; Aoyama, Tomoki

2017-09-01

This study aims to evaluate the effects of Capacitive and Resistive electric transfer (CRet) and hotpack (HP) on haemoglobin saturation and tissue temperature. The participants were 13 healthy males (mean age 24.5 ± 3.0). They underwent three interventions on different days: (1) CRet (CRet group), (2) HP (HP group) and (3) CRet without power (sham group). The intervention and measurement were applied at the lower paraspinal muscle. Indiba ® active ProRecovery HCR902 was used in the CRet group, and the moist heat method was used in the HP group. Oxygenated, deoxygenated and total haemoglobin (oxy-Hb, deoxy-Hb, total-Hb) counts were measured before and after the 15-min interventions, together with the temperature at the skin surface, and at depths of 10 mm and 20 mm (ST, 10mmDT and 20mmDT, respectively). The haemoglobin saturation and tissue temperature were measured until 30 min after the intervention and were collected at 5-min intervals. Statistical analysis was performed for each index by using the Mann-Whitney U test for comparisons between all groups at each time point. Total-Hb and oxy-Hb were significantly higher in the CRet group than in the HP group continuously for 30 min after the intervention. The 10mmDT and 20mmDT were significantly higher in the CRet group than in the HP group from 10- to 30 min after intervention. The effect on haemoglobin saturation was higher in the CRet group than in the HP group. In addition, the CRet intervention warmed deep tissue more effectively than HP intervention.

Multi-mode Li diffusion in natural zircons: Evidence for diffusion in the presence of step-function concentration boundaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Ming; Rudnick, Roberta L.; McDonough, William F.; Bose, Maitrayee; Goreva, Yulia

2017-09-01

Micron- to submicron-scale observations of Li distribution and Li isotope composition profiles can be used to infer the mechanisms of Li diffusion in natural zircon. Extreme fractionation (20-30‰) within each single crystal studied here confirms that Li diffusion commonly occurs in zircon. Sharp Li concentration gradients frequently seen in zircons suggest that the effective diffusivity of Li is significantly slower than experimentally determined (Cherniak and Watson, 2010; Trail et al., 2016), otherwise the crystallization/metamorphic heating of these zircons would have to be unrealistically fast (years to tens of years). Charge coupling with REE and Y has been suggested as a mechanism that may considerably reduce Li diffusivity in zircon (Ushikubo et al., 2008; Bouvier et al., 2012). We show that Li diffused in the direction of decreasing Li/Y ratio and increasing Li concentration (uphill diffusion) in one of the zircons, demonstrating charge coupling with REE and Y. Quantitative modeling reveals that Li may diffuse in at least two modes in natural zircons: one being slow and possibly coupled with REE+Y, and the other one being fast and not coupled with REE+Y. The partitioning of Li between these two modes during its diffusion may depend on the pre-diffusion substitution mechanism of REE and Y in the zircon lattice. Based on our results, sharp Li concentration gradients are not indicative of limited diffusion, and can be preserved at temperatures >700 °C on geologic timescales. Finally, large δ7 Li variations observed in the Hadean Jack Hills zircons may record kinetic fractionation, rather than a record of ancient intense weathering in the granite source materials.

Isotopic Composition of Oxygen in Lunar Zircons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nemchin, A. A.; Whitehouse, M. J.; Pidgeon, R. T.; Meyer, C.

2005-01-01

The recent discovery of heavy oxygen in zircons from the Jack Hills conglomerates Wilde et al. and Mojzsis et al. was interpreted as an indication of presence of liquid water on the surface of Early Earth. The distribution of ages of Jack Hills zircons and lunar zircons appears to be very similar and therefore analysis of oxygen in the lunar grains may provide a reference frame for further study of the early history of the Earth as well as give additional information regarding processes that operated on the Moon. In the present study we have analysed the oxygen isotopic composition of zircon grains from three lunar samples using the Swedish Museum of Natural History CAMECA 1270 ion microprobe. The samples were selected as likely tests for variations in lunar oxygen isotopic composition. Additional information is included in the original extended abstract.

Temperature gradient effects on vapor diffusion in partially-saturated porous media

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Webb, S.W.

1999-07-01

Vapor diffusion in porous media in the presence of its own liquid may be enhanced due to pore-scale processes, such as condensation and evaporation across isolated liquid islands. Webb and Ho (1997) developed one-and two-dimensional mechanistic pore-scale models of these processes in an ideal porous medium. For isothermal and isobaric boundary conditions with a concentration gradient, the vapor diffusion rate was significantly enhanced by these liquid island processes compared to a dry porous media. The influence of a temperature gradient on the enhanced vapor diffusion rate is considered in this paper. The two-dimensional pore network model which is used inmore » the present study is shown. For partially-saturated conditions, a liquid island is introduced into the top center pore. Boundary conditions on the left and right sides of the model are specified to give the desired concentration and temperature gradients. Vapor condenses on one side of the liquid island and evaporates off the other side due to local vapor pressure lowering caused by the interface curvature, even without a temperature gradient. Rather than acting as an impediment to vapor diffusion, the liquid island actually enhances the vapor diffusion rate. The enhancement of the vapor diffusion rate can be significant depending on the liquid saturation. Vapor diffusion is enhanced by up to 40% for this single liquid island compared to a dry porous medium; enhancement factors of up to an order of magnitude have been calculated for other conditions by Webb and Ho (1997). The dominant effect on the enhancement factor is the concentration gradient; the influence of the temperature gradient is smaller. The significance of these results, which need to be confirmed by experiments, is that the dominant model of enhanced vapor diffusion (EVD) by Philip and deVries (1957) predicts that temperature gradients must exist for EVD to occur. If there is no temperature gradient, there is no enhancement. The present

Exploring the pre-eruptive history of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) and the link with the end Triassic extinction using high precision U-Pb zircon and baddeleyite geochronology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davies, Joshua; Marzoli, Andrea; Bertrand, Hervé; Youbi, Nasrrddine; Schaltegger, Urs

2015-04-01

the same magmatic system indicating that the system stayed at temperatures which enabled the magmas/crystal mushes to stay saturated in zircon and baddeleyite. 3) The older zircons are all xenocrysts or inherited cores from earlier magmatism. The identification of antecrystic zircon and baddeleyite in the basalts has significant implications for the relationship between the CAMP and the end Triassic extinction. Recycling of older Zr-phases, which crystallized earlier in the magmatic system that produced CAMP basalt melts, also bear important information on the chemical and physical dynamics of the magmatic plumbing system of the CAMP flood basalt province. We present geochronological information, CL images, and Hf isotopic information to support our interpretations for the origins of these important grains.

Rapid cooling rates at an active mid-ocean ridge from zircon thermochronology

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schmitt, Axel K.; Perfit, Michael R.; Rubin, Kenneth H.; Stockli, Daniel F.; Smith, Matthew C.; Cotsonika, Laurie A.; Zellmer, Georg F.; Ridley, W. Ian

2011-01-01

Oceanic spreading ridges are Earth's most productive crust generating environment, but mechanisms and rates of crustal accretion and heat loss are debated. Existing observations on cooling rates are ambiguous regarding the prevalence of conductive vs. convective cooling of lower oceanic crust. Here, we report the discovery and dating of zircon in mid-ocean ridge dacite lavas that constrain magmatic differentiation and cooling rates at an active spreading center. Dacitic lavas erupted on the southern Cleft segment of the Juan de Fuca ridge, an intermediate-rate spreading center, near the intersection with the Blanco transform fault. Their U–Th zircon crystallization ages (29.3-4.6+4.8 ka; 1δ standard error s.e.) overlap with the (U–Th)/He zircon eruption age (32.7 ± 1.6 ka) within uncertainty. Based on similar 238U-230Th disequilibria between southern Cleft dacite glass separates and young mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) erupted nearby, differentiation must have occurred rapidly, within ~ 10–20 ka at most. Ti-in-zircon thermometry indicates crystallization at 850–900 °C and pressures > 70–150 MPa are calculated from H2O solubility models. These time-temperature constraints translate into a magma cooling rate of ~ 2 × 10-2 °C/a. This rate is at least one order-of-magnitude faster than those calculated for zircon-bearing plutonic rocks from slow spreading ridges. Such short intervals for differentiation and cooling can only be resolved through uranium-series (238U–230Th) decay in young lavas, and are best explained by dissipating heat convectively at high crustal permeability.

Continental crustal history in SE Asia: Insights from zircon geochronology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sevastjanova, I.; Hall, R.; Gunawan, I.; Ferdian, F.; Decker, J.

2012-12-01

It is well known that SE Asia is underlain mostly by continental crust derived from Gondwana. However, there are still many uncertainties about the ages of protoliths, origin, arrival ages and history of different blocks, because much of the basement is unexposed. We have compiled previously published and new zircon U-Pb age and Hf isotope data from SE Asia. Our data set currently contains over 8400 U-Pb ages and over 600 Hf isotope analyses from sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks and work is continuing to increase its size and the area covered. Zircons range in age from 3.4 Ga to near-zero. Archean zircons (>2.5 Ga) are rare in SE Asia and significant Archean populations (particularly zircons >2.8 Ga) are found only in East Java and the Sibumasu block of the Malay Peninsula. The presence of Archean zircons strongly suggests that the East Java and Sibumasu blocks were once situated near present-day Western Australia. Detrital Paleoproterozoic (ca. 1.9-1.8 Ga) zircons are abundant in many parts of SE Asia. In Sundaland (Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, West Java, Borneo) the most likely source for these zircons is the tin belt basement, but a north Australian source is more likely for eastern Indonesian samples. An early Mesoproterozoic (ca. 1.6-1.5 Ga) zircon population, particularly common in eastern Indonesia, is interpreted to be derived from central or northern Australia. Mesoproterozoic zircons, ca. 1.4 Ga, are common only on fragments that are now attached to or were previously part of the north Australian margin, such as the Bird's Head of New Guinea, Timor, Seram, Sulawesi and SW Borneo. Hf isotope characteristics of zircons from Seram are similar to those of zircons from eastern Australia. This supports the suggestion that Seram was part of the Australian margin. Late Meso- and early Neoproterozoic zircons (ca. 1.2-1.1 Ga, 900 Ma, and 600 Ma) are present, but not abundant, in SE Asia. Dominant Phanerozoic populations are Permian-Triassic, Cretaceous, and

Record of Hybridization Preserved in Zircon, Aztec Wash Pluton, NV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bromley, S. A.; Miller, C. F.; Claiborne, L. L.; Wooden, J. L.; Mazdab, F. K.

2007-12-01

The mid-Miocene Aztec Wash pluton comprises a smaller granite zone and a larger, highly heterogeneous zone in which evidence for interaction between basaltic and granitic magmas is ubiquitous. Granitic rocks in both zones show textural and compositional evidence for crystal accumulation and melt fractionation. In the heterogeneous zone, basalts have chilled, crenulate margins against granitic rocks, and there is widespread evidence for mechanical contamination of each lithology (coarse resorbed alkali feldspar in fine-grained mafic rock; mafic enclaves in granite). "Grey rocks" of intermediate composition are exposed on dm to 100's of m-scale as enclaves, pods, and initially subhorizontal sheets. They are variable texturally, but most are dominantly fine- grained and equigranular. Textures of grey rocks are consistent with rapid solidification from melt-rich magma, and, in combination with isotopic compositions intermediate between felsic and mafic rocks of the pluton, suggest an origin by near-complete homogenization of a hybrid melt (Bleick et al. 2005; Ericksen 2005). The elemental chemistry of zircon preserves information about the evolving magmatic environment in which it was hosted (Claiborne et al., 2006). Owing to its slow dissolution rate, it has the potential to survive periods of undersaturation with only partial resorption. Thus, it may record drastic shifts in T and melt chemistry that would accompany mafic-felsic hybridization. We are investigating zircon zoning patterns by cathodoluminescence (CL) and elemental compositions by SHRIMP-RG to evaluate the record of processes that they preserve. Temperatures of zircon growth are estimated using Ti-in-zircon thermometry (Watson et al. 2006), assuming a(TiO2) of ca. 0.7 (sphene +/-ilmenite are ubiquitous). Zircons from the granite zone yield estimated T's of 700-860 C, whereas those from grey rocks range from 710- 910 C. While both granite and grey zircon populations show dramatic T variations among and

Atmospheric CH4 oxidation by Arctic permafrost and mineral cryosols as a function of water saturation and temperature.

PubMed

Stackhouse, B; Lau, M C Y; Vishnivetskaya, T; Burton, N; Wang, R; Southworth, A; Whyte, L; Onstott, T C

2017-01-01

The response of methanotrophic bacteria capable of oxidizing atmospheric CH 4 to climate warming is poorly understood, especially for those present in Arctic mineral cryosols. The atmospheric CH 4 oxidation rates were measured in microcosms incubated at 4 °C and 10 °C along a 1-m depth profile and over a range of water saturation conditions for mineral cryosols containing type I and type II methanotrophs from Axel Heiberg Island (AHI), Nunavut, Canada. The cryosols exhibited net consumption of ~2 ppmv CH 4 under all conditions, including during anaerobic incubations. Methane oxidation rates increased with temperature and decreased with increasing water saturation and depth, exhibiting the highest rates at 10 °C and 33% saturation at 5 cm depth (260 ± 60 pmol CH 4 gdw -1 d -1 ). Extrapolation of the CH 4 oxidation rates to the field yields net CH 4 uptake fluxes ranging from 11 to 73 μmol CH 4  m -2 d -1 , which are comparable to field measurements. Stable isotope mass balance indicates ~50% of the oxidized CH 4 is incorporated into the biomass regardless of temperature or saturation. Future atmospheric CH 4 uptake rates at AHI with increasing temperatures will be determined by the interplay of increasing CH 4 oxidation rates vs. water saturation and the depth to the water table during summer thaw. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The effects of radiation damage and annealing on the microstructure of a natural zircon observed by TDPAC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lacentre, P.; Caracoche, M. C.

1994-06-01

The hyperfine interaction of a natural brazilian zircon sand was determined at zirconium sites between room temperature and 1393K by means of the time-differential perturbed-angular-correlations technique. Complementary measurements of x-ray diffraction, differential thermal analysis and density were also performed. It was found that the starting compound was an intermediate zircon of 4.62 g/cm3 density consisting of a mixture of slightly disordered and highly defectuous materials in a ratio quite different from that determined for non brazilian zircons self irradiated by the same α-dose. Heating the sample resulted in the gradual recovery of the periodic crystalline structure in a two-stage process characterized by activation energies of 3.88 and 4.68 eV. An additional zirconium compound, for which an interpretation is proposed, was observed to be present in a low and nearly constant proportion up to 1393K, temperature at which it evidenced a reduction. A final measurement at RT revealed that this last change, as well as the second annealing stage, were of reversible nature.

Provenance and metamorphic PT conditions of Cryogenian-Ediacaran metasediments from the Kid metamorphic complex, Sinai, NE Arabian-Nubian Shield: Insights from detrital zircon geochemistry and mineral chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Bialy, Mohammed Z.; Ali, Kamal A.; Abu El-Enen, Mahrous M.; Ahmed, Ahmed H.

2015-12-01

The Malhaq and Um Zariq formations occupy the northern part of the Neoproterozoic Kid metamorphic complex of SE Sinai, NE Arabian-Nubian Shield. This study presents new mineral chemistry data and LA-ICP-MS analyses of the trace element concentrations on zircons separated from metapelites from these formations. The detrital zircons of Um Zariq Formation are more enriched in ΣREE, whereas Malhaq Formation zircons are markedly HREE-enriched with strongly fractionated HREE patterns. The quite differences in the overall slope and size of the Eu and Ce anomalies between REE patterns of the two zircon suites provide a robust indication of different sources. The Ti-in-zircon thermometer has revealed that the zircons separated from Malhaq Formation were crystallized within the 916-1018 °C range, while those from Um Zariq Formation exhibit higher range of crystallization temperatures (1084-1154 °C). The detrital zircons of Malhaq Formation were derived mainly from mafic source rocks (basalt and dolerite), whereas Um Zariq Formation zircons have varied and more evolved parent rocks. Most of the investigated zircons from both formations are concluded to be unaltered magmatic that were lately crystallized from a high LREE/HREE melt. All the studied detrital zircon grains show typical trace elements features of crustal-derived zircons. All of the Um Zariq Formation and most of Malhaq Formation detrital zircons are geochemically discriminated as continental zircons. Both formation metapelites record similar, overlapping peak metamorphic temperatures (537-602 °C and 550-579 °C, respectively), and pressures (3.83-4.93 kbar and 3.69-4.07 kbar, respectively). The geothermal gradient, at the peak metamorphic conditions, was quite high (37-41 °C/km) corresponding to metamorphism at burial depth of 14-16 km. The peak regional metamorphism of Um Zariq and Malhaq formations is concluded to be generated during extensional regime and thinning of the lithosphere in an island arc

Improved zircon iron corals for the 1990s

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Decker, C.

1992-03-01

CIBA-GEIGY/Drakenfeld Colors is dedicated to the research and development of consistent and cost-effective ceramic stains for the whitewares industry. After identifying the trends in color for the 1990s. CIBA-GEIGY/Drakenfeld Colors initiated an extensive R D project to improve zircon ion corals for the whitewares industry. These color trends indicated a need for stronger and cleaner zircon iron corals. This paper discusses the chemistry and crystal structure of zircon iron corals. A historical review of Drakenfeld corals will also be presented. The most recent development in Drakenfeld corals will then be compared to other commercially available zircon iron corals. Taking intomore » consideration these comparisons, conclusions will be drawn suggesting the coral of choice for the 1990s.« less

Twinning in Zircon: Not a High-Pressure Phenomenon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, G. A.; Moser, D.; Shieh, S. R.; Barker, I.

2017-12-01

Microtwins in zircon are commonly found in shocked terrestrial and extraterrestrial samples and are potentially important for shock history and crater reconstruction. Twinning is easily observed with both the optical microscope and variety of electron beam techniques. Twinning as a deformation mechanism is consistent with the high strain rates generated during impact. No constitutive relationships, or even general limits on the physical conditions required for twinning in zircon are known, however. Present speculation on the critical quantity for twin formation, i.e. 10s of GPa of shock pressure (Moser et al. 2011, Timms et al., 2012), has no basis in the underlying mechanisms of twin nucleation, which are related to the motion of dislocations. This erroneous value is due to conflation of twinning sensu stricto with a phase transformation to reidite. Reidite occurs as twin-like lamellae occupying the {112} planes which are thought to be a mirror plane for twinning. We review the crystallographic theory of twinning in zircon. We then evaulate several theories on the nucleation of twins along with their necessary stresses involved. Our aim is to show that shock microtwins in zircon can be a `low pressure' shock phenomenon. This 'low pressure' hypothesis is supported by natural samples. These zircons are from the lower crust nearly 80 km from the centre of the Vredefort impact structure—the most distal zircon shock microstructures yet found in the lithosphere. Twins are present in 10% of the zircon grains greater than 50 µm in diameter. As an extensive, 'low pressure' phenomenon, twins are an easily recognized and potentially widespread record of Earth's impact history.Moser, D.E., Cupelli, C. L., Barker, I., Flowers, R. M., Mowman, J. R., Wooden, J. and Hart, R. (2011) New zircon shock phenomena and their use for dating and […] analysis of the Vredefort dome, Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 48(2), 117-139.Timms, N.E., Reddy, S. M., Healy, D., Nemchin, A. A

Zircon U-Th and U-Pb Ages From Quaternary Silicic Volcanic and Plutonic Rocks, and Their Bearing on Granitoid Batholiths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bacon, C. R.

2007-12-01

In the ten years since publication of M. Reid et al.'s seminal paper on zircon ages from rhyolites (EPSL 150:2-39, 1997) >20 papers have appeared on SIMS 238U-230Th and 238U-206Pb geochronology of zircon from silicic volcanic rocks, plutonic xenoliths, and young intrusions. In some cases, as well as for U-Pb studies of Tertiary granitoids, plutonic samples are interpreted in the context of related volcanism. These geochronologic data have advanced conceptual models of silicic magma genesis and pluton construction. Of fundamental importance are discoveries that zircons in volcanic rocks typically pre-date eruption by 10's to 100's of kyr and that multiple zircon populations are common; these crystals are "antecrysts" recycled from intrusive rocks or crystal mush of the system that vented. Resolving such age differences is possible with U-Th at <300 ka but is challenging with U-Pb, where SIMS precision limits resolution of differences on the order of 100 kyr for Pleistocene-Miocene zircons. Cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging of polished crystals guides beam placement but leads to sampling bias that favors high-U regions. Thus, although model-age histograms and relative probability plots identify zircon age populations, they are unlikely to accurately define relative abundances of age groups. Microbeam analysis collects data for the entire volume sampled but only SIMS depth-profiling into crystal faces can spatially resolve fine zones. ID-TIMS analysis of CL-imaged zircon fragments can improve U-Pb precision. SIMS complements geochronology with trace element fingerprints of zircon growth environments and enables Ti-in-zircon thermometry. Literature examples illustrate recent findings: (1) rhyodacite lava at Crater Lake contains zircons derived from late Pleistocene granodiorite represented by blocks ejected in the caldera-forming eruption; (2) zircons in Mount St. Helens dacites grew at sub-eruption temperatures and pre-date eruptions by up to 250 kyr; (3) Miocene

MECHANICAL STRENGTH RESPONSES OF POLED LEAD ZIRCONATE TITANATE UNDER EXTREME ELECTRIC FIELD AND VARIOUS TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Hong; Matsunaga, Tadashi; Zhang, Kewei

PZT (lead zirconate titanate), particularly PZT-5A, is used in a variety of critical actuation and sensing systems because of its high Curie temperature and large piezoelectric coefficients. However, PZT is susceptible to mechanical failure. The evaluation of the mechanical strength of the material under the target working conditions is very important. This study presents part of the recent experimental developments in mechanical testing and evaluation of PZT materials at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Ball-on-ring and four-point bending testing setups were used, with modifications made to account for testing requirements from high-level electric field and elevated temperature. The poled PZT-5A ormore » equivalent material was tested under various specimen and testing conditions. The parameters of the distribution of strengths (characteristic strength and Weibull modulus) are discussed in relation to the testing conditions. Fractographic results based on scanning electron microscopy are also presented and discussed. The related data can serve as input for the design of piezoceramic devices, not only those used in energy systems like fuel injectors in heavy-duty diesel engines, but also those used in structural health monitoring, energy harvesting, and other critical systems in aerospace and civil engineering.« less

Field study and simulation of diurnal temperature effects on infiltration and variably saturated flow beneath an ephemeral stream

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dudek Ronan, Anne; Prudic, David E.; Thodal, Carl E.; Constantz, Jim

1998-01-01

Two experiments were performed to investigate flow beneath an ephemeral stream and to estimate streambed infiltration rates. Discharge and stream-area measurements were used to determine infiltration rates. Stream and subsurface temperatures were used to interpret subsurface flow through variably saturated sediments beneath the stream. Spatial variations in subsurface temperatures suggest that flow beneath the streambed is dependent on the orientation of the stream in the canyon and the layering of the sediments. Streamflow and infiltration rates vary diurnally: Streamflow is lowest in late afternoon when stream temperature is greatest and highest in early morning when stream temperature is least. The lower afternoon Streamflow is attributed to increased infiltration rates; evapotranspiration is insufficient to account for the decreased Streamflow. The increased infiltration rates are attributed to viscosity effects on hydraulic conductivity from increased stream temperatures. The first set of field data was used to calibrate a two-dimensional variably saturated flow model that includes heat transport. The model was calibrated to (1) temperature fluctuations in the subsurface and (2) infiltration rates determined from measured Streamflow losses. The second set of field data was to evaluate the ability to predict infiltration rates on the basis of temperature measurements alone. Results indicate that the variably saturated subsurface flow depends on downcanyon layering of the sediments. They also support the field observations in indicating that diurnal changes in infiltration can be explained by temperature dependence of hydraulic conductivity. Over the range of temperatures and flows monitored, diurnal stream temperature changes can be used to estimate streambed infiltration rates. It is often impractical to maintain equipment for determining infiltration rates by traditional means; however, once a model is calibrated using both infiltration and temperature data

Is Myanmar jadeitite of Jurassic age? A result from incompletely recrystallized inherited zircon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yui, Tzen-Fu; Fukoyama, Mayuko; Iizuka, Yoshiyuki; Wu, Chao-Ming; Wu, Tsai-Way; Liou, J. G.; Grove, Marty

2013-02-01

Zircons from two Myanmar jadeitite samples were separated for texture, mineral inclusion, U-Pb dating and trace element composition analyses. Three types of zircons, with respect to U-Pb isotope system, were recognized. Type I zircons are inherited ones, yielding an igneous protolith age of 160 ± 1 Ma; Type II zircons are metasomatic/hydrothermal ones, giving a (minimum) jadeitite formation age of 77 ± 3 Ma; and Type III zircons are incompletely recrystallized ones, with non-coherent and geologically meaningless ages from 153 to 105 Ma. These Myanmar jadeitites would therefore have formed through whole-sale metasomatic replacement processes. Compared with Type I zircons, Type II zircons show typical metasomatic/hydrothermal geochemical signatures, with low Th/U ratio (< 0.1), small Ce anomaly (Ce/Ce* = < 5) and low ΣREE content (40-115 ppm). Type III zircons, however, commonly have the above geochemical signatures straddle in between Type I and Type II zircons. It is shown that the resetting rates of various trace element compositions and U-Pb isotope system of inherited zircons are not coupled "in phase" in response to zircon recrystallization during jadeitite formation. The observed abnormally low Th/U ratio and small Ce anomaly of some Type I zircons, as well as the lack of negative Eu anomaly of all Type I zircons, should be suspected to be of secondary origin. In extreme cases, incompletely recrystallized zircons may show typical metasomatic/hydrothermal geochemical signatures, but leave U-Pb isotope system partially reset or even largely unchanged. Such zircons easily lead to incorrect age interpretation, and hence erroneous geological implication. The Myanmar jadeitites, based on the present study, might have formed during the Late Cretaceous subduction before the beginning of India-Asia continental collision at Paleocene. Previously proposed Late Jurassic ages for Myanmar jadeitites are suggested as results rooted on data retrieved from incompletely

Determination of uranium in zircon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cuttitta, F.; Daniels, G.J.

1959-01-01

A routine fluorimetric procedure is described for the determination of trace amounts of uranium in zircon. It employs the direct extraction of uranyl nitrate with ethyl acetate using phosphate as a retainer for zirconium. Submicrogram amounts or uranium are separated in the presence of 100,000 times the amount of zirconium. The modified procedure has been worked out using synthetic mixtures of known composition and zircon. Results of analyses have an accuracy of 97-98% of the contained uranium and a standard deviation of less than 2.5%. ?? 1959.

Applications of biotite inclusion composition to zircon provenance determination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bell, Elizabeth A.; Boehnke, Patrick; Mark Harrison, T.

2017-09-01

Detrital zircons are the only confirmed surviving remnants of >4.03 Ga crust while younger detrital zircons provide a parallel record of more recent crustal evolution to that preserved in crystalline rocks. Zircons often preserve inclusions that may provide clues as to the origins of out-of-context grains in the sedimentary record. Previous studies have established that inclusions of biotite in magmatic zircon are compositionally well-matched to biotite in the source rock matrix, although a direct application to ancient detrital zircons has not been made. A number of studies have documented variations in the Fe, Mg, and Al contents of magmatic biotite from different source rocks and tectonic settings, suggesting that biotite inclusions may indeed serve as provenance indicators for detrital zircons. Consistent with earlier studies, we find that the FeO*/MgO ratio of magmatic biotite from continental arcs, collisional, and within-plate settings varies with relative oxidation state as well as whole-rock FeO*/MgO, while its Al2O3/(FeO* + MgO) varies with whole-rock A/CNK (molar Al/(2 ṡ Ca + Na + K)). Biotite from oxidized metaluminous and reduced S-type granitoids can be readily distinguished from each other using FeO*/MgO and Al2O3/(FeO* + MgO), while biotite from reduced I-type and oxidized peraluminous granites may in some cases be more ambiguous. Biotite from peralkaline and reduced A-type granites are also distinguishable from all other categories by Al2O3/(FeO* + MgO) and FeO*/MgO, respectively. Biotite inclusions in Hadean zircons from Jack Hills, Western Australia indicate a mixture of metaluminous and reduced S-type host rocks, while inclusions in 3.6-3.8 Ga detrital zircons from the Nuvvuagittuq Supracrustal Belt indicate more oxidized peraluminous magmas. These results highlight the diversity of felsic materials on the early Earth and suggest that biotite inclusions are applicable to zircon provenance throughout the sedimentary record.

Applications of primary and secondary inclusion assemblages for zircon petrogenesis and alteration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bell, E. A.

2017-12-01

Igneous zircon often contains abundant mineral inclusions which represent a mixture of primary phases captured during crystallization in magma and secondary phases formed either during late-stage deuteric alteration of a solidifying pluton, during later metamorphism, or during detrital transport and diagenesis in groundwater. Microstructural examination of zircon from both magmatic and metamorphic rocks reveals varying abundances of clearly secondary phases filling cracks and potentially secondary phases in contact with cracks or in disturbed regions of the host zircon. We used EDS and WDS X-ray spectroscopy to examine crack-isolated, crack-intersecting, and crack-filling phases in zircon from Phanerozoic magmatic rocks (USA, Victoria), several Grenville (Blue Ridge, VA) orthogneisses, and detrital zircons in metasediments from Jack Hills, Mt. Narryer (Western Australia) and the Nuvvuagittuq supracrustal belt (northern Quebec). Orthogneiss and detrital zircon appear to retain primary inclusion compositions away from contact with cracks or disturbed regions of zircon (as distinguished by U-Pb). Characteristic trace element patterns associated with chemical alteration of zircon match well with the apparently dominant secondary phases in metasedimentary detrital zircons and magmatic zircon subjected to deuteric alteration. Additionally, high spatial resolution Pb isotopic analyses of secondary phosphates using the CAMECA ims1290 ion microprobe reveal preservation of multiple generations of metamorphic phosphate, in some cases juxtaposed within a single inclusion on the 5-10 micron scale. Zircon can therefore in many cases preserve the compositions of its primary inclusion cargo through later metamorphism. Zircon can also preserve information about individual hydrothermal or metamorphic events during the grain's residence in the crust.

Assessment of Alternative [U] and [Th] Zircon Standards for SIMS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monteleone, B. D.; van Soest, M. C.; Hodges, K.; Moore, G. M.; Boyce, J. W.; Hervig, R. L.

2009-12-01

The quality of in situ (U-Th)/He zircon dates is dependent upon the accuracy and precision of spatially distributed [U] and [Th] measurements on often complexly zoned zircon crystals. Natural zircon standards for SIMS traditionally have been used to obtain precise U-Pb ages rather than precise U and Th concentration. [U] and [Th] distributions within even the most homogeneous U-Pb age standards are not sufficient to make good microbeam standards (i.e., yield good precision: 2σ < 5%) for (U-Th)/He dates. In the absence of sufficiently homogeneous natural zircon crystals, we evaluate the use of the NIST 610 glass standard and a synthetic polycrystalline solid “zircon synrock” made by powdering and pressing natural zircon crystals at 2 GPa and 1100°C within a 13 mm piston cylinder for 24 hours. SIMS energy spectra and multiple spot analyses help assess the matrix-dependence of secondary ion emission and [U] and [Th] homogeneity of these materials. Although spot analyses on NIST 610 glass yielded spatially consistent ratios of 238U/30Si and 232Th/30Si (2σ = 2%, n = 14), comparison of energy spectra collected on glass and zircon reveal significant differences in U, UO, Th, and ThO ion intensities over the range of initial kinetic energies commonly used for trace element analyses. Computing [U] and [Th] in zircon using NIST glass yields concentrations that vary by more than 10% for [U] and [Th], depending on the initial kinetic energy and ion mass (elemental, oxide, or sum of elemental and oxide) used for the analysis. The observed effect of chemistry on secondary ion energy spectra suggests that NIST glass cannot be used as a standard for trace [U] and [Th] in zircon without a correction factor (presently unknown). Energy spectra of the zircon synrock are similar to those of natural zircon, suggesting matrix compatibility and therefore potential for accurate standardization. Spot analyses on the zircon powder pellets, however, show that adequate homogeneity of [U

Geochemistry, thermometry and isotope ratios on the same zircon crystals: the tandem use of quadrupole LA-ICPMS and CA-TIMS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olin, P. H.; Schmitz, M. D.; Crowley, J. L.

2011-12-01

Current trends in igneous petrology include the extraction of diverse geochemical information from smaller sample targets by ever more efficient and cost effective means. Igneous zircons are repositories of several types of petrogenetic information, such as magmatic crystallization ages obtained using U-Pb geochronology, magmatic temperatures using Ti-in-zircon geothermometry, and magmatic differentiation and/or mixing trends using trace element contents. Here we demonstrate a tandem quadrupole LA-ICPMS and CA-TIMS approach on single zircon crystals and within domains in single crystals, which extracts all of these data from a single laser spot analysis and then guides the acquisition of CA-TIMS ages at precisions relevant to magmatic histories. We present data from zircon-bearing intrusive and extrusive rocks spanning the compositional spectrum, and highlight results from silicic volcanic rocks with different affinities. The utility of our approach is illustrated in zircons from the Temora diorite, a commonly used standard material which we analysed using 25-μm ablation spots placed on dozens of grains which had been previously annealed and chemically abraded prior to mounting in epoxy. Our LA-ICPMS results illustrate a 3- to 5-fold variation in trace element concentrations and trace element ratios over >150 degrees of cooling as estimated from Ti-in-zircon thermometry. Some geochemical parameters (e.g., Nb/Ta variations and Eu anomalies) are consistent with crystal fractionation during progressive crystallization, while others are bimodal (e.g., Hf and U contents), suggesting the mixing of crystal/magma batches prior to final solidification. LA-ICPMS U-Pb spot ages reproduce the accepted CA-TIMS age within 2% precision and accuracy, while our CA-TIMS results on the same grains constrain the development of the observed geochemical variability to within 100 ka. Other zircon standard materials to be presented include Plesovich syenite, FC1 gabbro, and R33 diorite

Zircons as a Probe of Early Luanr History

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crow, C. A.; McKeegan, K. D.; Gilmour, J. D.; Crowther, S. A.; Talor, D. J.

2013-09-01

Zircons are ideal for investigating the early lunar bombardment because we can measure both U-Pb crystallization ages and fissiongenic Xe degassing ages for the same crystal. We report U-Pb, Pb-Pb and U-Xe ages for three lunar zircons.

Ferroelectric devices using lead zirconate titanate (PZT) nanoparticles.

PubMed

Paik, Young Hun; Kojori, Hossein Shokri; Kim, Sung Jin

2016-02-19

We successfully demonstrate the synthesis of lead zirconate titanate nanoparticles (PZT NPs) and a ferroelectric device using the synthesized PZT NPs. The crystalline structure and the size of the nanocrystals are studied using x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy, respectively. We observe <100 nm of PZT NPs and this result matches dynamic light scattering measurements. A solution-based low-temperature process is used to fabricate PZT NP-based devices on an indium tin oxide substrate. The fabricated ferroelectric devices are characterized using various optical and electrical measurements and we verify ferroelectric properties including ferroelectric hysteresis and the ferroelectric photovoltaic effect. Our approach enables low-temperature solution-based processes that could be used for various applications. To the best of our knowledge, this low-temperature solution processed ferroelectric device using PZT NPs is the first successful demonstration of its kind.

Ferroelectric devices using lead zirconate titanate (PZT) nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paik, Young Hun; Shokri Kojori, Hossein; Kim, Sung Jin

2016-02-01

We successfully demonstrate the synthesis of lead zirconate titanate nanoparticles (PZT NPs) and a ferroelectric device using the synthesized PZT NPs. The crystalline structure and the size of the nanocrystals are studied using x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy, respectively. We observe <100 nm of PZT NPs and this result matches dynamic light scattering measurements. A solution-based low-temperature process is used to fabricate PZT NP-based devices on an indium tin oxide substrate. The fabricated ferroelectric devices are characterized using various optical and electrical measurements and we verify ferroelectric properties including ferroelectric hysteresis and the ferroelectric photovoltaic effect. Our approach enables low-temperature solution-based processes that could be used for various applications. To the best of our knowledge, this low-temperature solution processed ferroelectric device using PZT NPs is the first successful demonstration of its kind.

U-Pb dating of large zircons in low-temperature jadeitite from the Osayama serpentinite melange, southwest Japan: insights into the timing of serpentinization

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tsujimori, T.; Liou, J.G.; Wooden, J.; Miyamoto, T.

2005-01-01

Crystals of zircon up to 3 mm in length occur in jadeitite veins in the Osayama serpentinite mélange, Southwest Japan. The zircon porphyroblasts show pronounced zoning, and are characterized by both low Th/U ratios (0.2-0.8) and low Th and U abundances (Th = 1-81 ppm; U = 6-149 ppm). They contain inclusions of high-pressure minerals, including jadeite and rutile; such an occurrence indicates that the zircon crystallized during subduction-zone metamorphism. Phase equilibria and the existing fluid-inclusion data constrain P-T conditions to P > 1.2 GPa at T > 350°C for formation of the jadeitite. Most U/Pb ages obtained by SHRIMP-RG are concordant, with a weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 472 ± 8.5 Ma (MSWD = 2.7, n = 25). Because zircon porphyroblasts contain inclusions of high-pressure minerals, the SHRIMP U-Pb age represents the timing of jadeitite formation, i.e., the timing of interaction between alkaline fluid and ultramafic rocks in a subduction zone. Although this dating does not provide a direct time constraint for serpentinization, U-Pb ages of zircon in jadeitite associated with serpentinite result in new insights into the timing of fluid-rock interaction of ultramafic rocks at a subduction zone and the minimum age for serpentinization.

Radiation damage-He diffusivity models applied to deep-time thermochronology: Zircon and titanite (U-Th)/He datasets from cratonic settings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guenthner, W.; DeLucia, M. S.; Marshak, S.; Reiners, P. W.; Drake, H.; Thomson, S.; Ault, A. K.; Tillberg, M.

2017-12-01

Advances in understanding the effects of radiation damage on He diffusion in uranium-bearing accessory minerals have shown the utility of damage-diffusivity models for interpreting datasets from geologic settings with long-term, low-temperature thermal histories. Craton interiors preserve a billion-year record of long-term, long-wavelength vertical motions of the lithosphere. Prior thermochronologic work in these settings has focused on radiation damage models used in conjunction with apatite (U-Th)/He dates to constrain Phanerozoic thermal histories. Owing to the more complex damage-diffusivity relationship in zircon, the zircon (U-Th)/He system yields both higher and, in some cases, lower temperature sensitivities than the apatite system, and this greater range in turn allows researchers to access deeper time (i.e., Proterozoic) segments of craton time-temperature histories. Here, we show two examples of this approach by focusing on zircon (U-Th)/He datasets from 1.8 Ga granitoids of the Fennoscandian Shield in southeastern Sweden, and 1.4 Ga granites and rhyolites of the Ozark Plateau in southeastern Missouri. In the Ozark dataset, the zircon (U-Th)/He data, combined with a damage-diffusivity model, predict negative correlations between date and effective uranium (eU) concentration (a measurement proportional to radiation damage) from thermal histories that include an episode of Proterozoic cooling (interpreted as exhumation) following reheating (interpreted as burial) to temperature of 260°C at 850-680 Ma. In the Fennoscandian Shield, a similar damage model-based approach yields time-temperature constraints with burial to 217°C between 944 Ma and 851 Ma, followed by exhumation from 850 to 500 Ma, and burial to 154°C between 366 Ma and 224 Ma. Our Fennoscandian Shield samples also include titanite (U-Th)/He dates that span a wide range (945-160 Ma) and are negatively correlated with eU concentration, analogous to our zircon He dataset. These results support

Detrital Zircons Split Sibumasu in East Gondwana

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, X.; Chung, S. L.

2017-12-01

It is widely accepted that Sibumasu developed as a united terrane and originated from NW Australian margin in East Gondwana. Here we report new detrital zircon U-Pb-Hf isotopic data from Sumatra that, in combination with literature data, challenge and refute the above long-held view. In particular, the East and West Sumatra terranes share nearly identical Precambrian to Paleozoic detrital zircon age distributions and Hf isotopes, indicating a common provenance/origin for them. The Sumatra detrital zircons exhibit a prominent population of ca. 1170-1070 Ma, indistinguishable from those of the Lhasa and West Burma terranes, with detritus most probably sourcing from western Australia. By contrast, Sibuma (Sibumasu excluding Sumatra) detrital zircons display a prevailing population of ca. 980-935 Ma, strongly resembling those of the western Qiangtang terrane, with detrital materials most likely derived from Greater India and Himalayas. Such markedly distinct detrital zircon age profiles between Sumatra and Sibuma require disparate sources/origin for them, provoking disintegration of the widely-adopted, but outdated, term Sibumasu and thus inviting a new configuration of East Gondwana in the early Paleozoic, with Sumatra and West Burma lying outboard the Lhasa terrane in the NW Australian margin and Sibuma situated in the northern Greater Indian margin. More future investigations are needed to establish the precise rifting and drifting histories of Sumatra and Sibuma, as two separated terranes, during the breakup of Gondwana.

Elasticity of water-saturated rocks as a function of temperature and pressure.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Takeuchi, S.; Simmons, G.

1973-01-01

Compressional and shear wave velocities of water-saturated rocks were measured as a function of both pressure and temperature near the melting point of ice to confining pressure of 2 kb. The pore pressure was kept at about 1 bar before the water froze. The presence of a liquid phase (rather than ice) in microcracks of about 0.3% porosity affected the compressional wave velocity by about 5% and the shear wave velocity by about 10%. The calculated effective bulk modulus of the rocks changes rapidly over a narrow range of temperature near the melting point of ice, but the effective shear modulus changes gradually over a wider range of temperature. This phenomenon, termed elastic anomaly, is attributed to the existence of liquid on the boundary between rock and ice due to local stresses and anomalous melting of ice under pressure.

U-Pb zircon and biostratigraphic data of high-pressure/low-temperature metamorphic rocks of the Talea Ori: tracking the Paleotethys suture in central Crete, Greece

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zulauf, G.; Dörr, W.; Krahl, J.; Lahaye, Y.; Chatzaras, V.; Xypolias, P.

2016-10-01

Inherited deformation microfabrics of detrital quartz grains and U-Pb (Laser ablation (LA)-ICPMS and ID TIMS) ages of detrital zircons separated from the Phyllite-Quartzite Unit s.l. of the Talea Ori, central Crete, suggest strikingly different source rocks. Albite gneiss of the lower Rogdia Beds includes Cambrian and Neoproterozoic rounded zircons with main U-Pb age peaks at 628 and 988 Ma. These and minor Paleoproterozoic and Archean peaks, together with the lack of Variscan-aged and Mesoproterozoic zircons, are similar to the age spectra obtained from the Phyllite-Quartzite Unit s.str. of the Peloponnesus and eastern Crete and from the Taurides. All of these zircons should be derived from the northeastern passive margin of Gondwana (Cimmeria). Metatuffites of the uppermost Rogdia Beds and metasandstone of Bali beach, on the other hand, include euhedral detrital zircons displaying a Variscan U-Pb age spectra at ca. 300 Ma with concordia ages at 291 ± 3, 300 ± 1 Ma (Rogdia) and 286 ± 3, 300 ± 3, 313 ± 2 Ma (Bali). Both types of metasediments and their zircons are similar to those of the pre-Alpine basement and overlying Tyros Beds of eastern Crete, revealing a provenance at the southern active margin of Laurasia. Thus, in central Crete the Paleotethys suture should be situated inside the Rogdia Beds. Magmatic zircons separated from a rhyolite boulder of the lower Achlada Beds yielded a concordant U-Pb zircon age at 242 ± 2 Ma placing a maximum age for the deposition of the (meta)conglomerate from which the boulder was collected. This age is compatible with an Olenekian-early Anisian age of the underlying Vasilikon marble suggested by new findings of the foraminifera Meandrospira aff. pusilla. Both the Achlada Beds and the Vasilikon marble can be attributed to the lower Tyros Beds of eastern Crete. The Alpine deformation led to a pervasive mylonitic foliation, which is affecting most of the studied rocks. This foliation results from D2 top

Differential lead retention in zircons: implications for nuclear waste containment.

PubMed

Gentry, R V; Sworski, T J; McKown, H S; Smith, D H; Eby, R E; Christie, W H

1982-04-16

An innovative ultrasensitive technique was used for lead isotopic analysis of individual zircons extracted from granite core samples at depths of 960, 2170, 2900, 3930, and 4310 meters. The results show that lead, a relatively mobile element compared to the nuclear waste-related actinides uranium and thorium, has been highly retained at elevated temperatures (105 degrees to 313 degrees C) under conditions relevant to the burial of synthetic rock waste containers in deep granite holes.

Zircon, titanite, and apatite (U-Th)/He ages and age-eU correlations from the Fennoscandian Shield, southern Sweden

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guenthner, William R.; Reiners, Peter W.; Drake, Henrik; Tillberg, Mikael

2017-07-01

Craton cores far from plate boundaries have traditionally been viewed as stable features that experience minimal vertical motion over 100-1000 Ma time scales. Here we show that the Fennoscandian Shield in southeastern Sweden experienced several episodes of burial and exhumation from 1800 Ma to the present. Apatite, titanite, and zircon (U-Th)/He ages from surface samples and drill cores constrain the long-term, low-temperature history of the Laxemar region. Single grain titanite and zircon (U-Th)/He ages are negatively correlated (104-838 Ma for zircon and 160-945 Ma for titanite) with effective uranium (eU = U + 0.235 × Th), a measurement proportional to radiation damage. Apatite ages are 102-258 Ma and are positively correlated with eU. These correlations are interpreted with damage-diffusivity models, and the modeled zircon He age-eU correlations constrain multiple episodes of heating and cooling from 1800 Ma to the present, which we interpret in the context of foreland basin systems related to the Neoproterozoic Sveconorwegian and Paleozoic Caledonian orogens. Inverse time-temperature models constrain an average burial temperature of 217°C during the Sveconorwegian, achieved between 944 Ma and 851 Ma, and 154°C during the Caledonian, achieved between 366 Ma and 224 Ma. Subsequent cooling to near-surface temperatures in both cases could be related to long-term exhumation caused by either postorogenic collapse or mantle dynamics related to the final assembly of Rodinia and Pangaea. Our titanite He age-eU correlations cannot currently be interpreted in the same fashion; however, this study represents one of the first examples of a damage-diffusivity relationship in this system, which deserves further research attention.

Elemental and Isotopic Tomography at Single-Atom-Scale in 4.0 and 2.4 Ga Zircons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valley, J. W.; Reinhard, D. A.; Snoeyenbos, D.; Lawrence, D.; Martin, I.; Kelly, T. F.; Ushikubo, T.; Strickland, A.; Cavosie, A. J.

2012-12-01

correlation with U in Zrc2 is best explained by diffusion of Pb and other incompatible elements (Y, REEs) into 5-10 nm domains that were damaged by α-recoil and may have been metamict as the result of single U- or Th-decay chains. Diffusion distances of ~20 nm for these elements in crystalline zircon require temperatures above 700 C for ~10 myrs (Cherniak 2010). This is consistent with the known history of Zrc2, as a xenocrystic 2.4 Ga zircon in a 29 Ma granodiorite phase of a long-lived, extension-related plutonic suite that experienced high-grade regional metamorphism. In contrast, the absence of enriched domains in Zrc1 suggests that this zircon did not experience similar high-grade metamorphism before or after its deposition within the ~3 Ga Jack Hills metaconglomerate.

Peninsular terrane basement ages recorded by Paleozoic and Paleoproterozoic zircon in gabbro xenoliths and andesite from Redoubt volcano, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bacon, Charles R.; Vazquez, Jorge A.; Wooden, Joseph L.

2012-01-01

Historically Sactive Redoubt volcano is an Aleutian arc basalt-to-dacite cone constructed upon the Jurassic–Early Tertiary Alaska–Aleutian Range batholith. The batholith intrudes the Peninsular tectonostratigraphic terrane, which is considered to have developed on oceanic basement and to have accreted to North America, possibly in Late Jurassic time. Xenoliths in Redoubt magmas have been thought to be modern cumulate gabbros and fragments of the batholith. However, new sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U-Pb ages for zircon from gabbro xenoliths from a late Pleistocene pyroclastic deposit are dominated by much older, ca. 310 Ma Pennsylvanian and ca. 1865 Ma Paleoproterozoic grains. Zircon age distributions and trace-element concentrations indicate that the ca. 310 Ma zircons date gabbroic intrusive rocks, and the ca. 1865 Ma zircons also are likely from igneous rocks in or beneath Peninsular terrane basement. The trace-element data imply that four of five Cretaceous–Paleocene zircons, and Pennsylvanian low-U, low-Th zircons in one sample, grew from metamorphic or hydrothermal fluids. Textural evidence of xenocrysts and a dominant population of ca. 1865 Ma zircon in juvenile crystal-rich andesite from the same pyroclastic deposit show that this basement has been assimilated by Redoubt magma. Equilibration temperatures and oxygen fugacities indicated by Fe-Ti–oxide minerals in the gabbros and crystal-rich andesite suggest sources near the margins of the Redoubt magmatic system, most likely in the magma accumulation and storage region currently outlined by seismicity and magma petrology at ∼4–10 km below sea level. Additionally, a partially melted gabbro from the 1990 eruption contains zircon with U-Pb ages between ca. 620 Ma and ca. 1705 Ma, as well as one zircon with a U-Th disequilibrium model age of 0 ka. The zircon ages demonstrate that Pennsylvanian, and probably Paleoproterozoic, igneous rocks exist in, or possibly beneath, Peninsular

Experimental, in-situ carbon solution mechanisms and isotope fractionation in and between (C-O-H)-saturated silicate melt and silicate-saturated (C-O-H) fluid to upper mantle temperatures and pressures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mysen, Bjorn

2017-02-01

Our understanding of materials transport processes in the Earth relies on characterizing the behavior of fluid and melt in silicate-(C-O-H) systems at high temperature and pressure. Here, Raman spectroscopy was employed to determine structure of and carbon isotope partitioning between melts and fluids in alkali aluminosilicate-C-O-H systems. The experimental data were recorded in-situ while the samples were at equilibrium in a hydrothermal diamond anvil cell at temperatures and pressures to 825 °C and >1300 MPa, respectively. The carbon solution equilibrium in both (C-O-H)-saturated melt and coexisting, silicate-saturated (C-O-H) fluid is 2CO3 + H2O + 2Qn + 1 = 2HCO3 + 2Qn. In the Qn-notation, the superscript, n, is the number of bridging oxygen in silicate structural units. At least one oxygen in CO3 and HCO3 groups likely is shared with silicate tetrahedra. The structural behavior of volatile components described with this equilibrium governs carbon isotope fractionation factors between melt and fluid. For example, the ΔH equals 3.2 ± 0.7 kJ/mol for the bulk 13C/12C exchange equilibrium between fluid and melt. From these experimental data, it is suggested that at deep crustal and upper mantle temperatures and pressures, the δ13C-differences between coexisting silicate-saturated (C-O-H) fluid and (C-O-H)-saturated silicate melts may change by more than 100‰ as a function of temperature in the range of magmatic processes. Absent information on temperature and pressure, the use of carbon isotopes of mantle-derived magma to derive isotopic composition of magma source regions in the Earth's interior, therefore, should be exercised with care.

Pan-Africa/Pan-Brazilian detrital zircons in Lower Palaeozoic schists of SW Norway - enigmatic detrital zircon U-Pb ages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zimmermann, Udo; Bjørheim, Maren; Clark, Chris

2013-04-01

We present Sensitive High Resolution Ion Microprobe (SHRIMP) U-Pb zircon age data from metasedimentary rocks (schists and quartzites) located in the town of Stavanger (SW Norway). The metasedimentary sequence is composed of schists, medium grained quartz-rich metawackes and quartzites. Quartzites and meta-quartz-wackes exhibit a mylonitic fabric with newly grown fine-grained muscovite defining the fabric. Accessory minerals are zircon, allanite, detrital apatite, monazite, ilmenite, rutile and zircon. The schists are dark and dominated by quartz and feldspar in a fine chloritic and silica-rich matrix and represent the dominant lithology of the region. While quartzites and metawackes show typical geochemical characteristics for strongly reworked rocks, the schists have very low Zr/Sc and Th/Sc ratios below 0.9 and point together with other trace element ratios (La/Sc, Ti/Zr) to the strong influence of less fractionated, mafic, sources in the detritus, possibly arc derived. U-Pb ages of detrital zircon from quartzites range between 740 to 1800 Ma. There is a defined population at 1135 and 1010 Ma tentatively correlated with the Sveconorwegian orogeny. A second population at ~1450 Ma that can be related to a tectono-magmatic event during the Earliest Mesoproterozoic, also recorded in Oslo, southern Sweden and Bornholm, mapped along the proposed southern margin of Baltica. Other detrital zircons record ages between 1586 - 1664 Ma that are not related to the latter event. The oldest U-Pb detrital zircon grain age was 1796 Ma and is potentially associated with the terminal phase of the Svecofennian orogeny. Detrital zircons from the associated schists do show a similar abundance of main age clusters but the oldest found zircons dates to 2013 Ma while the maximum depositional age could be determined by grains of Cambrian to even Ordovician ages with a large 1 sigma error, as such that we rather propose a Cambrian maximum depositional age. It is possible to speculate that

Melting depths associated with Jack Hills zircons crystallization as revealed by in situ trace element measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Profeta, L.; Ducea, M. N.; Gehrels, G. E.

2016-12-01

The Jack Hills zircons hosted within the Narryer Gneiss Complex, Yilgarn craton have ages from 4.4 Ga up to Mesoarchean. These zircons crystallized from low temperature granitoid magmas (Harrison, 2009). Here, we use trace element measurements obtained simultaneously with U-Pb ages using LA-ICP-MS on 276 Jack Hills zircons in order to estimate the depth of melting. La/Yb are converted to whole rock equivalent values using newly determined REE -whole rock partition coefficients (Chapman et al., 2016). La/Yb are subsequently transformed into depth estimates using the correlation between whole rock La/Yb and crustal thickness put forward in Profeta et al. (2015) for modern arcs. Our data pertains to 4.2 to 3.2 Ga zircons, which are supplemented with previously published data on 4.4.-4.3 Ga zircons (Peck et al. 2001). Depth estimates are averaged over 100 Ma bins, revealing a remarkably constant trend throughout the investigated period with values around 50 ± 10 km. We interpret that these depths may not be the result of a thick continental crust, as is the case for modern arcs, but rather the existence of different melting conditions during the Hadean and Paleoarchean due to elevated thermal regimes within the mantle. The high La/Yb whole rock ratios (with computed values greater than 10) coupled with elevated mantle temperatures point towards granitoid generation from partial melting of hydrated basalts (e.g. Martin et al., 2014). [1] Harrison, T.M., Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. 37, 479-505 (2009). [2] Chapman, J. B. et al., Chem. Geol. 439, 59-70 (2016). doi: 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2016.06.014. [3] Profeta, L. et al., Sci. Rep. 5, 17786 (2015). doi: 10.1038/srep17786 [4] Peck, W. et al., Cosmochim. Acta 65, 4215-4229 (2001). doi: 10.1016/S0016-7037(01)00711-6 [5] Martin, H. et al. Lithos 198, 1-13 (2014). doi: 10.1016/j.lithos.2014.02.017

Photoluminescence properties of non-stoichiometric strontium zirconate powder phosphor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jarý, V.; Boháček, P.; Mihóková, E.; Havlák, L.; Trunda, B.; Nikl, M.

2013-03-01

Excitation and emission spectra and decay kinetics of non-stoichiometric strontium zirconate powder phosphor were measured in the 8-500 K temperature interval. Phenomenological model was applied to extract quantitative parameters of the excited state levels and nonradiative quenching pathways related to the luminescence centre. Delayed recombination integrals measurement was employed to investigate the occurrence of thermally induced ionization of the excited state of the emission centre. The nature of the emission centre itself is suggested. Suitability for phosphor and scintillation application is discussed.

Contrasting Granite Metallogeny through the Zircon Record: A Case Study from Myanmar.

PubMed

Gardiner, Nicholas J; Hawkesworth, Chris J; Robb, Laurence J; Whitehouse, Martin J; Roberts, Nick M W; Kirkland, Christopher L; Evans, Noreen J

2017-04-07

Granitoid-hosted mineral deposits are major global sources of a number of economically important metals. The fundamental controls on magma metal fertility are tectonic setting, the nature of source rocks, and magma differentiation. A clearer understanding of these petrogenetic processes has been forged through the accessory mineral zircon, which has considerable potential in metallogenic studies. We present an integrated zircon isotope (U-Pb, Lu-Hf, O) and trace element dataset from the paired Cu-Au (copper) and Sn-W (tin) magmatic belts in Myanmar. Copper arc zircons have juvenile εHf (+7.6 to +11.5) and mantle-like δ 18 O (5.2-5.5‰), whereas tin belt zircons have low εHf (-7 to -13) and heavier δ 18 O (6.2-7.7‰). Variations in zircon Hf and U/Yb reaffirm that tin belt magmas contain greater crustal contributions than copper arc rocks. Links between whole-rock Rb/Sr and zircon Eu/Eu* highlight that the latter can monitor magma fractionation in these systems. Zircon Ce/Ce* and Eu/Eu* are sensitive to redox and fractionation respectively, and here are used to evaluate zircon sensitivity to the metallogenic affinity of their host rock. Critical contents of Sn in granitic magmas, which may be required for the development of economic tin deposits, are marked by zircon Eu/Eu* values of ca. ≤0.08.

Characterization of inclusions in terrestrial impact formed zircon: Constraining the formation conditions of Hadean zircon from Jack Hills, Western Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faltys, J. P.; Wielicki, M. M.; Sizemore, T. M.

2017-12-01

Due to the discovery and subsequent geochemical analysis of Hadean terrestrial material (e.g. detrital zircon from Jack Hills, Western Australia), a dramatic paradigm shift has occurred in the hypothesized near surface conditions of the first 500 million years of Earth's evolution. From a hellish setting riddled with impactors and not fit for life to a much milder environment that may have been uniquely suitable for the origin of life. Geochemical analyses of these ancient materials have been used to suggest the presence of water at or near the surface as well as the existence of continental crust during the Hadean, both of which have been suggested as necessary for the origin of life. However, the intensity of extraterrestrial bombardment during the Hadean and the effects of such events on the origin of life remains poorly understood. Clearly, as evidenced by Phanerozoic impact events, extraterrestrial impactors have the potential to dramatically effect the environment, particularly the biosphere. Early Earth likely experienced multiple large impact events, as evidenced by the lunar record, however whether those impacts were sufficient to frustrate the origin of life remains an open question. Although multiple lines of evidence, including the inclusion population, suggest the formation of Hadean zircon from Jack Hills as crystallizing in an under-thrust environment from S-type magmas, a recent study has suggested their formation in an impact melt environment analogous to a portion of the Sudbury Igneous Complex at the Sudbury impact structure. To determine between these two formation scenarios we have under-taken an inclusion study of terrestrial impact formed zircon from four of the largest terrestrial impact structures (Sudbury, Canada; Manicouagan, Canada; Vredefort, South Africa; Morokweng, South Africa), to compare to the vast inclusion dataset that exists for Jack Hills zircon. Preliminary data suggests a different inclusion population, from Hadean zircon

Zircons as a Probe of Early Lunar Impact History

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crow, C. A.; McKeegan, K. D.; Gilmour, J. D.; Crowther, S. A.; Taylor, D. J.

2013-08-01

Zircons are ideal for investigating the early lunar bombardment because we can measure both U-Pb crystallization ages and fissiongenic Xe degassing ages for the same crystal. We report U-Pb, Pb-Pb and U-Xe ages for two lunar zircons.

Crystallization process of zircon and fergusonite during hydrothermal alteration in Nechalacho REE deposit, Thor Lake, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoshino, M.; Watanabe, Y.; Murakami, H.; Kon, Y.; Tsunematsu, M.

2012-04-01

The core samples of two drill holes, which penetrate sub-horizontal mineralized horizons at Nechalacho REE deposit in the Proterozoic Thor Lake syenite, Canada, were studied in order to clarify magmatic and hydrothermal processes that enriched HFSE (e.g. Zr, Nb, Y and REE). Zircon is the most common REE minerals in Nechalacho REE deposit. The zircon is divided into five types as follows: Type-1 zircon occurs as single grain in phlogopite and the chondrite-normalized REE pattern is characterized by a steeply-rising slope from the LREE to the HREE with a positive Ce-anomaly and negative Eu-anomaly. This chemical characteristic is similar to that of igneous zircon. Type-2 zircon consists of HREE-rich magmatic porous core and LREE-Nb-F-rich hydrothermal rim. This type zircon is mostly included in phlogopite and fluorite, and occasionally in microcline. Type-3 zircon is characterized by euhedral to anhedral crystal, occurring in a complex intergrowth with REE fluorocarbonates. Type-3 zircons have high contents of REE, Nb and fluorine. Type-4 zircon consists of porous-core and -rim zones, but their chemical compositions are similar to each other. This type zircon is a subhedral crystal rimmed by fergusonite. Type-5 zircon is characterized by smaller, porous and subhedral to anhedral crystals. The interstices between small zircons are filled by fergusonite. Type-4 and -5 zircons show low REE and Nb contents. Occurrences of these five types of zircon are different according to the depth and degree of the alteration by hydrothermal solutions rich in F- and CO3 of the two drill holes, which permit a model for evolution of the zircon crystallization in Nechalacho REE deposit as follows: (1) type-1 (single magmatic zircon) is formed in miaskitic syenite. (2) LREE-Nb-F-rich hydrothermal zircon formed around HREE-rich magmatic zircon (type-2 zircon); (3) type-3 zircon crystallized thorough F and CO3-rich hydrothermal alteration of type-2 zircon which formed the complex

Pervasive remagnetization of detrital zircon host rocks in the Jack Hills, Western Australia and implications for records of the early geodynamo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weiss, Benjamin P.; Maloof, Adam C.; Tailby, Nicholas; Ramezani, Jahandar; Fu, Roger R.; Hanus, Veronica; Trail, Dustin; Bruce Watson, E.; Harrison, T. Mark; Bowring, Samuel A.; Kirschvink, Joseph L.; Swanson-Hysell, Nicholas L.; Coe, Robert S.

2015-11-01

It currently is unknown when Earth's dynamo magnetic field originated. Paleomagnetic studies indicate that a field with an intensity similar to that of the present day existed 3.5 billion years ago (Ga). Detrital zircon crystals found in the Jack Hills of Western Australia are some of the very few samples known to substantially predate this time. With crystallization ages ranging from 3.0-4.38 Ga, these zircons might preserve a record of the missing first billion years of Earth's magnetic field history. However, a key unknown is the age and origin of magnetization in the Jack Hills zircons. The identification of >3.9 Ga (i.e., Hadean) field records requires first establishing that the zircons have avoided remagnetization since being deposited in quartz-rich conglomerates at 2.65-3.05 Ga. To address this issue, we have conducted paleomagnetic conglomerate, baked contact, and fold tests in combination with U-Pb geochronology to establish the timing of the metamorphic and alteration events and the peak temperatures experienced by the zircon host rocks. These tests include the first conglomerate test directly on the Hadean-zircon bearing conglomerate at Erawandoo Hill. Although we observed little evidence for remagnetization by recent lightning strikes, we found that the Hadean zircon-bearing rocks and surrounding region have been pervasively remagnetized, with the final major overprinting likely due to thermal and/or aqueous effects from the emplacement of the Warakurna large igneous province at ∼1070 million years ago (Ma). Although localized regions of the Jack Hills might have escaped complete remagnetization, there currently is no robust evidence for pre-depositional (>3.0 Ga) magnetization in the Jack Hills detrital zircons.

Zircon-pyrochlore ores of Proterozoic Gremyakha-Vyrmes polyphase massif, Kola Peninsula: source and evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sorokhtina, Natalia; Belyatsky, Boris; Antonov, Anton; Kononkova, Natalia; Lepekhina, Elena; Kogarko, Lia

2017-04-01

zircon has polygenetic nature: some relics inherited from foidolite crystallized at about 800°C, whereas the newly formed - at 600°C [Watson et al., 2006]. The time interval of the magmatic massif formation may be estimated as long as 80-100 Ma only. The basic-ultrabasic rocks and foidolites were intruded consistently at 1982 ± 6 Ma and 1894±12 according to SHRIMP-II U-Pb zircon dating, but the whole-rock Sm-Nd isotope dating has resulted in 1879±99 Ma and reflects the impact of alkaline granite intrusion (1871±9 Ma). The late differentiates from alkaline magma crystallization were the main source of rare metals for zircon-pyrochlore ores of alkaline metasomatites. The metasomatic rocks (aegirinites, albitites) and carbonatites were formed as late as 1910 ± 15 Ma (SHRIMP-II U-Pb zircon, titanite, pyrochlore). While some pyrochlore grains from metasomatites are showed that U-Pb age of ore formation is 1766 ± 24 and 1764 ± 19 respectively. That can be attributed to additional source of rare metals connected with fluids formed during regional metamorphism 1750 m.y. ago [Glebovitskii et al., 2014]. The last probable source of rare-metal material and ore-deposit evolution stage (recrystallization) is established by individual pyrochlore grain Sm-Nd and U-Pb systems and evidences tectono-thermal activity at the Paleozoic plume magmatism, which was followed by structural and chemical mineral changes. The research was done within the framework of the scientific program of Russian Academy of Sciences and state contract K41.2014.014 with Sevzapnedra. References: Watson E. B., Wark D. A., Thomas J. B. Crystallization thermometers for zircon and rutile // Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. 2006. 151, 413-433. Glebovitskii V.A., Bushmin S.A., Belyatsky B.V., Bogomolov E.S., Borozdin A.P., Savva E.V., Lebedeva Y.M. Rb-Sr age of metasomatism and ore formation in the low-temperature shear zones of the Fenno-Karelian craton, Baltic Shield // Petrology. 2014. 22(2). 184-204. Sorokhtina N

Experimental shock deformation in zircon: a transmission electron microscopic study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leroux, H.; Reimold, W. U.; Koeberl, C.; Hornemann, U.; Doukhan, J.-C.

1999-06-01

In recent years, apparently shock-induced and, thus, impact-characteristic microdeformations, in the form of planar microdeformation features and so-called strawberry (granular) texture, have been observed in zircons in rocks from confirmed impact structures and from the K/ T boundary. The nature of the planar microdeformations in this mineral is, however, still unknown, and critical information is needed regarding the shock pressure range in which these deformation effects are produced. We experimentally shock deformed two series of thin zircon (ZrSiO 4) target plates, cut perpendicular to the c-axis, at shock pressures of 20, 40, and 60 GPa. The recovered samples were characterized by optical and scanning electron microscopy. In addition, one sample series was studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Microdeformation effects observed at 20 GPa include pervasive micro-cleavage and dislocation patterns. Plastic deformation is indicated by a high density of straight dislocations in glide configuration. The dominant glide systems are <100>{010}. Micro-cleavages, induced by shear stresses during the compression stage, occur mostly in the {100} planes. The large density of dislocations at crack tips shows that plastic deformation was initiated by the micro-cracking processs. At 40 GPa, the sample was partly transformed from the zircon (z) to a scheelite (CaWO 4)-type (s) structure. Planar deformation features (PDFs) containing an amorphous phase of zircon composition are present in the not yet transformed zircon relics. The phase with scheelite structure, initiated in the {100} planes of zircon, consists of thin (0.1 to several μm) bands that crosscut the zircon matrix. The phase transformation is displacive (martensitic) and can be related by {100} z // {112} s and [001] z // <110> s. The scheelite structure phase is densely twinned, with twins in the (112) plane. The 60-GPa sample consists completely of the scheelite structure phase. Crosscutting and

Active layers of high-performance lead zirconate titanate at temperatures compatible with silicon nano- and microelecronic devices

PubMed Central

Bretos, Iñigo; Jiménez, Ricardo; Tomczyk, Monika; Rodríguez-Castellón, Enrique; Vilarinho, Paula M.; Calzada, M. Lourdes

2016-01-01

Applications of ferroelectric materials in modern microelectronics will be greatly encouraged if the thermal incompatibility between inorganic ferroelectrics and semiconductor devices is overcome. Here, solution-processable layers of the most commercial ferroelectric compound ─ morphotrophic phase boundary lead zirconate titanate, namely Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 (PZT) ─ are grown on silicon substrates at temperatures well below the standard CMOS process of semiconductor technology. The method, potentially transferable to a broader range of Zr:Ti ratios, is based on the addition of crystalline nanoseeds to photosensitive solutions of PZT resulting in perovskite crystallization from only 350 °C after the enhanced decomposition of metal precursors in the films by UV irradiation. A remanent polarization of 10.0 μC cm−2 is obtained for these films that is in the order of the switching charge densities demanded for FeRAM devices. Also, a dielectric constant of ~90 is measured at zero voltage which exceeds that of current single-oxide candidates for capacitance applications. The multifunctionality of the films is additionally demonstrated by their pyroelectric and piezoelectric performance. The potential integration of PZT layers at such low fabrication temperatures may redefine the concept design of classical microelectronic devices, besides allowing inorganic ferroelectrics to enter the scene of the emerging large-area, flexible electronics. PMID:26837240

Multifactorial modelling of high-temperature treatment of timber in the saturated water steam medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prosvirnikov, D. B.; Safin, R. G.; Ziatdinova, D. F.; Timerbaev, N. F.; Lashkov, V. A.

2016-04-01

The paper analyses experimental data obtained in studies of high-temperature treatment of softwood and hardwood in an environment of saturated water steam. Data were processed in the Curve Expert software for the purpose of statistical modelling of processes and phenomena occurring during this process. The multifactorial modelling resulted in the empirical dependences, allowing determining the main parameters of this type of hydrothermal treatment with high accuracy.

Devonian to Carboniferous collision in the Greenland Caledonides: U-Pb zircon and Sm-Nd ages of high-pressure and ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilotti, Jane A.; Nutman, Allen P.; Brueckner, Hannes K.

2004-10-01

/U values than the HP ones, no Eu anomaly, and are thus comparable to UHP zircons in the literature. The 206Pb/238U age of these zircons is 360±5 Ma, much younger than the HP eclogites. The same sample gives a Sm-Nd age of 342±6 Ma. Unlike the HP eclogites, the Sm-Nd age of the UHP rock is ca. 20 Ma younger than the U-Pb zircon age and most likely records slow cooling through the closure temperature, since peak temperatures were in excess of 900°C. Widespread HP metamorphism of both the Laurentian and Baltica continental margins marks the culmination of this continent continent collision in the Devonian. Carboniferous UHP conditions, though localized in the east, suggest a prolonged collisional history rather than a short-lived Scandian orogeny. The traditional Silurian Scandian orogeny should thus be extended through the Devonian.

Tracking magmatic processes through Zr/Hf ratios in rocks and Hf and Ti zoning in zircons: An example from the Spirit Mountain batholith, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lowery, Claiborne L.E.; Miller, C.F.; Walker, B.A.; Wooden, J.L.; Mazdab, F.K.; Bea, F.

2006-01-01

Zirconium and Hf are nearly identical geochemically, and therefore most of the crust maintains near-chondritic Zr/Hf ratios of ???35-40. By contrast, many high-silica rhyolites and granites have anomalously low Zr/Hf (15-30). As zircon is the primary reservoir for both Zr and Hf and preferentially incorporates Zr, crystallization of zircon controls Zr/ Hf, imprinting low Zr/Hf on coexisting melt. Thus, low Zr/Hf is a unique fingerprint of effective magmatic fractionation in the crust. Age and compositional zonation in zircons themselves provide a record of the thermal and compositional histories of magmatic systems. High Hf (low Zr/ Hf) in zircon zones demonstrates growth from fractionated melt, and Ti provides an estimate of temperature of crystallization (TTiZ) (Watson and Harrison, 2005). Whole-rock Zr/Hf and zircon zonation in the Spirit Mountain batholith, Nevada, document repeated fractionation and thermal fluctuations. Ratios of Zr/Hf are ???30-40 for cumulates and 18-30 for high-SiO2 granites. In zircons, Hf (and U) are inversely correlated with Ti, and concentrations indicate large fluctuations in melt composition and TTiZ (>100??C) for individual zircons. Such variations are consistent with field relations and ion-probe zircon geochronology that indicate a >1 million year history of repeated replenishment, fractionation, and extraction of melt from crystal mush to form the low Zr/Hf high-SiO2 zone. ?? 2006 The Mineralogical Society.

Trace element determination of zircons from adakites and granitoids: implications for petrogenetic processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, T. W.; Chu, M. F.; Chung, S. L.; Iizuka, Y.

2017-12-01

Zircon has long been proposed as a time capsule of crustal formation. Concerning of its high capacity of lithophile elements, the dramatic change of crustal chemical composition in late Archean, i.e. from TTG suites to granitoids, may be recorded in zircon remnants. In this study, major- and trace element contents of zircons from adakites, a modern analogue of TTG suites, in southern Tibet were determined by EPMA and LA-ICPMS, respectively, and compared with those in Gangdese granitoids and Sumatra high/low ΣREE granitoids in order to examine the hypothesis. The REE patterns of zircons in this study show little inter-sample discrepancy though there is significant difference in whole-rock HREE contents between adakites and granitoids. Since none of geochemical feature, including REE contents, of zircons correlates with SiO2 content or ASI of corresponding host rocks, fractional crystallization shows insignificant impact on the compositional variation in zircons. In addition to the influence of lattice strain and charge balance requirements, zircons in these rock samples are proposed to crystallize from the magma mush, so they record the composition with least composition difference, not that of the bulk melt. More specifically, the pre-/co-existing mineral phases, e.g. apatite, play a critical role in preferentially taking the LREE and MREE from melt, and eliminating the HREE depletion in residual melt and thus zircons of Gangdese adakites. With the aim of objectively identifying geochemical discriminants of zircons from adakites and granitoids, statistical analysis was used and then 8 parameters were selected, i.e. Ti, V, Yb, Hf, Sc/Yb, U/Yb, Eu/Eu*, ΣHREE. Despite the zircon populations of adakites- and granitoids-origins overlapping in any bivariate plot, the linear combination of discriminants provides a potential way to distinguish zircons from these two groups.

Peculiar Feldspar And Quartz Inclusions Within Zircons From Anorthosites, North Eastern Desert, Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eliwa, H. A.; Dawoud, M. I.; Khalaf, I. M.; Negendank, J. F.; Itaya, T.

2004-12-01

Zircons from three anorthosite outcrops along Wadi Dib area, north Eastern Desert of Egypt contain abundant and conspicuous inclusions of quartz, feldspar, amphibole and apatite. These anorthosites, as (50-100m thick) layers, represent the top of mafic-ultramafic intrusions exhibiting rhythmic layering visible by reputation of melanocratic and leucocratic layers. Field and microscopic studies exhibit that these anorthosites were affected by the action of residual magmatic solutions associated with the late stage crystallization of the younger granites, which modified their mineralogical composition. They are composed totally of plagioclase with subordinate amount of clinoenstatite, augite, amphibole, biotite, K-feldspar, and quartz. Accessories are magnetite, ilmenite, apatite and zircon. The abundance and the mode of occurrence of K-feldspar, quartz, and biotite with apatite and zircon among the megacrysts suggest their formation is ascribed to the interaction with the residual solutions. The microprobe data exhibit difference between feldspar and amphiboles contained herein zircons and those as anorthosite mineral constituents. The genetic relationship between zircons and their inclusions suggests later growth of zircons than inclusions and most probably at the final stage of rock modification. Zircons are magmatic and found in the interstitial feldspar and quartz among plagioclase megacrysts in aggregates or as individual grains. The microscopic and SEM images investigation exhibit that most zircons are subhedral to euhedral equant and prismatic crystals. Most zircons have same range of crystal morphologies and internal growth structures with predominance of prism /{100/} and pyramid /{101/} and occasionally prism /{110/} and pyramid /{111/}. No evidences for poly-faceted grains, inherited cores or later overgrowths were detected. CL images distinguished zircons with visible core-rim structures and others with regular and continuous growth zones contained herein

Hydrozirconation of lithium alkynylselenolate anions. Generation and reactions of alpha-zirconated vinyl selenide intermediates

PubMed

Dabdoub; Begnini; Guerrero; Baroni

2000-01-14

Lithium alkynylselenolate anions react completely with 1.0 equiv of Cp(2)Zr(H)Cl in THF at room temperature to give exclusively the alpha-zirconated vinylselenolate intermediates 23-27, which by treatment with an alkyl halide afforded the alpha-zirconated vinyl alkylselenide intermediates 29-33. Reaction of 29-33 with butyltellurenyl bromide results in the formation of ketene telluro(seleno) acetals 35-39 with total control of the regio- and stereochemistry. The synthetic utility of the ketene telluro(seleno) acetals obtained here was demonstrated by reaction of 36 with butyllithium. This promotes the exclusive and stereospecific removal of the tellurium moiety and enables formation of the corresponding selenium-containing allylic alcohol of type 44, alpha-(alkylseleno)-alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehyde 45, ester 46, or carboxylic acid 47, after reaction with different types of electrophiles.

Extinct 244Pu in ancient zircons.

PubMed

Turner, Grenville; Harrison, T Mark; Holland, Greg; Mojzsis, Stephen J; Gilmour, Jamie

2004-10-01

We have found evidence, in the form of fissiogenic xenon isotopes, for in situ decay of 244Pu in individual 4.1- to 4.2-billion-year-old zircons from the Jack Hills region of Western Australia. Because of its short half-life, 82 million years, 244Pu was extinct within 600 million years of Earth's formation. Detrital zircons are the only known relics to have survived from this period, and a study of their Pu geochemistry will allow us to date ancient metamorphic events and determine the terrestrial Pu/U ratio for comparison with the solar ratio.

Zircon geochronology and ca. 400 Ma exhumation of Norwegian ultrahigh-pressure rocks: An ion microprobe and chemical abrasion study

USGS Publications Warehouse

Root, D.B.; Hacker, B.R.; Mattinson, J.M.; Wooden, J.L.

2004-01-01

Understanding the formation and exhumation of the remarkable ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) rocks of the Western Gneiss Region, Norway, hinges on precise determination of the time of eclogite recrystallization. We conducted detailed thermal ionization mass spectrometry, chemical abrasion analysis and sensitive high-resolution ion-microprobe analysis of zircons from four ultrahigh- and high-pressure (HP) rocks. Ion-microprobe analyses from the Flatraket eclogite yielded a broad range of apparently concordant Caledonian ages, suggesting long-term growth. In contrast, higher precision thermal ionization mass spectrometry analysis of zircon subject to combined thermal annealing and multi-step chemical abrasion yielded moderate Pb loss from the first (lowest temperature) abrasion step, possible minor Pb loss or minor growth at 400 Ma from the second step and a 407-404 Ma cluster of slightly discordant 206Pb/238U ages, most likely free from Pb loss, from the remaining abrasion steps. We interpret the latter to reflect zircon crystallization at ???405-400 Ma with minor discordance from inherited cores. Zircon crystallization occurred at eclogite-facies, possibly post-peak conditions, based on compositions of garnet inclusions in zircon as well as nearly flat HREE profiles and lack of Eu anomalies in zircon fractions subjected to chemical abrasion. These ages are significantly younger than the 425 Ma age often cited for western Norway eclogite recrystallization, implying faster rates of exhumation (>2.5-8.5 km/Myr), and coeval formation of eclogites across the UHP portion of the Western Gneiss Region. ?? 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Hf isotope compositions In detrital zircons as a new tool for provenance studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacobsen, Y. J.; Münker, C.; Mezger, K.

2003-04-01

Identifying the provenance of continental sediments is a major issue in palaeo-tectonic studies, providing important information for paleogeographic reconstructions. Isotope studies, e.g. those of whole rock Sm-Nd or detrital zircon U-Pb dating, have widely been used for this purpose. Here we assess the potential of combined Lu-Hf data and U-Pb ages determined on the same single detrital zircons as a new tool for provenance studies. Due to the low Lu/Hf ratios in zircons the Hf isotope composition of a zircon changes insignificantly after its crystallization. Thus each particular grain preserves information on the Hf-siotpe composition of its source and the age of this source. Provided that both the U-Pb and Lu-Hf isotope systems have not been disturbed, this information can be used to constrain the sources of each individual zircon. In order to demonstrate the capability of Hf isotope studies on detrital zircons for provenance studies, we obtained combined U-Pb ages and Lu-Hf isotope data for zircons from the Cambrian Junction Formation in New Zealand. The Junction Formation was deposited on the (present) SE margin of Gondwana near the Australian continent and consists of turbidites, siltstones and conglomerates [1]. Typical continent derived Paleozoic sediments in SE Gondwana generally show characteristic age maxima at 500-600 Ma, 1000-1200 Ma (Grenvillian) and additional older peaks (early Proterozoic to Archean) [2]. We focused on two groups of detrital zircons with Grenvillian and Proterozoic to Late Archean ages. The initial ɛHf values for these zircons range from 0.7 to -15.5 for the Grenvillian and from -5.2 to -14.1 for the Proterozoic/Archean zircons. Corresponding two stage Hf model ages range from ca. 1500 to 2500 Ma for the Grenvillian and from ca. 3200 to 3600 Ma for the Proterozoic/Archean zircons. Furthermore it can be shown that the Grenvillian zircons must have been derived from recycled Grenvillian provinces. Comparison of these Hf model ages

Paragneiss zircon geochronology and trace element geochemistry, North Qaidam HP/UHP terrane, western China

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mattinson, C.G.; Wooden, J.L.; Zhang, J.X.; Bird, D.K.

2009-01-01

In the southeastern part of the North Qaidam terrane, near Dulan, paragneiss hosts minor peridotite and UHP eclogite. Zircon geochronology and trace element geochemistry of three paragneiss samples (located within a ???3 km transect) indicates that eclogite-facies metamorphism resulted in variable degrees of zircon growth and recrystallization in the three samples. Inherited zircon core age groups at 1.8 and 2.5 Ga suggest that the protoliths of these rocks may have received sediments from the Yangtze or North China cratons. Mineral inclusions, depletion in HREE, and absence of negative Eu anomalies indicate that zircon U-Pb ages of 431 ?? 5 Ma and 426 ?? 4 Ma reflect eclogite-facies zircon growth in two of the samples. Ti-in-zircon thermometry results are tightly grouped at ???660 and ???600 ??C, respectively. Inclusions of metamorphic minerals, scarcity of inherited cores, and lack of isotopic or trace element inheritance demonstrate that significant new metamorphic zircon growth must have occurred. In contrast, zircon in the third sample is dominated by inherited grains, and rims show isotopic and trace element inheritance, suggesting solid-state recrystallization of detrital zircon with only minor new growth. ?? 2009 Elsevier Ltd.

Interpreting U-Pb data from primary and secondary features in lunar zircon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grange, M. L.; Pidgeon, R. T.; Nemchin, A. A.; Timms, N. E.; Meyer, C.

2013-01-01

In this paper, we describe primary and secondary microstructures and textural characteristics found in lunar zircon and discuss the relationships between these features and the zircon U-Pb isotopic systems and the significance of these features for understanding lunar processes. Lunar zircons can be classified according to: (i) textural relationships between zircon and surrounding minerals in the host breccias, (ii) the internal microstructures of the zircon grains as identified by optical microscopy, cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging and electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) mapping and (iii) results of in situ ion microprobe analyses of the Th-U-Pb isotopic systems. Primary zircon can occur as part of a cogenetic mineral assemblage (lithic clast) or as an individual mineral clast and is unzoned, or has sector and/or oscillatory zoning. The age of primary zircon is obtained when multiple ion microprobe analyses across the polished surface of the grain give reproducible and essentially concordant data. A secondary set of microstructures, superimposed on primary zircon, include localised recrystallised domains, localised amorphous domains, crystal-plastic deformation, planar deformation features and fractures, and are associated with impact processes. The first two secondary microstructures often yield internally consistent and close to concordant U-Pb ages that we interpret as dating impact events. Others secondary microstructures such as planar deformation features, crystal-plastic deformation and micro-fractures can provide channels for Pb diffusion and result in partial resetting of the U-Pb isotopic systems.

Determination of zircon/melt trace element partition coefficients from SIMS analysis of melt inclusions in zircon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomas, J. B.; Bodnar, R. J.; Shimizu, N.; Sinha, A. K.

2002-09-01

Partition coefficients ( zircon/meltD M) for rare earth elements (REE) (La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Dy, Er and Yb) and other trace elements (Ba, Rb, B, Sr, Ti, Y and Nb) between zircon and melt have been calculated from secondary ion mass spectrometric (SIMS) analyses of zircon/melt inclusion pairs. The melt inclusion-mineral (MIM) technique shows that D REE increase in compatibility with increasing atomic number, similar to results of previous studies. However, D REE determined using the MIM technique are, in general, lower than previously reported values. Calculated D REE indicate that light REE with atomic numbers less than Sm are incompatible in zircon and become more incompatible with decreasing atomic number. This behavior is in contrast to most previously published results which indicate D > 1 and define a flat partitioning pattern for elements from La through Sm. The partition coefficients for the heavy REE determined using the MIM technique are lower than previously published results by factors of ≈15 to 20 but follow a similar trend. These differences are thought to reflect the effects of mineral and/or glass contaminants in samples from earlier studies which employed bulk analysis techniques. D REE determined using the MIM technique agree well with values predicted using the equations of Brice (1975), which are based on the size and elasticity of crystallographic sites. The presence of Ce 4+ in the melt results in elevated D Ce compared to neighboring REE due to the similar valence and size of Ce 4+ and Zr 4+. Predicted zircon/meltD values for Ce 4+ and Ce 3+ indicate that the Ce 4+/Ce 3+ ratios of the melt ranged from about 10 -3 to 10 -2. Partition coefficients for other trace elements determined in this study increase in compatibility in the order Ba < Rb < B < Sr < Ti < Y < Nb, with Ba, Rb, B and Sr showing incompatible behavior (D M < 1.0), and Ti, Y and Nb showing compatible behavior (D M > 1.0). The effect of partition coefficients on melt evolution during

Effect of α-damage on fission-track annealing in zircon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kasuya, Masao; Naeser, Charles W.

1988-01-01

The thermal stability of confined fission-track lengths in four zircon samples having different spontaneous track densities (i.e., different amounts of ??-damage) has been studied by one-hour isochronal annealing experiments. The thermal stability of spontaneous track lengths is independent of initial spontaneous track density. The thermal stability of induced track lengths in pre-annealed zircon, however, is significantly higher than that of spontaneous track lengths. The results indicate that the presence of ??-damage lowers the thermal stability of fission-tracks in zircon.

Mass-spectrometric mining of Hadean zircons by automated SHRIMP multi-collector and single-collector U/Pb zircon age dating: The first 100,000 grains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holden, Peter; Lanc, Peter; Ireland, Trevor R.; Harrison, T. Mark; Foster, John J.; Bruce, Zane

2009-09-01

The identification and retrieval of a large population of ancient zircons (>4 Ga; Hadean) is of utmost priority if models of the early evolution of Earth are to be rigorously tested. We have developed a rapid and accurate U-Pb zircon age determination protocol utilizing a fully automated multi-collector ion microprobe, the ANU SHRIMP II, to screen and date these zircons. Unattended data acquisition relies on the calibration of a digitized sample map to the Sensitive High Resolution Ion MicroProbe (SHRIMP) sample-stage co-ordinate system. High precision positioning of individual grains can be produced through optical image processing of a specified mount location. The focal position of the mount can be optimized through a correlation between secondary-ion steering and the spot position on the target. For the Hadean zircon project, sample mounts are photographed and sample locations (normally grain centers) are determined off-line. The sample is loaded, reference points calibrated, and the target positions are then visited sequentially. In SHRIMP II multiple-collector mode, zircons are initially screened (ca. 5 s data acquisition) through their 204Pb corrected 207Pb/206Pb ratio; suitable candidates are then analyzed in a longer routine to obtain better measurement statistics, U/Pb, and concentration data. In SHRIMP I and SHRIMP RG, we have incorporated the automated analysis protocol to single-collector measurements. These routines have been used to analyze over 100,000 zircons from the Jack Hills quartzite. Of these, ca. 7%, have an age greater than 3.8 Ga, the oldest grain being 4372 +/- 6 Ma (2[sigma]), and this age is part of a group of analyses around 4350 Ma which we interpret as the age when continental crust first began to coalesce in this region. In multi-collector mode, the analytical time taken for a single mount with 400 zircons is approximately 6 h; whereas in single-collector mode, the analytical time is ca. 17 h. With this productivity, we can produce

Early Paleozoic tectonic reconstruction of Iran: Tales from detrital zircon geochronology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moghadam, Hadi Shafaii; Li, Xian-Hua; Griffin, William L.; Stern, Robert J.; Thomsen, Tonny B.; Meinhold, Guido; Aharipour, Reza; O'Reilly, Suzanne Y.

2017-01-01

In this study we use detrital zircons to probe the Early Paleozoic history of NE Iran and evaluate the link between sediment sources and Gondwanan pre-Cadomian, Cadomian and younger events. U-Pb zircon ages and Hf isotopic compositions are reported for detrital zircons from Ordovician and Early Devonian sedimentary rocks from NE Iran. These clastic rocks are dominated by zircons with major age populations at 2.5 Ga, 0.8-0.6 Ga, 0.5 Ga and 0.5-0.4 Ga as well as a minor broad peak at 1.0 Ga. The source of 2.5 Ga detrital zircons is enigmatic; they may have been supplied from the Saharan Metacraton (or West African Craton) to the southwest or Afghanistan-Tarim to the east. The detrital zircons with age populations at 0.8-0.6 Ga probably originated from Cryogenian-Ediacaran juvenile igneous rocks of the Arabian-Nubian Shield; this inference is supported by their juvenile Hf isotopes, although some negative εHf (t) values suggest that other sources (such as the West African Craton) were also involved. The age peak at ca 0.5 Ga correlates with Cadomian magmatism reported from Iranian basement and elsewhere in north Gondwana. The variable εHf (t) values of Cadomian detrital zircons, resembling the εHf (t) values of zircons in magmatic Cadomian rocks from Iran and Taurides (Turkey), suggest an Andean-type margin and the involvement of reworked older crust in the generation of the magmatic rocks. The youngest age population at 0.5-0.4 Ga is interpreted to represent Gondwana rifting and the opening of Paleotethys, which probably started in Late Cambrian-Ordovician time. A combination of U-Pb dating and Hf-isotope data from Iran, Turkey and North Gondwana confirms that Iran and Turkey were parts of Gondwana at least until late Paleozoic time.

Origin of zircon-bearing mantle eclogites entrained in the V. Grib kimberlite (Arkhangelsk region, NW Russia): Evidence from mineral geochemistry and the U-Pb and Lu-Hf isotope compositions of zircon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shchukina, Elena V.; Agashev, Alexey M.; Zedgenizov, Dmitry A.

2018-05-01

The concentrations of major and trace elements in minerals, reconstructed whole-rock compositions of zircon-bearing equigranular eclogites from the V. Grib kimberlite pipe located within the Arkhangelsk Diamondiferous Province (North-Western Russia), and results of the U-Pb and Lu-Hf isotope analyses of zircon grains from eclogites and granulite xenoliths are reported. These data suggest that the equigranular eclogites could represent the fragments of mid-ocean-ridge basalt that were metamorphosed during Paleoproterozoic subduction at 1.7-1.9 Ga. The Hf isotope compositions of the eclogitic zircon display uniformity and indicate corresponding Hf-depleted mantle model ages of 2.2-2.3 Ga. The formation of zircon in eclogites could have resulted from interactions with metasomatic/subduction-related fluids just prior to, but associated with, Paleoproterozoic eclogite formation. A link between eclogitic zircon formation and continental lower-crustal rocks can be excluded based on differences in the Hf isotope compositions of eclogitic and granulitic zircon grains. The U-Pb upper intercept age of granulitic zircon of 2716 ± 61 Ma provides a new minimum age constraint for zircon crystallisation and granulite formation. The U-Pb ages obtained from granulitic zircon show two stages of Pb loss at 2.2-2.6 Ga and 1.7-2.0 Ga. The late Paleoproterozoic stage of Pb loss recorded in granulitic zircon is due to the intensive reworking of basement crustal rocks, which was caused by a tectonic process/subduction event associated with equigranular eclogite formation. Our data, along with evidence previously obtained from the V. Grib pipe coarse-granular eclogites, show at least two main subduction events in the lithospheric mantle of the Arkhangelsk region: the Archean (2.8 Ga) and Paleoproterozoic (1.7-1.9 Ga) subductions, which correspond to major magmatic and metamorphic events in the Baltic Shield.

Dating high-grade metamorphism: constraints from zircon and garnet REE compositions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whitehouse, M. J.; Platt, J. P.

2001-12-01

We present high spatial resolution ion microprobe REE analyses of zircon and garnet from pelitic granulite adjacent to the Ronda peridotite, Betic Cordillera, southern Spain. The zircons exhibit polyphase growth, with thick structureless (in cathodoluminescence) overgrowths over detrital cores. These overgrowths yield a U-Pb age of 21.3 +/- 0.3 Ma [1, unpublished data] which we intepret as dating an episode of zircon growth during the Alpine orogeny. REE analyses of the dated portions of these zircons reveal profound differences between cores and rims. Cores show patterns typical of magmatic zircon (steep upward slopes from La to Lu with marked positive Ce anomaly), while the overgrowths are characterised by flat or even negatively sloping HREE profiles (Gd - Lu). Garnet, which occupies ca. 30 % by volume of the rock, is the most likely phase to host the HREEs in the rock and has been the subject of further ion-microprobe REE, textural and trace element investigations. The garnets are themselves zoned, with dominant central regions that are relatively free of inclusions overgrown by inclusion-rich, more calcic rims. Inclusions of kyanite +rutile in the central regions and sillimanite +ilmenite in the rims suggests that the garnets grew during decompression, and the Ca-enrichment in the rims suggests that their growth coincided with the initiation of partial melting. The presence of rimmed zircons only in the garnet rims and the matrix further suggests that the zircons also grew during this late decompressional history. An REE traverse of the garnet from core to rim reveals marked HREE depletion in the rims relative to the cores which we suggest is consistent with the textural evidence and probably results from early garnet core growth strongly depleting the HREEs available to subsequent growth. This mechanism can also be invoked to explain depletion in the zircon rims and more closely ties their formation to this stage of garnet growth. We therefore interpret the

Spatially-resolved temperature diagnostic for supersonic flow using cross-beam Doppler-limited laser saturation spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phillips, Grady T.

Optical techniques for measuring the temperature in three-dimensional supersonic reactive flows have typically depended on lineshape measurements using single-beam laser absorption spectroscopy. However, absorption over extended path lengths in flows with symmetric, turbulent eddies can lead to systematically high extracted temperatures due to Doppler shifts resulting from flow along the absorption path. To eliminate these problems and provide full three-dimensional spatial resolution, two variants of laser saturation spectroscopy have been developed and demonstrated, for the first time, which utilize two crossed and nearly copropogating laser beams. Individual rotational lines in the visible I2 X 1Sigma 0+g → B 3pi 0+u transition were used to develop the two diagnostic to support research on the Chemical Oxygen-Iodine Laser (COIL), the weapon aboard the USAF Airborne Laser. Cross-Beam Saturation Absorption Spectroscopy (CBSAS) and Cross-Beam Inter-Modulated Fluorescence (CBIMF) were demonstrated as viable methods for recording the spectral signal of an I2 ro-vibrational line in a small three-dimensional volume using a tunable CW dye laser. Temperature is extracted by fitting the recorded signal with a theoretical signal constructed from the Doppler-broadened hyperfine components of the ro-vibrational line. The CBIMF technique proved successful for extracting the temperature of an I2-seeded, Ar gas flow within a small, Mach 2, Laval nozzle where the overlap volume of the two 1 mm diameter laser beams was 2.4 mm 3. At a test point downstream of the nozzle throat, the average temperature of 146 K +/- 1.5 K extracted from measurements of the I2 P(46) 17-1 spectral line compared favorably with the 138 K temperature calculated from isentropic, one-dimensional flow theory. CBIMF provides sufficient accuracy for characterizing the temperature of the gas flow in a COIL device, and could be applied to other areas of flow-field characterization and nozzle design. In

U-Pb Dating of Unabraded Detrital Zircon Metamorphic Rims in the Nanaimo Basin, British Columbia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boivin, M. P.; Guest, B.; Matthews, W.

2016-12-01

Thin metamorphic rims on detrital zircons from the Nanaimo Basin in SW British Columbia offer a unique opportunity to further constrain the source of these zircons, helping to resolve the long standing Baja BC controversy. Here we present an analytical approach for dating thin zircon rims and use it to show that zircons from the Nanaimo Basin are most likely derived from metamorphic rocks in southern California. Conventional in-situ laser ablation sample preparation typically requires mounting and polishing zircon grains to expose their core. However, in order to date these thin metamorphic zircon rims a depth-profiling approach on unabraded grains was employed. Zircon grains from the Upper Cretaceous Geoffrey, Spray, and Gabriola formations of the Nanaimo Group exposed on Denman and Hornby Islands (British Columbia) were sorted into five groups based on morphology. The zircons were then mounted on tape along with several grains of a well-characterised zircon reference material to validate the uncertainty of the method. The zircons were then imaged using a Zygo Zescope optical profilometer in order to correct for grain-to-grain variations in elevation relative to mounting medium and ensure consistent laser focus. Backscatter electron images (BSE) were used to further characterised the grains and optimize the location of laser ablation targets. Zircons were ablated using a Resonetics 193 nm excimer laser and uranium and lead isotopic ratios were measured using an Agilent 7700 quadrupole mass spectrometer. A low frequency laser repetition rate extended the data collection period on relatively thin zircon rims. Our results show that metamorphic zircon growth occurred in two main phases at 100 Ma and 77 Ma suggesting two sources of detrital zircons with differing metamorphic histories were present in the catchment area. The timing of metamorphism of the source area for the Nanaimo basin is inconsistent with derivation from sources in the Rocky Mountains (Lemhi sub

Active layers of high-performance lead zirconate titanate at temperatures compatible with silicon nano- and microeletronic [corrected] devices.

PubMed

Bretos, Iñigo; Jiménez, Ricardo; Tomczyk, Monika; Rodríguez-Castellón, Enrique; Vilarinho, Paula M; Calzada, M Lourdes

2016-02-03

Applications of ferroelectric materials in modern microelectronics will be greatly encouraged if the thermal incompatibility between inorganic ferroelectrics and semiconductor devices is overcome. Here, solution-processable layers of the most commercial ferroelectric compound--morphotrophic phase boundary lead zirconate titanate, namely Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 (PZT)--are grown on silicon substrates at temperatures well below the standard CMOS process of semiconductor technology. The method, potentially transferable to a broader range of Zr:Ti ratios, is based on the addition of crystalline nanoseeds to photosensitive solutions of PZT resulting in perovskite crystallization from only 350 °C after the enhanced decomposition of metal precursors in the films by UV irradiation. A remanent polarization of 10.0 μC cm(-2) is obtained for these films that is in the order of the switching charge densities demanded for FeRAM devices. Also, a dielectric constant of ~90 is measured at zero voltage which exceeds that of current single-oxide candidates for capacitance applications. The multifunctionality of the films is additionally demonstrated by their pyroelectric and piezoelectric performance. The potential integration of PZT layers at such low fabrication temperatures may redefine the concept design of classical microelectronic devices, besides allowing inorganic ferroelectrics to enter the scene of the emerging large-area, flexible electronics.

Investigating the Early Carbon Cycle Using Carbonaceous Inclusions and Dissolved Carbon in Detrital Zircon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bell, E. A.; Boehnke, P.; Harrison, M.; Mao, W. L.

2015-12-01

Because the terrestrial rock record extends only to ~4 Ga and older materials thus far identified are limited to detrital zircons, information about volatile abundances and cycles on early Earth is limited. Carbon, for instance, plays an important role not only in the modern biosphere but also in deep recycling of materials between the crust and mantle. We are investigating the record of carbon abundance and origin in Hadean zircons from Jack Hills (W. Australia) using two main approaches. First, carbon may partition into the zircon structure at trace levels during crystallization from a magma, and better understanding of this partitioning behavior will allow for zircon's use as a monitor of magmatic carbon contents. We have measured carbon abundances in zircon from a variety of igneous rocks (gabbro; I-, A-, and S-type granitoids) via SIMS and found that although abundances are typically low (average raw 12C/30Si ~ 1x10-6), S-type granite zircons can reach a factor of 1000 over this background. Around 10% of Hadean zircons investigated show similar enrichments, consistent with other evidence for the derivation of many Jack Hills zircons from S-type granitoids and with the establishment of modern-level carbon abundances in the crust by ca. 4.2 Ga. Diamond and graphite inclusions reported in the Jack Hills zircons by previous studies proved to be contamination by polishing debris, leaving the true abundance of these materials in the population uncertain. On a second front, we have identified and investigated primary carbonaceous inclusions in these zircons. From a population of over 10,000 Jack Hills zircons, we identified one concordant 4.10±0.01 Ga zircon that contains primary graphite inclusions (so interpreted due to their enclosure in a crack-free zircon host as shown by transmission X-ray microscopy and their crystal habit). Their δ13CPDB of -24±5‰ is consistent with a biogenic origin and, in the absence of a likely inorganic mechanism to produce such a

Tiny twists in time; exploring angular resolution of in situ EBSD orientation microstructures in solar system zircon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moser, D. E.

2012-12-01

Kikuchi discovered electron diffraction in samples of calcite in the 1920's, and orientation of lattice planes by Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) is now routinely measured by automated camera systems at a spatial resolution of tens of nanometers using Field Emission Gun SEM. The current methodology is proving particularly powerful when measuring lattice orientation microstructure in U-Pb geochronology minerals such as zircon and baddeleyite that have experienced high temperature deformation or shock metamorphism. These are among the oldest preserved mineral phases in inner solar system materials, and we have been applying EBSD to rare samples of the Early Earth and grains from extraterrestrial environments such as the Moon and Mars. In these cases the EBSD orientation data are useful for identifying high diffusivity pathways that may have afforded isotopic and trace element disturbance, microstructural proxies for shock metamorphic pressures, as well as resolving glide plane systems in ductile zircon and shear twin mechanisms. Blanket estimates of angular resolution for automated EBSD misorientation measurements are often in the range of 0.5 degrees. In some cases strain giving rise to only a few degrees of lattice misorientation has facilitated 100% Pb-loss. In some cases, however, there is a spatial correlation between trace element or cathodoluminescence zoning in zircon and what appears to be low magnitudes misorientation close to the limits of resolution. Given the proven value of performing EBSD analysis on geochronology minerals, a more thorough exploration of the precision and accuracy of EBSD lattice misorientation measurements is warranted. In this talk the relative weighting of the factors that limit EBSD angular resolution will be investigated, focusing on U-Pb dating minerals such as zircon. These factors include; sample surface preparation, phase symmetry, pseudo-symmetry effects, degree of crystallinity, Kikuchi band contrast and indexing

Evidence from detrital zircons for the existence of continental crust and oceans on the Earth 4.4 Gyr ago.

PubMed

Wilde, S A; Valley, J W; Peck, W H; Graham, C M

2001-01-11

No crustal rocks are known to have survived since the time of the intense meteor bombardment that affected Earth between its formation about 4,550 Myr ago and 4,030 Myr, the age of the oldest known components in the Acasta Gneiss of northwestern Canada. But evidence of an even older crust is provided by detrital zircons in metamorphosed sediments at Mt Narryer and Jack Hills in the Narryer Gneiss Terrane, Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia, where grains as old as approximately 4,276 Myr have been found. Here we report, based on a detailed micro-analytical study of Jack Hills zircons, the discovery of a detrital zircon with an age as old as 4,404+/-8 Myr--about 130 million years older than any previously identified on Earth. We found that the zircon is zoned with respect to rare earth elements and oxygen isotope ratios (delta18O values from 7.4 to 5.0%), indicating that it formed from an evolving magmatic source. The evolved chemistry, high delta18O value and micro-inclusions of SiO2 are consistent with growth from a granitic melt with a delta18O value from 8.5 to 9.5%. Magmatic oxygen isotope ratios in this range point toward the involvement of supracrustal material that has undergone low-temperature interaction with a liquid hydrosphere. This zircon thus represents the earliest evidence for continental crust and oceans on the Earth.

The behavior of gain and saturation characteristics versus temperature in a copper bromide laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohammadpour Lima, S.; Behrouzinia, S.; Salem, M. K.; Elahei, M.; Khorasani, K.; Dorranian, D.

2017-05-01

A pair of copper bromide lasers in an oscillator-amplifier configuration was used to investigate the temperature dependence of the small-signal gain, saturation intensity, and output power of the laser. The observations were explained in terms of the electron temperature and energy levels of transition. An optimum electrical input power of 1.6 kW and a corresponding operational temperature of 510 °C were determined for the maximum values of these parameters. The balance between the microscopic parameters, such as stimulated emission cross-section, laser upper-level lifetime, and population inversion, which determine the behavior of the amplifying parameters and laser output power with respect to the operational temperature, has been investigated. We used the steady-state rate equation from the Hargrove model to determine the amplifying parameters, instead of the Frantz-Nodvik formula. The power extracted from the amplifier exceeds that achieved with the same device as the oscillator by more than 60%.

Erosional history of the Appalachians as recordeed in detrital zircon fission-track ages and lithic detritus in Atlantic Coastal Plain sediments

USGS Publications Warehouse

Naeser, C.W.; Naeser, N.D.; Edwards, Lucy E.; Weems, Robert E.; Southworth, C. Scott; Newell, Wayne L.

2016-01-01

Comparison of fission-track (FT) ages of detrital zircons recovered from Atlantic Coastal Plain sediments to FT ages of zircons from bedrock in source terranes in the Appalachians provides a key to understanding the provenance of the sediments and, in turn, the erosional and depositional history of the Atlantic passive margin.In Appalachian source terranes, the oldest zircon fission-track (ZFT) ages from bedrock in the western Appalachians (defined for this paper as the Appalachian Plateau, Valley and Ridge, and far western Blue Ridge) are notably older than the oldest ages from bedrock in the eastern Appalachians (Piedmont and main part of the Blue Ridge). The age difference is seen both in ZFT sample ages and in individual zircon grain ages and reflects differences in the thermotectonic history of the rocks. In the east, ZFT data indicate that the rocks cooled from temperatures high enough to partially or totally reset ZFT ages during the Paleozoic and (or) Mesozoic. The majority of the rocks are interpreted to have cooled through the ZFT closure temperature (∼235 °C) at various times during the late Paleozoic Alleghanian orogeny. In contrast, most of the rocks sampled in the western Appalachians have never been heated to temperatures high enough to totally reset their ZFT ages. Reflecting their contrasting thermotectonic histories, nearly 80 percent of the sampled western rocks yield one or more zircon grains with very old FT ages, in excess of 800 Ma; zircon grains yielding FT ages this old have not been found in rocks in the Piedmont and main part of the Blue Ridge. The ZFT data suggest that the asymmetry of zircon ages of exposed bedrock in the eastern and western Appalachians was in evidence by no later than the Early Cretaceous and probably by the Late Triassic.Detrital zircon suites from sands collected in the Atlantic Coastal Plain provide a record of detritus eroded from source terranes in the Appalachians during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic. In Virginia

New insights into Arctic paleogeography and tectonics from U-Pb detrital zircon geochronology

USGS Publications Warehouse

Miller, E.L.; Toro, J.; Gehrels, G.; Amato, J.M.; Prokopiev, A.; Tuchkova, M.I.; Akinin, V.V.; Dumitru, T.A.; Moore, Thomas E.; Cecile, M.P.

2006-01-01

To test existing models for the formation of the Amerasian Basin, detrital zircon suites from 12 samples of Triassic sandstone from the circum-Arctic region were dated by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The northern Verkhoyansk (NE Russia) has Permo-Carboniferous (265-320 Ma) and Cambro-Silurian (410-505 Ma) zircon populations derived via river systems from the active Baikal Mountain region along the southern Siberian craton. Chukotka, Wrangel Island (Russia), and the Lisburne Hills (western Alaska) also have Permo-Carboniferous (280-330 Ma) and late Precambrian-Silurian (420-580 Ma) zircons in addition to Permo-Triassic (235-265 Ma), Devonian (340-390 Ma), and late Precambrian (1000-1300 Ma) zircons. These ages suggest at least partial derivation from the Taimyr, Siberian Trap, and/ or east Urals regions of Arctic Russia. The northerly derived Ivishak Formation (Sadlerochit Mountains, Alaska) and Pat Bay Formation (Sverdrup Basin, Canada) are dominated by Cambrian-latest Precambrian (500-600 Ma) and 445-490 Ma zircons. Permo-Carboniferous and Permo-Triassic zircons are absent. The Bjorne Formation (Sverdrup Basin), derived from the south, differs from other samples studied with mostly 1130-1240 Ma and older Precambrian zircons in addition to 430-470 Ma zircons. The most popular tectonic model for the origin of the Amerasian Basin involves counterclockwise rotation of the Arctic Alaska-Chukotka microplate away from the Canadian Arctic margin. The detrital zircon data suggest that the Chukotka part of the microplate originated closer to the Taimyr and Verkhoyansk, east of the Polar Urals of Russia, and not from the Canadian Arctic. Copyright 2006 by the American Geophysical Union.

Low temperature resistivity plateau and non-saturating magnetoresistance in Type-II Weyl semimetal WP2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagpal, V.; Kumar, P.; Sudesh, Patnaik, S.

2018-04-01

We have studied the resistivity and magnetoresistance (MR) properties of the recently predicted type-II Weyl semimetal WP2. Polycrystalline WP2 is synthesized using solid state reaction and crystallizes in an orthorhombic structure with the Cmc21 spacegroup. The temperature dependent resistivity is enhanced with the application of magnetic field and a resistivity plateau is observed at low temperatures. We find a small dip in resistivity around 30K at 5T field suggesting that there might be a metal-insulator-like transition at higher magnetic fields. A non-saturating magnetoresistance is observed at low temperatures with maximum MR ˜ 94% at 2K and 6T. The value of MR decreases with the increase in temperature. We see a deviation from Kohler's power law which implies that the system comprises of two types of charge carriers.

The role of trace element partitioning between garnet, zircon and orthopyroxene on the interpretation of zircon U-Pb ages: an example from high-grade basement in Calabria (Southern Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fornelli, A.; Langone, A.; Micheletti, F.; Pascazio, A.; Piccarreta, G.

2014-03-01

The recognition of the coeval growth of zircon, orthopyroxene and garnet domains formed during the same metamorphic cycle has been attempted with detailed microanalyses coupled with textural analyses. A coronitic garnet-bearing granulite from the lower crust of Calabria has been considered. U-Pb zircon data and zircon, garnet and orthopyroxene chemistries, at different textural sites, on a thin section of the considered granulite have been used to test possible equilibrium and better constrain the geological significance of the U-Pb ages related to zircon separates from other rocks of the same structural level. The garnet is very rich in REE and is characterised by a decrease in HREE from core to outer core and an increase in the margin. Zircons show core-overgrowth structures showing different chemistries, likely reflecting episodic metamorphic new growth. Zircon grains in matrix, corona around garnet and within the inner rim of garnet, are decidedly poorer in HREE up to Ho than garnet interior. Orthopyroxene in matrix and corona is homogeneously poor in REE. Thus, the outer core of garnet and the analysed zircon grains grew or equilibrated in a REE depleted system due to the former growth of garnet core. Zircon ages ranging from 357 to 333 Ma have been determined in the matrix, whereas ages 327-320 Ma and around 300 Ma have been determined, respectively, on cores and overgrowths of zircons from matrix, corona and inner rim of garnet. The calculated DREEzrn/grt and DREEopx/grt are largely different from the equilibrium values of literature due to strong depletion up to Ho in zircon and orthopyroxene with respect to garnet. On the other hand, the literature data show large variability. In the case study, (1) the D zrn/grt values define positive and linear trends from Gd to Lu as many examples from literature do and the values from Er to Lu approach the experimental results at about 900 °C in the combination zircon dated from 339 to 305 Ma with garnet outer core

Geochronology and thermobarometry of the granitoid rocks within the Vaasa granite-migmatite complex, western Finland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurhila, Matti; Kotilainen, Anna; Tiljander, Mia; Hölttä, Pentti; Korja, Annakaisa

2015-04-01

The Vaasa granite-migmatite dome in west-central Finland has been formed in the Svecofennian orogeny, after the main collisional stage at ~1.9 Ga. The structure consists of a granite-migmatite core surrounded by metasedimentary rocks with outward decreasing metamorphic grade. The core comprises anatectic garnet-bearing granites, diatexites, pyroxene granites, and minor intrusive granodiorites. Geochemically, all of the rocks are peraluminous and magnesian. The Vaasa granites have close to average upper crustal compositions, and they show signs of titanite and plagioclase fractionation. The heavy REEs vary strongly according to garnet retention. Zircon U-Pb ages for these rock types indicate crystallization at 1875 Ma for the diatexites and garnet-bearing granites and at 1870 Ma for the pyroxene granites. Melt-forming temperatures are estimated by zircon and monazite saturation temperatures, and by Al/Ti ratios. No clear difference in the melting temperatures of the various rock types could be detected. However, while the monazite and zircon saturation temperatures point to temperatures around 800 ° C, the Al-Ti thermometer gives consistently about 100 ° C degrees higher results. Given the anatectic and felsic nature of the rocks, the lower temperature estimates seem more probable. Crystallization temperatures and pressures were calculated with the help of mineral chemical analyses. Garnet-biotite-plagioclase-quartz thermobarometry, and Al-in-hornblende barometry indicate pressures of 5.5-6 kbars for the diatexites, the pyroxene granites and an intrusive granodiorite. Significantly lower pressures of 2-4 kbars are recorded for the garnet-bearing granites. The garnet-biotite thermometer implies crystallization temperatures between 650 - 700 ° C for the pyroxene granites and the diatexites, and upto 600 ° C for the garnet-bearing granites. These results are markedly lower than those indicated by the whole-rock saturation temperatures of the same rocks. This may

Crystallization of accessory phases in magmas by local saturation adjacent to phenocrysts

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bacon, C.R.

1989-01-01

Accessory minerals commonly occur attached to or included in the major crystalline phases of felsic and some intermediate igneous rocks. Apatite is particularly common as inclusions, but Fe-Ti oxides, pyrrhotite, zircon, monazite, chevkinite and xenotime are also known from silicic rocks. Accessories may nucleate near the host crystal/ liquid interface as a result of local saturation owing to formation of a differentiated chemical boundary layer in which accessory mineral solubility would be lower than in the surrounding liquid. Differentiation of this boundary layer would be greatest adjacent to ferromagnesian phenocrysts, especially Fe-Ti oxides; it is with oxides that accessories are most commonly associated in rocks. A boundary layer may develop if the crystal grows more rapidly than diffusion can transport incorporated and rejected elements to and from the phenocryst. Diffusion must dominate over convection as a mode of mass transfer near the advancing crystal/liquid interface in order for a boundary layer to exist. Accumulation of essential structural constituent elements of accessory minerals owing to their slow diffusion in evolved silicate melt also may force local saturation, but this is not a process that applies to all cases. Local saturation is an attractive mechanism for enhancing fractionation during crystallization differentiation. If accessory minerals attached to or included in phenocrysts formed because of local saturation, their host phenocrysts must have grown rapidly when accessories nucleated in comparison to lifetimes of magma reservoirs. Some inconsistencies remain in a local saturation origin for accessory phases that cannot be evaluated without additional information. ?? 1989.

Mechanisms of strain accommodation in plastically-deformed zircon under simple shear deformation conditions during amphibolite-facies metamorphism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kovaleva, Elizaveta; Klötzli, Urs; Wheeler, John; Habler, Gerlinde

2018-02-01

This study documents the strain accommodation mechanisms in zircon under amphibolite-facies metamorphic conditions in simple shear. Microstructural data from undeformed, fractured and crystal-plastically deformed zircon crystals are described in the context of the host shear zone, and evaluated in the light of zircon elastic anisotropy. Our work challenges the existing model of zircon evolution and shows previously undescribed rheological characteristics for this important accessory mineral. Crystal-plastically deformed zircon grains have axis oriented parallel to the foliation plane, with the majority of deformed grains having axis parallel to the lineation. Zircon accommodates strain by a network of stepped low-angle boundaries, formed by switching between tilt dislocations with the slip systems <100>{010} and < 1 bar 10>{110} and rotation axis [001], twist dislocations with the rotation axis [001], and tilt dislocations with the slip system <100>{001} and rotation axis [010]. The slip system < 1 bar 10>{110} is newly described for zircon. Most misorientation axes in plastically-deformed zircon grains are parallel to the XY plane of the sample and have [001] crystallographic direction. Such behaviour of strained zircon lattice is caused by elastic anisotropy that has a direct geometric control on the rheology, deformation mechanisms and dominant slip systems in zircon. Young's modulus and P wave velocity have highest values parallel to zircon [001] axis, indicating that zircon is elastically strong along this direction. Poisson ratio and Shear modulus demonstrate that zircon is also most resistant to shearing along [001]. Thus, [001] axis is the most common rotation axis in zircon. The described zircon behaviour is important to take into account during structural and geochronological investigations of (poly)metamorphic terrains. Geometry of dislocations in zircon may help reconstructing the geometry of the host shear zone(s), large-scale stresses in the

The effect of α-damage on fission-track annealing in zircon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kasuya, M.; Naeser, C.W.

1988-01-01

The thermal stability of confined fission-track lengths in four zircon samples having different spontaneous track densities (i.e. different amounts of ??-damage) has been studied by one hour isochronal annealing experiments. The thermal stability of spontaneous track lengths is independent of initial spontaneous track density. The thermal stability of induced track lengths in pre-annealed zircon, however, is significantly higher than that of spontaneous track lengths. The results indicate that the presence of ??-damage lowers the thermal stability of fission-tracks in zircon. ?? 1988.

Finding the "true" age: ways to read high-precision U-Pb zircon dates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaltegger, U.; Schoene, B.; Ovtcharova, M.; Sell, B. K.; Broderick, C. A.; Wotzlaw, J.

2011-12-01

Refined U-Pb dating techniques, applying an empirical chemical abrasion treatment prior to analysis [1], and using a precisely calibrated double isotope Pb, U EARTHTIME tracer solution, have led to an unprecedented <0.1% precision and accuracy of obtained 206Pb/238U dates of single zircon crystals or fragments. Results very often range over 10e4 to 10e6 years and cannot be treated as statistically singular age populations. The interpretation of precise zircon U-Pb ages is biased by two problems: (A) Post-crystallization Pb loss from decay damaged areas is considered to be mitigated by applying chemical abrasion techniques. The success of such treatment can, however, not be assumed a priori. The following examples demonstrate that youngest zircons are not biased by lead loss but represent close-to-youngest zircon growth: (i) coincidence of youngest zircon dates with co-magmatic titanite in tonalite; (ii) coincidence with statistically equivalent clusters of 206Pb/238U dates from zircon in residual melts of cogenetic mafic magmas; (iii) youngest zircons in ash beds of sedimentary sequences do not violate the stratigraphic superposition, whereas conventional statistical interpretation (mean or median values) does; (iv) results of published inter-laboratory cross-calibration tests using chemical abrasion on natural zircon crystals of the same sample arrive at the same 206Pb/238U result within <0.1% (e.g., [2]); (v) Youngest crystals coincide in age with the astronomical age of hosting cyclic sediments. Residual lead loss may, however, still be identified in the case of single, significantly younger dates (>3 sigma), and are common in many pre-Triassic and hydrothermally altered rocks. (B) Pre-eruptive/pre-intrusive growth is found to be the main reason for scattered zircon ages in igneous rocks. Zircons crystallizing from the final magma batch are called autocrystic [3]. Autocrystic growth will happen in a moving or stagnant magma shortly before or after the

Alps to Apennines zircon roller coaster along the Adria microplate margin.

PubMed

Jacobs, J; Paoli, G; Rocchi, S; Ksienzyk, A K; Sirevaag, H; Elburg, M A

2018-02-09

We have traced the particle path of high-pressure metasedimentary rocks on Elba Island, Northern Apennines, with the help of a U-Pb-Hf detrital zircon study. One quarter of the analysed zircons are surprisingly young, 41-30 Ma, with a main age peak at ca. 32 Ma, indicating an unexpected early Oligocene maximum deposition age. These Oligocene ages with negative εHf indicate a volcanic source region in the central-southern Alps. Though young by geological means, these zircons record an extraordinary geodynamic history. They originated in a volcanic arc, during the convergence/collision of the the Adria microplate with Europe from ca. 65 to 30 Ma. Thereafter, the Oligocene zircons travelled ca. 400 km southward along the Adria margin and the accretionary prism to present-day Tuscany, where they were subducted to depths of at least 40 km. Shortly thereafter, they were brought to the surface again in the wake of hinge roll back of the Apennine subduction zone and the resulting rapid extensional exhumation. Such a zircon roller coaster requires a microplate that has back-to-back subduction zones with opposing polarities on two sides.

Zircon (Hf, O isotopes) as melt indicator: Melt infiltration and abundant new zircon growth within melt rich layers of granulite-facies lenses versus solid-state recrystallization in hosting amphibolite-facies gneisses (central Erzgebirge, Bohemian Massif)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tichomirowa, Marion; Whitehouse, Martin; Gerdes, Axel; Schulz, Bernhard

2018-03-01

In the central Erzgebirge within the Bohemian Massif, lenses of high pressure and ultrahigh pressure felsic granulites occur within meta-sedimentary and meta-igneous amphibolite-facies felsic rocks. In the felsic granulite, melt rich parts and restite form alternating layers, and were identified by petrology and bulk rock geochemistry. Mineral assemblages representing the peak P-T conditions were best preserved in melanocratic restite layers. In contrast, in the melt rich leucocratic layers, garnet and related HP minerals as kyanite are almost completely resorbed. Both layers display differences in accessory minerals: melanosomes have frequent and large monazite and Fe-Ti-minerals but lack xenotime and apatite; leucosomes have abundant apatite and xenotime while monazite is rare. Here we present a detailed petrographic study of zircon grains (abundance, size, morphology, inclusions) in granulite-facies and amphibolite-facies felsic gneisses, along with their oxygen and hafnium isotope compositions. Our data complement earlier Usbnd Pb ages and trace element data (REE, Y, Hf, U) on zircons from the same rocks (Tichomirowa et al., 2005). Our results show that the degree of melting determines the behaviour of zircon in different layers of the granulites and associated amphibolite-facies rocks. In restite layers of the granulite lenses, small, inherited, and resorbed zircon grains are preserved and new zircon formation is very limited. In contrast, new zircons abundantly grew in the melt rich leucocratic layers. In these layers, the new zircons (Usbnd Pb age, trace elements, Hf, O isotopes) best preserve the information on peak metamorphic conditions due to intense corrosion of other metamorphic minerals. The new zircons often contain inherited cores. Compared to cores, the new zircons and rims show similar or slightly lower Hf isotope values, slightly higher Hf model ages, and decreased oxygen isotope ratios. The isotope compositions (Hf, O) of new zircons indicate

Chemical-abrasion SIMS dating of zircon from the Eocene Caetano caldera, Nevada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colgan, J.; Watts, K. E.; John, D. A.; Henry, C. D.; Coble, M. A.; Vazquez, J. A.

2012-12-01

The Eocene Caetano caldera in northern Nevada formed during eruption of ~1100 km3 of crystal-rich rhyolite. Miocene extension cut the caldera into a set of fault blocks that expose minor pre-caldera volcanic rocks, two units of intracaldera Caetano Tuff up to 4 km thick, ash-flow tuff feeder dikes and ring-fracture intrusions, caldera collapse breccias, and post-collapse resurgent intrusions. Single-crystal 40Ar/39Ar sanidine dates on all parts of the caldera system overlap, yielding a 34.01 ± 0.05 Ma (n=17, Fish Canyon sanidine = 28.201 Ma) age for the eruption. 40Ar/39Ar dating also documents several preceding episodes of magmatism: 35.69 ± 0.06 Ma (sanidine, n =13) rhyolite dikes in the nearby Cortez gold district, 35.21 ± 0.18 Ma (plagioclase, n=1) andesite lava underlying Caetano Tuff, and a 38.90 ± 0.11 Ma (biotite, n=1), dacite dike in the northeastern caldera wall. Extensive U-Pb SHRIMP dating of zircon from both the Cortez dikes and all phases of the Caetano system suggests continuous magmatism from 40-34 Ma. However, all samples contain at least some—sometimes many—zircons with U-Pb ages younger than the 34.0 Ma argon age. To determine if anomalously young zircon ages are due to Pb-loss, we analyzed representative samples of the upper Caetano Tuff and the Redrock Canyon resurgent pluton with and without chemical abrasion to mitigate Pb-loss. Bulk zircon separates were annealed at 850°C for 48 hours, then chemically abraded with 10:1 HF/HNO3 vapor in a Parr bomb at 225°C for 8 hours, based on protocols outlined by Mattinson (2005). Both treated and untreated zircons from the same sample were mounted in epoxy and polished to their midsections, then imaged on the SEM using BSE and CL. The SHRIMP-RG at Stanford University was used to determine U-Pb ages and trace element concentrations in single spots for ~25 to 30 individual zircons per sample, using a round-robin procedure and two zircon age standards (R33 and 080) to monitor external precision

The 3.5 Ga granulites of the Bug polymetamorphic complex, Ukraine (U-Pb SHRIMP-II zircon data)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lobach-Zhuchenko, Svetlana; Kaulina, Tatiana; Baltybaev, Shauket; Yurchenko, Anastasija; Balagansky, Victor; Skublov, Sergei; Sukach, Vitaliji

2014-05-01

The Bug polymetamorphic complex composes the south-west of the Ukrainian Shield. It experienced multistage deformation and metamorphism of 3.6 to 1.95 Ga. The age of protolith of the gneiss enderbite is up to 3.7-3.6 Ga (Claesson et al., 2006: Lobach-Zhuchenko et al., 2010, 2013; Bibikova et al, 2013). The 3.5 old granulitic zircon (sample UR132) was found in a light grey massive medium grained with weak foliation granulite from the Odessa quarry located at the right riverside of the Bug (N 48° 13' 55.2''; E 29° 59' 75''). The rock is mafic in composition (SiO2 = 51.50 wt%, #mg=0.43, (La/Yb)n =7.5), and shows enrichment in Sr (333 ppm), Zr (244 ppm), and Nb (12 ppm) compared to MORB. This contains antiperthitic plagioclase (An30-35), hypersthene (En0.46 Fs0.53 Wo0.01 ), diopside (En0.33 Fs0.20Wo0.47), quartz, ilmenite, magnetite, apatite, and zircon. Three types of zircon are recognized. (1) Large (~300 μm) isometric and oval grains displaying bright colour and sector zoning in CL. Some crystals have fir-tree texture. Isometric shape together with fir-tree zoning is typical for zircons growing under conditions of granulite- facies metamorphism (Hoskin and Schaltegger, 2003). These zircons are low in U and Th, have high Th/U ratios (0.61-1.1), and display decreasing of element contents from the centre to margin (ppm): U - 68 to 44, Th - 58 to 19, total REE - 723 to 406, Y - 1049 to 553, and Li - 1.23 to 0.91 at the constant (Lu/La)n ratios (4200-4600). Zircon's crystallization temperature calculated from the Ti content is 705 °C and is consistent with those calculated on the base of the mineral composition. (2) Small sized (60-100 μm) zircons. Most of these occur within plagioclase and truncate antiperthite lamellae. They show euhedral zoned cores and bright rims in CL. (3) Zircons principally distinguished from those of groups 1 and 2. These are dark in CL, some grains are severely structurally damaged and contain numerous inclusions (Qzt, Pl, Kfsp, rare Opx

Magma evolution as seen through zircon geochemistry: an example from the Southern Adamello Batholith, N. Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Broderick, C.; Schaltegger, U.; Gerdes, A.; Frick, D.; Guenther, D.; Brack, P.

2012-04-01

Zircon is an ubiquitous accessory mineral often used for U-Pb geochronology but is also an important recorder of geochemical information. The trace element and isotopic characteristics of zircon yield potential for tracking changes in an evolving magma through time. With recent advances in U-Pb zircon geochronology, 10-100 ka to Ma timescales are observed for incremental pluton construction (Michel et al., 2008, Schaltegger et al., 2009). In observed 100 ka timescales of zircon crystallization, can zircon record the processes that produce trace element variations in a magma? This study focuses on the Val Fredda Complex (VFC) in the southern tip of the 43 to 33 Ma Adamello batholith, N. Italy. The VFC displays complex relationships among mafic melts that were injected into solidifying felsic magmas. Single zircon crystals were dated using CA-ID-TIMS. With permil uncertainties on 206Pb/238U zircon dates, zircons reveal complexities within single populations. The mafic units crystallized potential autocrystic zircons over a duration of 100 - 150ka, whereas the felsic units record up to 200ka of zircon crystallization. In order to understand these complex zircon populations, we analyzed Hf isotopes and trace elements, on the same volume of zircon used for U-Pb dating, following the TIMS-TEA method (Schoene et al., 2010). This detailed zircon study will allow us to look at how magmas are evolving with time. Hf isotopes of VFC mafic zircons reveal distinct ɛHf values between the three mafic units and their ɛHf values remain consistent through time, whereas the VFC felsic units record more complexity in their ɛHf values. We observe changes such as increasing and slight decreases in ɛHf with time which suggest different processes are occurring to produce the different felsic units. Trace element ratios in zircon reveal differences which allow us to make distinctions between felsic and mafic units (e.g. Th/U, (Lu/Gd)N, REEs). The VFC records 200 ka of zircon

Magmatic @d^1^8O in 4400-3900 Ma detrital zircons: A record of the alteration and recycling of crust in the Early Archean [rapid communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cavosie, A. J.; Valley, J. W.; Wilde, S. A.

2005-07-01

Ion microprobe analyses of δ 18O in 4400-3900 Ma igneous zircons from the Jack Hills, Western Australia, provide a record of the oxygen isotope composition of magmas in the earliest Archean. We have employed a detailed analysis protocol aimed at correlating spatially related micro-volumes of zircon concordant in U/Pb age with δ 18O and internal zoning. Simultaneous analysis of 18O and 16O with dual Faraday cup detectors, combined with frequent standardization, has yielded data with improved accuracy and precision over prior studies, and resulted in a narrower range of what is interpreted as magmatic δ 18O in > 3900 Ma zircons. Preserved magmatic δ 18O values from individual zircons (Zrc) range from 5.3‰ to 7.3‰ (VSMOW), and increasingly deviate from the mantle range of 5.3 ± 0.3‰ as zircons decrease in age from 4400 to 4200 Ma. Elevated δ 18O (Zrc) values up to 6.5‰ occur as early as 4325 Ma, which suggests that evolved rocks were incorporated into magmas within ˜230 Ma of Earth's accretion. Values of magmatic δ 18O (Zrc) as high as 7.3‰ are recorded in zircons by 4200 Ma, and are common thereafter. The protoliths of the magmas these zircons crystallized in were altered by low temperature interaction with liquid water near Earth's surface. These results provide the strongest evidence yet for the existence of liquid water oceans and supracrustal rocks by approximately 4200 Ma, and possibly as early as 4325 Ma. The range of magmatic δ 18O values in the 4400-3900 Ma zircons is indistinguishable from Archean igneous zircons, suggesting similar magmatic processes occurred over the first two billion years of recorded Earth history. Zircons with sub-solidus alteration histories, identified by the presence of disturbed internal zoning patterns, record δ 18O values both below (4.6‰) and above (10.3‰) the observed range for primary magmatic zircon, and are unreliable indicators of Early Archean magma chemistry.

Cooling rates and the depth of detachment faulting at oceanic core complexes: Evidence from zircon Pb/U and (U-Th)/He ages

USGS Publications Warehouse

Grimes, Craig B.; Cheadle, Michael J.; John, Barbara E.; Reiners, P.W.; Wooden, J.L.

2011-01-01

Oceanic detachment faulting represents a distinct mode of seafloor spreading at slow spreading mid-ocean ridges, but many questions persist about the thermal evolution and depth of faulting. We present new Pb/U and (U-Th)/He zircon ages and combine them with magnetic anomaly ages to define the cooling histories of gabbroic crust exposed by oceanic detachment faults at three sites along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) holes 1270D and 1275D near the 15??20???N Transform, and Atlantis Massif at 30??N). Closure temperatures for the Pb/U (???800??C-850??C) and (U-Th)/He (???210??C) isotopic systems in zircon bracket acquisition of magnetic remanence, collectively providing a temperature-time history during faulting. Results indicate cooling to ???200??C in 0.3-0.5 Myr after zircon crystallization, recording time-averaged cooling rates of ???1000??C- 2000??C/Myr. Assuming the footwalls were denuded along single continuous faults, differences in Pb/U and (U-Th)/He zircon ages together with independently determined slip rates allow the distance between the ???850??C and ???200??C isotherms along the fault plane to be estimated. Calculated distances are 8.4 ?? 4.2 km and 5.0 2.1 km from holes 1275D and 1270D and 8.4 ?? 1.4 km at Atlantis Massif. Estimating an initial subsurface fault dip of 50 and a depth of 1.5 km to the 200??C isotherm leads to the prediction that the ???850??C isotherm lies ???5-7 km below seafloor at the time of faulting. These depth estimates for active fault systems are consistent with depths of microseismicity observed beneath the hypothesized detachment fault at the TAG hydrothermal field and high-temperature fault rocks recovered from many oceanic detachment faults. Copyright 2011 by the American Geophysical Union.

The effect of saturated steam vapor temperature on heat consumption in the process of color modification of acacia wood

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dzurenda, Ladislav

2017-09-01

This paper presents the heat consumption on the process of colour modification of acacia timber with measures 30 x 55 x 500 mm in pressure autoclaves AZ 240 using saturated water steam with temperatures from t = 110 to 140 °C following the regimes of colour homogenisation of I., II. and III. degree. The dependance of the heat consumption normative QTFS on the temparature of saturated water steam in the process of colour homogenisation of acacia timber following these regimes describes the equation: QTFS = 1.1122.t -13.903 kWh.m-3.

Trace-element record in zircons during exhumation from UHP conditions, North-East Greenland Caledonides

USGS Publications Warehouse

McClelland, W.C.; Gilotti, J.A.; Mazdab, F.K.; Wooden, J.L.

2009-01-01

Coesite-bearing zircon formed at ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) conditions share general characteristics of eclogite-facies zircon with trace-element signatures characterized by depleted heavy rare earth elements (HREE), lack of an Eu anomaly, and low Th/ U ratios. Trace-element signatures of zircons from the Caledonian UHP terrane in North-East Greenland were used to examine the possible changes in signature with age during exhumation. Collection and interpretation of age and trace-element analyses of zircon from three samples of quartzofeldspathic gneiss and two leucocratic intrusions were guided by core vs. rim zoning patterns as imaged by cathodoluminesence. Change from igneous to eclogite-facies metamorphic trace-element signature in protolith zircon is characterized by gradual depletion of HREE, whereas newly formed metamorphic rims have flat HREE patterns and REE concentrations that are distinct from the recrystallized inherited cores. The signature associated with eclogite-facies metamorphic zircon is observed in coesite-bearing zircon formed at 358 ?? 4 Ma, metamorphic rims formed at 348 ?? 5 Ma during the initial stages of exhumation, and metamorphic rims formed at 337 ?? 5 Ma. Zircons from a garnet-bearing granite emplaced in the neck of an eclogite boudin and a leucocratic dike that cross-cuts amphibolite-facies structural fabrics have steeply sloping HREE patterns, variably developed negative Eu anomalies, and low Th/U ratios. The granite records initial decompression melting and exhumation at 347 ?? 2 Ma and later zircon rim growth at 329 ?? 5. The leucocratic dike was likely emplaced at amphibolite-facies conditions at 330 ?? 2 Ma, but records additional growth of compositionally similar zircon at 321 ??2 Ma. The difference between the trace-element signature of metamorphic zircon in the gneisses and in part coeval leucocratic intrusions indicates that the zircon signature varies as a function of lithology and context, thus enhancing its ability to aid in

Detrital Zircon Geochronology of Cretaceous and Paleogene Strata Across the South-Central Alaskan Convergent Margin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bradley, Dwight; Haeussler, Peter J.; O'Sullivan, Paul; Friedman, Rich; Till, Alison; Bradley, Dan; Trop, Jeff

2009-01-01

Ages of detrital zircons are reported from ten samples of Lower Cretaceous to Paleogene metasandstones and sandstones from the Chugach Mountains, Talkeetna Mountains, and western Alaska Range of south-central Alaska. Zircon ages are also reported from three igneous clasts from two conglomerates. The results bear on the regional geology, stratigraphy, tectonics, and mineral resource potential of the southern Alaska convergent margin. Chugach Mountains - The first detrital zircon data are reported here from the two main components of the Chugach accretionary complex - the inboard McHugh Complex and the outboard Valdez Group. Detrital zircons from sandstone and two conglomerate clasts of diorite were dated from the McHugh Complex near Anchorage. This now stands as the youngest known part of the McHugh Complex, with an inferred Turonian (Late Cretaceous) depositional age no older than 91-93 Ma. The zircon population has probability density peaks at 93 and 104 Ma and a smattering of Early Cretaceous and Jurassic grains, with nothing older than 191 Ma. The two diorite clasts yielded Jurassic U-Pb zircon ages of 179 and 181 Ma. Together, these findings suggest a Mesozoic arc as primary zircon source, the closest and most likely candidate being the Wrangellia composite terrane. The detrital zircon sample from the Valdez Group contains zircons as young as 69 and 77 Ma, consistent with the previously assigned Maastrichtian to Campanian (Late Cretaceous) depositional age. The zircon population has peaks at 78, 91, 148, and 163 Ma, minor peaks at 129, 177, 330, and 352 Ma, and no concordant zircons older than Devonian. A granite clast from a Valdez Group conglomerate yielded a Triassic U-Pb zircon age of 221 Ma. Like the McHugh Complex, the Valdez Group appears to have been derived almost entirely from Mesozoic arc sources, but a few Precambrian zircons are also present. Talkeetna Mountains - Detrital zircons ages were obtained from southernmost metasedimentary rocks of the

Zircon Messengers Reveal the Age and History of Great Basin Crust, Kern Mountains, Nevada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gottlieb, E. S.; Miller, E. L.; Wooden, J. L.

2011-12-01

Results of SHRIMP-RG analyses of complexly zoned zircons from muscovite-bearing granitic rocks exposed in the Kerns Mountains of East-Central Nevada constrain the timing, duration, and loci of zircon growth within the interior of the U.S. Cordillera during Late Cretaceous through Eocene time. The Kern Mountains are an exhumed block of greenschist to amphibolite facies metamorphosed miogeoclinal rocks that were pervasively intruded by the Late Cretaceous Tungstonia granite pluton and the Eocene Skinner Canyon and Uvada plutons (Best et al., 1974). Euhedral zircons separated from a coarse-grained (2-3 cm) muscovite-bearing phase of the Tungstonia pluton exhibit complex cathodeluminescence (CL) zonation. Sub-angular to sub-rounded cores with highly variable CL are overgrown by oscillatory-zoned zircon which in turn is rimmed by dark CL zircon (U>5000 ppm). A weighted mean Pb/U age of 70.2±0.9 Ma (n=20, MSWD=2.5) obtained from the oscillatory-zoned zircon coincides with the end of Cretaceous peak metamorphism at shallow crustal levels. Pb/U ages from core zones (n=18) predominantly are 0.9-1.4 Ga (n=11; 7 of which <15% discordant) or 2.4-2.7 Ga (n=5; 1 of which <15% discordant), consistent with ages of detrital zircons within the Late Proterozoic McCoy Creek Group exposed in adjacent ranges. A previously undated muscovite-bearing dike in Skinner Canyon yielded a texturally complex population of subhedral zircon grains. CL imaging of these grains reveals fragmental, ghost-like cores surrounded by irregularly shaped overgrowth zones with diffuse boundaries which are rimmed by oscillatory-zoned zircon. Both oscillatory zoned and gradational rim areas (n=32) yielded Late Cretaceous to Eocene ages. Twelve spots define the age of intrusion at 41.7±0.3 Ma (MSWD=1.8), consistent with the local onset of Eocene magmatism. An older period of zircon growth from ~75-45 Ma, coincident with the proposed duration of the Laramide shallow slab, is defined by zircon with flat to

U-Pb ID-TIMS zircon ages of TTG gneisses of the Aravalli Craton of India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chauhan, Hiredya; Saikia, Ashima; Kaulina, Tatiana; Bayanova, Tamara; Ahmad, Talat

2015-04-01

The crystalline basement of the Aravalli Craton is a heterogeneous assemblage dominated by granitic gneisses and granites with sporadic occurrences of amphibolites and dismembered sedimentary enclaves (Upadhyaya et al., 1992). This assemblage is known to have experienced multiple deformation and metamorphic events followed by emplacement of voluminous granites and basaltic dykes. Based on Sm-Nd whole rock data on the basement Mewar orthogneisses of Jhamarkotra region (Gopalan et al., 1990) and Pb/Pb ages of zircon from Gingla Granites which intrudes the basement (Wiedenbeck et al., 1996), it has been inferred that the whole magmatic episode leading to the formation of the basement spanned from 3300 to 2400 Ma and that the Aravalli cratonic block had broadly stabilized by 2500 Ma on which the younger Aravalli and Delhi Supergroup unconformably deposited. However, no comprehensive age data on the basement gneisses from the study area spanning the entire magmatic episode is available. This work attempts to provide a time frame work for evolution of the basement gneisses of the Aravalli Craton. We present here U-Pb zircon ages from the Precambrian basement TTG gneisses of the Aravalli Craton of north western India. Pb and U were measured on multicollector Finnigan-MAT 262 mass spectrometer. The temperatures of measurements were 1300°C for Pb and 1500°C for U. Pb isotope ratios were corrected for mass fractionation with a factor of 0.10% per amu, based on repeat analyses of the standard NBS SRM 982. The U analyses were corrected for mass fractionation with a factor of 0.003% per amu, based on repeat analyses of the NBS U 500 standard. Reproducibility of the U-Pb ratios was determined from the repeated analysis of standard zircon IGFM-87 (Ukraine) and taken as 0.5% for 207Pb/235U and 206Pb/238U ratios, respectively, at 95% confidence level. All calculations were done using the programs PBDAT and ISOPLOT (Ludwig 1991, 2008). Four zircon fractions corresponding to four

Contrasting Cu-Au and Sn-W Granite Metallogeny through the Zircon Geochemical and Isotopic Record

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gardiner, Nicholas; Hawkesworth, Chris; Robb, Laurence; Whitehouse, Martin; Roberts, Nick; Kirkland, Chris

2017-04-01

Magmatic genesis and evolution - mediated by geodynamic setting - exert a primary control on the propensity of granites to be metal fertile. A revolution in our understanding of these petrogenetic processes has been made through a range of mineral-based tools, most notably the common accessory mineral zircon. There is consequently considerable interest in whether the geochemical and isotopic compositions of zircon can be applied to metallogenic problems. The paired magmatic belts of Myanmar have broadly contrasting metallogenic affinities (Sn-W versus Cu-Au), and are interpreted to have formed on the accretionary margin of the subducting Neo-Tethys Ocean. They therefore present the opportunity to geochemically compare and contrast the zircon compositions in two end-member types of granite-hosted mineral deposits generated in collisional settings. We present an integrated zircon isotope (U-Pb, Lu-Hf, O) and trace element dataset that fingerprint: (a) source; (b) redox conditions; and (c) degree of fractionation. These variables all impact on magma fertility, and our key question to address is whether they can be reliably traced and calibrated within the Myanmar zircon record. Granitoid-hosted zircons from the I-type copper arc have juvenile ɛHf (+7 to +12) and mantle-like δ18O (5.3 ‰), whereas zircons from the S-type tin belt have low ɛHf (-7 to -13) and heavier δ18O (6.2-7.7 ‰). Plotting Hf versus U/Yb reaffirms that the tin belt magmas contain greater crustal contributions than the copper arc rocks. Links between whole rock Rb/Sr and zircon Eu/Eu* highlights that the latter can be used to monitor magma fractionation in systems that crystallize plagioclase (low Sr/Y). Ce/Ce* and Eu/Eu* in zircon are thus sensitive to redox and fractionation respectively, and can be used to evaluate the sensitivity of zircons to the metallogenic affinity of their host rocks. Tin contents that exceed the solubility limit are required in order to make a magmatic

Point defects in crystalline zircon (zirconium silicate), ZrSiO4: electron paramagnetic resonance studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tennant, W. C.; Claridge, R. F. C.; Walsby, C. J.; Lees, N. S.

This article outlines the present state of knowledge of paramagnetic defects in crystalline zircon as obtained mainly, but not exclusively, from electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) studies in crystalline zircon (zirconium silicate, ZrSiO4). The emphasis is on single-crystal studies where, in principle, unambiguous analysis is possible. Firstly, the crystallography of zircon is presented. Secondly, the relationships between available crystal-site symmetries and the symmetries of observed paramagnetic species in zircon, and how these observations lead to unambiguous assignments of point-group symmetries for particular paramagnetic species are detailed. Next, spin-Hamiltonian (SH) analysis is discussed with emphasis on the symmetry relationships that necessarily exist amongst the Laue classes of the crystal sites in zircon, the paramagnetic species occupying those sites and the SH itself. The final sections of the article then survey the results of EPR studies on zircon over the period 1960-2002.

Geochronological study of zircons from continental crust rocks in the Frido Unit (southern Apennines)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laurita, Salvatore; Prosser, Giacomo; Rizzo, Giovanna; Langone, Antonio; Tiepolo, Massimo; Laurita, Alessandro

2015-01-01

Zircon crystals have been separated from gneisses and metagranitoids of the Pollino area (southern Apennines) in order to unravel the origin of these crustal slices within the ophiolite-bearing Frido Unit. The morphology of the zircon has been investigated by SEM, and the internal structure was revealed by cathodoluminescence. Data obtained by U/Pb dating have been used to deduce the age and significance of the different crystallization stages of zircon, connected to the evolutionary stages of the continental crust (Late Paleozoic-Early Mesozoic). Zircons in gneisses are characterized by inherited cores of magmatic origin, bordered by metamorphic rims. Inherited zircons generally show Paleoproterozoic to Ordovician ages, indicating the provenance of the sedimentary protolith from different sources. The exclusive presence of Late Neoproterozoic zircon cores in leucocratic gneisses may suggest a different magmatic source possibly connected to Pan-African events. Late Carboniferous-Early Permian ages are found mainly in zircon rims of metamorphic origin. These are similar to the emplacement ages of protolith of the metagranites in the middle crust portion. Late Carboniferous-Early Permian metamorphism and magmatism testify the extensional collapse of the Hercynian belt, recorded in European, particularly, in the Corsica-Sardinia block and in Calabria. Late Permian-Triassic ages have been detected in zircon rims from gneisses and metagranitoids. These younger ages appear related to deformation and emplacement of albite-quartz veins in both lithologies, and are related to an extensional episode predating the Middle Triassic to Middle Jurassic rifting in the Tethyan domain, followed by Middle to Late Jurassic spreading.

Fingerprinting the K/T impact site and determining the time of impact by U-Pb dating of single shocked zircons from distal ejecta

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krogh, T. E.; Kamo, S. L.; Bohor, B. F.

1993-01-01

U-Pb isotopic dating of single 1 - 3 micrograms zircons from K/T distal ejecta from a site in the Raton Basin, Colorado provides a powerful new tool with which to determine both the time of the impact event and the age of the basement at the impact site. Data for the least shocked zircons are slightly displaced from the 544 +/- 5 Ma primary age for a component of the target site, while those for highly shocked and granular grains are strongly displaced towards the time of impact at 65.5 +/- 3.0 Ma. Such shocked and granular zircons have never been reported from any source, including explosive volcanic rocks. Zircon is refractory and has one of the highest thermal blocking temperatures; hence, it can record both shock features and primary and secondary ages without modification by post-crystallization processes. Unlike shocked quartz, which can come from almost anywhere on the Earth's crust, shocked zircons can be shown to come from a specific site because basement ages vary on the scale of meters to kilometers. With U-Pb zircon dating, it is now possible to correlate ejecta layers derived from the same target site, test the single versus multiple impact hypothesis, and identify the target source of impact ejecta. The ages obtained in this study indicate that the Manson impact site, Iowa, which has basement rocks that are mid-Proterozoic in age, cannot be the source of K/T distal ejecta. The K/T distal ejecta probably originated from a single impact site because most grains have the same primary age.

Origin of northern Gondwana Cambrian sandstone revealed by detrital zircon SHRIMP dating

USGS Publications Warehouse

Avigad, D.; Kolodner, K.; McWilliams, M.; Persing, H.; Weissbrod, T.

2003-01-01

Voluminous Paleozoic sandstone sequences were deposited in northern Africa and Arabia following an extended Neoproterozoic orogenic cycle that culminated in the assembly of Gondwana. We measured sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U-Pb ages of detrital zircons separated from several Cambrian units in the Elat area of southern Israel in order to unravel their provenance. This sandstone forms the base of the widespread siliciclastic section now exposed on the periphery of the Arabian-Nubian shield in northeastern Africa and Arabia. Most of the detrital zircons we analyzed yielded Neoproterozoic concordant ages with a marked concentration at 0.55–0.65 Ga. The most likely provenance of the Neoproterozoic detritus is the Arabian-Nubian shield; 0.55–0.65 Ga was a time of posttectonic igneous activity, rift-related volcanism, and strike-slip faulting there. Of the zircons, 30% yielded pre-Neoproterozoic ages grouped at 0.9–1.1 Ga (Kibaran), 1.65–1.85 Ga, and 2.45–2.7 Ga. The majority of the pre-Neoproterozoic zircons underwent Pb loss, possibly as a consequence of the Pan-African orogeny resetting their provenance. Rocks of the Saharan metacraton and the southern Afif terrane in Saudi Arabia (∼1000 km south of Elat) are plausible sources of these zircons. Kibaran basement rocks are currently exposed more than 3000 km south of Elat (flanking the Mozambique belt), but the shape of the detrital zircons of that age and the presence of feldspar in the host sandstone are not fully consistent with such a long-distance transport. Reworking of Neoproteorozoic glacial detritus may explain the presence of Kibaran detrital zircons in the Cambrian of Elat, but the possibility that the Arabian-Nubian shield contains Kibaran rocks (hitherto not recognized) should also be explored.

A Further Investigation of the Exceptional Zircon Aggregate in Lunar Thin Section 73235,82

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pidgeon, R. T.; Nemchin, a. A.; Meyer, C.

2005-01-01

Introduction: Smith et al. described an exceptional zircon assemblage in thin section 82 from lunar breccia 73235 which, in transmitted light, resembles a cluster of pomegranate seeds, situated in a clast dominated by bytownite (Fig.1). They reported that high-contrast back-scattered electron (BSE) images of the zircon assemblage clearly show an overgrowth around most of the crystals. Most significantly these authors reported that the age of the rims of ca 4.18Ga is 120 million years younger than age of the interiors, dated at ca 4.31Ga. Smith et al. concluded that ca 4.31 billion years ago a relatively large (500+micron) zircon crystallized within a clast of Ca rich plagioclase. The zircon was fractured into numerous smaller crystals and was subsequently overgrown by a second generation of zircon at approximately 4.18Ga.

Local structural change in zircon following radiation damage accumulation. Observation by 29Si nuclear magnetic resonance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farnan, I.; Trachenko, K.

2003-04-01

29Si nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a one of the most useful probes of the local structure of silicates. One of the results of recent studies of naturally radiation damaged zircons is that there is an evolution of the local structure in both crystalline and amorphous fractions of partially metamict zircon as a function of accumulated α-dose. We have examined the evolution of this local structure within the framework of several models of damage accumulation. The total number of displaced atoms produced per α-decay as function of accumulated dose, as measured by NMR, is not consistent with the idea of multiple overlap events being responsible for the evolution of the total damaged fraction. However, increased connectivity in the damaged region as the number of α-events increases is correlated to the degree of cascade overlap. The results of large scale atomistic (MD) simulations of heavy nuclei recoils at realistic energies (70keV) are consistent with the NMR quantification and also with TEM estimates of the diameters of damaged regions. The local heterogeneity (density and bonding) in the damaged area in the simulations is consistent with the existence of connected silicate tetrahedra. Detailed experiments on the annealing of damaged zircons at 500 and 600^oC have been performed. These show that a significant energetic barrier to the recrystallisation exists at these temperatures once a small fraction of damaged material has been recrystallised. This correlates well with the degree of cascade overlap. Indicating that the more connected SiO_4 tetrahedra present this barrier. A sample with very little cascade overlap can be annealed to ˜97% crystallinity at these temperatures.

Degradation of lead-zirconate-titanate ceramics under different dc loads

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balke, Nina; Granzow, Torsten; Rödel, Jürgen

2009-05-01

During poling and application in actuators, piezoelectric ceramics like lead-zirconate-titanate are exposed to static or cyclically varying electric fields, often leading to pronounced changes in the electromechanical properties. These fatigue phenomena depend on time, peak electric load, and temperature. Although this process impacts the performance of many actuator materials, its physical understanding remains elusive. This paper proposes a set of key experiments to systematically investigate the changes in the ferroelectric hysteresis, field-dependent relative permittivity, and piezoelectric coefficient after submitting the material to dc loads of varying amplitude and duration. The observed effects are explained based on a model of domain stabilization due to charge accumulation at domain boundaries.

Theoretical modeling of zircon's crystal morphology according to data of atomistic calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gromalova, Natalia; Nikishaeva, Nadezhda; Eremin, Nikolay

2017-04-01

Zircon is an essential mineral that is used in the U-Pb dating. Moreover, zircon is highly resistant to radioactive exposure. It is of great interest in solving both fundamental and applied problems associated with the isolation of high-level radioactive waste. There is significant progress in forecasting of the most energetically favorable crystal structures at the present time. Unfortunately, the theoretical forecast of crystal morphology at high technological level is under-explored nowadays, though the estimation of crystal equilibrium habit is extremely important in studying the physical and chemical properties of new materials. For the first time, the thesis about relation of the equilibrium shape of a crystal with its crystal structure was put forward in the works by O.Brave. According to it, the idealized habit is determined in the simplest case by a correspondence with the reticular densities Rhkl of individual faces. This approach, along with all subsequent corrections, does not take into account the nature of atoms and the specific features of the chemical bond in crystals. The atomistic calculations of crystal surfaces are commonly performed using the energetic characteristics of faces, namely, the surface energy (Esurf), which is a measure of the thermodynamic stability of the crystal face. The stable crystal faces are characterized by small positive values of Esurf. As we know from our previous research (Gromalova et al.,2015) one of the constitutive factors affecting the value of the surface energy in calculations is a choice of potentials model. In this regard, we studied several sets of parameters of atomistic interatomic potentials optimized previously. As the first test model («Zircon 1») were used sets of interatomic potentials of interaction Zr-O, Si-O and O-O in the form of Buckingham potentials. To improve playback properties of zircon additionally used Morse potential for a couple of Zr-Si, as well as the three-particle angular harmonic

Recovering the primary geochemistry of Jack Hills zircons through quantitative estimates of chemical alteration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bell, Elizabeth A.; Boehnke, Patrick; Harrison, T. Mark

2016-10-01

Despite the robust nature of zircon in most crustal and surface environments, chemical alteration, especially associated with radiation damaged regions, can affect its geochemistry. This consideration is especially important when drawing inferences from the detrital record where the original rock context is missing. Typically, alteration is qualitatively diagnosed through inspection of zircon REE patterns and the style of zoning shown by cathodoluminescence imaging, since fluid-mediated alteration often causes a flat, high LREE pattern. Due to the much lower abundance of LREE in zircon relative both to other crustal materials and to the other REE, disturbance to the LREE pattern is the most likely first sign of disruption to zircon trace element contents. Using a database of 378 (148 new) trace element and 801 (201 new) oxygen isotope measurements on zircons from Jack Hills, Western Australia, we propose a quantitative framework for assessing chemical contamination and exchange with fluids in this population. The Light Rare Earth Element Index is scaled on the relative abundance of light to middle REE, or LREE-I = (Dy/Nd) + (Dy/Sm). LREE-I values vary systematically with other known contaminants (e.g., Fe, P) more faithfully than other suggested proxies for zircon alteration (Sm/La, various absolute concentrations of LREEs) and can be used to distinguish primary compositions when textural evidence for alteration is ambiguous. We find that zircon oxygen isotopes do not vary systematically with placement on or off cracks or with degree of LREE-related chemical alteration, suggesting an essentially primary signature. By omitting zircons affected by LREE-related alteration or contamination by mineral inclusions, we present the best estimate for the primary igneous geochemistry of the Jack Hills zircons. This approach increases the available dataset by allowing for discrimination of on-crack analyses (and analyses with ambiguous or no information on spot placement or

Detrital zircon geochronology of quartzose metasedimentary rocks from parautochthonous North America, east-central Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dusel-Bacon, Cynthia; Holm-Denoma, Christopher S.; Jones, James V.; Aleinikoff, John N.; Mortensen, James K.

2017-01-01

We report eight new U-Pb detrital zircon ages for quartzose metasedimentary rocks from four lithotectonic units of parautochthonous North America in east-central Alaska: the Healy schist, Keevy Peak Formation, and Sheep Creek Member of the Totatlanika Schist in the northern Alaska Range, and the Butte assemblage in the northwestern Yukon-Tanana Upland. Excepting 1 of 3 samples from the Healy schist, all have dominant detrital zircon populations of 1.9–1.8 Ga and a subordinate population of 2.7–2.6 Ga. Three zircons from Totatlanika Schist yield the youngest age of ca. 780 Ma. The anomalous Healy schist sample has abundant 1.6–0.9 Ga detrital zircon, as well as populations at 2.0–1.8 Ga and 2.7–2.5 Ga that overlap the ages from the rest of our samples; it has a minimum age population of ca. 1007 Ma.Detrital zircon age populations from all but the anomalous sample are statistically similar to those from (1) other peri-Laurentian units in east-central Alaska; (2) the Snowcap assemblage in Yukon, basement of the allochthonous Yukon-Tanana terrane; (3) Neoproterozoic to Ordovician Laurentian passive margin strata in southern British Columbia, Canada; and (4) Proterozoic Laurentian Sequence C strata of northwestern Canada. Recycling of zircon from the Paleoproterozoic Great Bear magmatic zone in the Wopmay orogen and its Archean precursors could explain both the Precambrian zircon populations and arc trace element signatures of our samples. Zircon from the anomalous Healy schist sample resembles that in Nation River Formation and Adams Argillite in eastern Alaska, suggesting recycling of detritus in those units.

Petrological and zircon evidence for the Early Cretaceous granulite-facies metamorphism in the Dabie orogen, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Xiao-Ying; Zhang, Qiang-Qiang; Zheng, Yong-Fei; Chen, Yi-Xiang

2017-07-01

An integrated study of petrology, mineralogy, geochemistry, and geochronology was carried out for contemporaneous mafic granulite and diorite from the Dabie orogen. The results provide evidence for granulite-facies reworking of the ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphic rock in the collisional orogen. Most zircons from the granulite are new growth, and their U-Pb ages are clearly categorized into two groups at 122-127 Ma and 188 ± 2 Ma. Although these two groups of zircons show similarly steep HREE patterns and variably negative Eu anomalies, the younger group has much higher U, Th and REE contents and Th/U ratios, much lower εHf(t) values than the older group. This suggests their growth is associated with different types of dehydration reactions. The older zircon domains contain mineral inclusions of garnet + clinopyroxene ± quartz, indicating their growth through metamorphic reactions at high pressures. In contrast, the young zircon domains only contain a few quartz inclusions and the garnet-clinopyroxene-plagioclase-quartz barometry yields pressures of 4.9 to 12.5 kb. In addition, the clinopyroxene-garnet Fe-Mg exchange thermometry gives temperatures of 738-951 °C. Therefore, the young zircon domains would have grown through peritectic reaction at low to medium pressures. The younger granulite-facies metamorphic age is in agreement not only with the adjacent diorite at 125 ± 1 Ma in this study but also the voluminous emplacement of coeval mafic and felsic magmas in the Dabie orogen. Mineral separates from both mafic granulite and its adjacent diorite show uniformly lower δ18O values than normal mantle, similar to those for UHP eclogite-facies metaigneous rocks in the Dabie orogen. In combination with major-trace elements and zircon Lu-Hf isotope compositions, it is inferred that the protolith of mafic granulites shares with the source rock of diorites, both being a kind of mafic metasomatites at the slab-mantle interface in the continental subduction channel

Tectonic Recycling in the Paleozoic Ouachita Assemblage from U-Pb Detrital Zircon Studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gleason, J. D.; Gehrels, G. E.; Finney, S. C.

2001-05-01

The Paleozoic Ouachita deep-marine clastic sedimentary assemblage records a complex provenance over the course of its 200 m.y. history, with evidence for mixed sources and multiple dispersal paths. Combined neodymium and U-Pb detrital zircon work has established that most of the assemblage in Arkansas and Oklahoma is derived from Laurentian sources, meaning that regardless of the multiple pathways by which sediment was delivered to Ouachita seafloor, the material had its ultimate origin on the North American continent. More detailed work is in progress to elucidate specific dispersal paths, in particular for the middle to late Ordovician when a major change in provenance is recorded, and during the Carboniferous when voluminous turbidites entered the basin. We sampled three formations for U-Pb detrital zircon studies: the lower Middle Ordovician Blakely Sandstone, the Upper Ordovician/Lower Silurian Blaylock Sandstone, and the Pennsylvanian Jackfork Group. Individual zircon ages from these units document a major change in provenance between deposition of the Blakely Sandstone and Blaylock Sandstone, which is also reflected in the neodymium isotopic signature. Both units have a large population of Grenvillian-age zircons (1.0-1.2 Ga), and a less abundant population of 1.3-1.4 Ga zircons likely derived from sources in the mid-continent region. The Blakely Sandstone also contains abundant Archean zircons (2.5-2.7 Ga, likely derived from the Superior Province), and one grain apparently derived from the Penokean orogen (1.9 Ga). Zircon morphology (highly rounded, spherical), combined with the pure quartz sandstone lithology of the Blakely Sandstone, indicates very mature sedimentary sources. We conclude that zircons from this source were recycled ultimately from source terranes in the North American craton. This is reinforced by neodymium isotopes (eNd = -15), paleocurrents (from the north) and olistoliths (1.3 Ga granites), the latter indicating that Blakely turbidites

Ancient xenocrystic zircon in young volcanic rocks of the southern Lesser Antilles island arc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rojas-Agramonte, Yamirka; Williams, Ian S.; Arculus, Richard; Kröner, Alfred; García-Casco, Antonio; Lázaro, Concepción; Buhre, Stephan; Wong, Jean; Geng, Helen; Echeverría, Carlos Morales; Jeffries, Teresa; Xie, Hangqian; Mertz-Kraus, Regina

2017-10-01

The Lesser Antilles arc is one of the best global examples in which to examine the effects of the involvement of subducted sediment and crustal assimilation in the generation of arc crust. Most of the zircon recovered in our study of igneous and volcaniclastic rocks from Grenada and Carriacou (part of the Grenadines chain) is younger than 2 Ma. Within some late Paleogene to Neogene ( 34-0.2 Ma) lavas and volcaniclastic sediments however, there are Paleozoic to Paleoarchean ( 250-3469 Ma) xenocrysts, and Late Jurassic to Precambrian zircon ( 158-2667 Ma) are found in beach and river sands. The trace element characteristics of zircon clearly differentiate between different types of magmas generated in the southern Lesser Antilles through time. The zircon population from the younger arc (Miocene, 22-19 Ma, to Present) has minor negative Eu anomalies, well-defined positive Ce anomalies, and a marked enrichment in heavy rare earth elements (HREE), consistent with crystallization from very oxidized magmas in which Eu2 + was in low abundance. In contrast, zircon from the older arc (Eocene to mid-Oligocene, 30-28 Ma) has two different REE patterns: 1) slight enrichment in the light (L)REE, small to absent Ce anomalies, and negative Eu anomalies and 2) enriched High (H)REE, positive Ce anomalies and negative Eu anomalies (a similar pattern is observed in the xenocrystic zircon population). The combination of positive Ce and negative Eu anomalies in the zircon population of the older arc indicates crystallization from magmas that were variably, but considerably less oxidized than those of the younger arc. All the igneous zircon has positive εHf(t), reflecting derivation from a predominantly juvenile mantle source. However, the εHf(t) values vary significantly within samples, reflecting considerable Hf isotopic heterogeneity in the source. The presence of xenocrystic zircon in the southern Lesser Antilles is evidence for the assimilation of intra-arc crustal sediments and

Potentially biogenic carbon preserved in a 4.1 billion-year-old zircon.

PubMed

Bell, Elizabeth A; Boehnke, Patrick; Harrison, T Mark; Mao, Wendy L

2015-11-24

Evidence of life on Earth is manifestly preserved in the rock record. However, the microfossil record only extends to ∼ 3.5 billion years (Ga), the chemofossil record arguably to ∼ 3.8 Ga, and the rock record to 4.0 Ga. Detrital zircons from Jack Hills, Western Australia range in age up to nearly 4.4 Ga. From a population of over 10,000 Jack Hills zircons, we identified one >3.8-Ga zircon that contains primary graphite inclusions. Here, we report carbon isotopic measurements on these inclusions in a concordant, 4.10 ± 0.01-Ga zircon. We interpret these inclusions as primary due to their enclosure in a crack-free host as shown by transmission X-ray microscopy and their crystal habit. Their δ(13)CPDB of -24 ± 5‰ is consistent with a biogenic origin and may be evidence that a terrestrial biosphere had emerged by 4.1 Ga, or ∼ 300 My earlier than has been previously proposed.

Potentially biogenic carbon preserved in a 4.1 billion-year-old zircon

PubMed Central

Bell, Elizabeth A.; Harrison, T. Mark; Mao, Wendy L.

2015-01-01

Evidence of life on Earth is manifestly preserved in the rock record. However, the microfossil record only extends to ∼3.5 billion years (Ga), the chemofossil record arguably to ∼3.8 Ga, and the rock record to 4.0 Ga. Detrital zircons from Jack Hills, Western Australia range in age up to nearly 4.4 Ga. From a population of over 10,000 Jack Hills zircons, we identified one >3.8-Ga zircon that contains primary graphite inclusions. Here, we report carbon isotopic measurements on these inclusions in a concordant, 4.10 ± 0.01-Ga zircon. We interpret these inclusions as primary due to their enclosure in a crack-free host as shown by transmission X-ray microscopy and their crystal habit. Their δ13CPDB of −24 ± 5‰ is consistent with a biogenic origin and may be evidence that a terrestrial biosphere had emerged by 4.1 Ga, or ∼300 My earlier than has been previously proposed. PMID:26483481

Double-Layer Gadolinium Zirconate/Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia Thermal Barrier Coatings Deposited by the Solution Precursor Plasma Spray Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Chen; Jordan, Eric H.; Harris, Alan B.; Gell, Maurice; Roth, Jeffrey

2015-08-01

Advanced thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) with lower thermal conductivity, increased resistance to calcium-magnesium-aluminosilicate (CMAS), and improved high-temperature capability, compared to traditional yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) TBCs, are essential to higher efficiency in next generation gas turbine engines. Double-layer rare-earth zirconate/YSZ TBCs are a promising solution. From a processing perspective, solution precursor plasma spray (SPPS) process with its unique and beneficial microstructural features can be an effective approach to obtaining the double-layer microstructure. Previously durable low-thermal-conductivity YSZ TBCs with optimized layered porosity, called the inter-pass boundaries (IPBs) were produced using the SPPS process. In this study, an SPPS gadolinium zirconate (GZO) protective surface layer was successfully added. These SPPS double-layer TBCs not only retained good cyclic durability and low thermal conductivity, but also demonstrated favorable phase stability and increased surface temperature capabilities. The CMAS resistance was evaluated with both accumulative and single applications of simulated CMAS in isothermal furnaces. The double-layer YSZ/GZO exhibited dramatic improvement in the single application, but not in the continuous one. In addition, to explore their potential application in integrated gasification combined cycle environments, double-layer TBCs were tested under high-temperature humidity and encouraging performance was recorded.

Million-year melt-presence in monotonous intermediate magma for a volcanic-plutonic assemblage in the Central Andes: Contrasting histories of crystal-rich and crystal-poor super-sized silicic magmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaiser, Jason F.; de Silva, Shanaka; Schmitt, Axel K.; Economos, Rita; Sunagua, Mayel

2017-01-01

The melt-present lifetime of super-sized monotonous intermediate magmas that feed supereruptions and end life as granodioritic plutons is investigated using zircon chronochemistry. These data add to the ongoing discussion on magma assembly rates and have implications for how continental batholiths are built. Herein, we estimate ∼1.1 Ma of continuous melt presence before and after the climactic caldera-forming 2.89 ± 0.01 Ma (2σ error) Pastos Grandes Ignimbrite (PGI) supereruption (∼1500 km3 of magma) in the Andes of southwest Bolivia. Zircon crystallization in PGI pumice and lava from the faulted Southern Postcaldera Dome span ∼0.7 Ma prior to the climactic eruption and formation of the eponymous caldera, whereas younger, unfaulted Postcaldera Dome lavas (termed Northern and Middle) and a granodioritic plutonic clast within the products of a Pleistocene eruption indicate a further ∼0.4 Ma of post-climactic zircon crystallization. Bulk-rock compositions as well as zircon thermometry and geochemistry indicate the presence of homogeneous dacitic magma before and after the climactic eruption, but a trend to zircon crystallization at higher temperatures and from less evolved melts is seen for post-climactic zircon. We propose a model in which a large volume of crystal-rich dacite magma was maintained above solidus temperatures by periodic andesitic recharge that is chemically invisible in the erupted components. The climactic caldera-forming eruption vented the upper portions of the magma system zircon was saturated. Zircon in postcaldera lavas indicate that residual magma from this system remained locally viable for eruption at least for some time after the caldera-forming event. Subsequently, deeper "remnant" dacite magma previously outside the zone of zircon saturation rose to shallower levels to re-establish hydraulic and isostatic equilibrium where zircon crystallization commenced anew, and drove more resurgent volcanism and uplift. The same magma

Chemical abrasion-SIMS (CA-SIMS) U-Pb dating of zircon from the late Eocene Caetano caldera, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Watts, Kathryn E.; Coble, Matthew A.; Vazquez, Jorge A.; Henry, Christopher D.; Colgan, Joseph P.; John, David A.

2016-01-01

Zircon geochronology is a critical tool for establishing geologic ages and time scales of processes in the Earth's crust. However, for zircons compromised by open system behavior, achieving robust dates can be difficult. Chemical abrasion (CA) is a routine step prior to thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) dating of zircon to remove radiation-damaged parts of grains that may have experienced open system behavior and loss of radiogenic Pb. While this technique has been shown to improve the accuracy and precision of TIMS dating, its application to high-spatial resolution dating methods, such as secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), is relatively uncommon. In our efforts to U-Pb date zircons from the late Eocene Caetano caldera by SIMS (SHRIMP-RG: sensitive high resolution ion microprobe, reverse geometry), some grains yielded anomalously young U-Pb ages that implicated Pb-loss and motivated us to investigate with a comparative CA and non-CA dating study. We present CA and non-CA 206Pb/238U ages and trace elements determined by SHRIMP-RG for zircons from three Caetano samples (Caetano Tuff, Redrock Canyon porphyry, and a silicic ring-fracture intrusion) and for R33 and TEMORA-2 reference zircons. We find that non-CA Caetano zircons have weighted mean or bimodal U-Pb ages that are 2–4% younger than CA zircons for the same samples. CA Caetano zircons have mean U-Pb ages that are 0.4–0.6 Myr older than the 40Ar/39Ar sanidine eruption age (34.00 ± 0.03 Ma; error-weighted mean, 2σ), whereas non-CA zircons have ages that are 0.7–1.3 Myr younger. U-Pb ages do not correlate with U (~ 100–800 ppm), Th (~ 50–300 ppm) or any other measured zircon trace elements (Y, Hf, REE), and CA and non-CA Caetano zircons define identical trace element ranges. No statistically significant difference in U-Pb age is observed for CA versus non-CA R33 or TEMORA-2 zircons. Optical profiler measurements of ion microprobe pits demonstrate consistent depths of ~ 1.6�

Micrometer-scale U-Pb age domains in eucrite zircons, impact re-setting, and the thermal history of the HED parent body

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hopkins, M. D.; Mojzsis, S. J.; Bottke, W. F.; Abramov, O.

2015-01-01

eucrites. Lunar Planet. Sci. 42. Abstract #2575) and 40-39Ar age spectra (Bogard, D.D. [2011]. Chem. Erde 71, 207-226). Yet younger ages, including those coincident with the Late Heavy Bombardment (LHB; ca. 3900 Ma), are absent from Millbillillie zircon. This is attributable to primordial changes to the velocity distributions of impactors in the asteroid belt, and differences in mineral closure temperatures (Tc zircon ≫ apatite).

Micrometer-scale U–Pb age domains in eucrite zircons, impact re-setting, and the thermal history of the HED parent body

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hopkins, M.D.; Mojzsis, S.J.; Bottke, W.F.; Abramov, Oleg

2015-01-01

zircons and phosphates in eucrites. Lunar Planet. Sci. 42. Abstract #2575) and 40–39Ar age spectra (Bogard, D.D. [2011]. Chem. Erde 71, 207–226). Yet younger ages, including those coincident with the Late Heavy Bombardment (LHB; ca. 3900 Ma), are absent from Millbillillie zircon. This is attributable to primordial changes to the velocity distributions of impactors in the asteroid belt, and differences in mineral closure temperatures (Tc zircon ≫ apatite).

Detrital zircon provenance of Mesoproterozoic to Cambrian arenites in the Western United States and Northwestern Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stewart, John H.; Gehrels, G.E.; Barth, A.P.; Link, P.K.; Christie-Blick, N.; Wrucke, C.T.

2001-01-01

U-Pb isotopic dating of detrital zircon from supracrustal Proterozoic and Cambrian arenites from the western United States and northern Mexico reveal three main age groups, 1.90 to 1.62 Ga, 1.45 to 1.40 Ga, and 1.2 to 1.0 Ga. Small amounts of zircons with ages of 3.1 to 2.5 Ga, 1.57 Ga, 1.32 Ga, 1.26 Ga, 0.7 Ga, and 0.5 Ga are also present. Detrital zircons ranging in age from 1.90 to 1.62 Ga and from 1.45 to 1.40 Ga are considered to have been derived from Proterozoic crystalline basement rocks of these known ages, and probably in part from reworked Proterozoic supracrustal sedimentary rocks, of the western United States. The 1.2 to 1.0 Ga detrital zircon ages from California, Arizona, and Sonora are characterized by distinct spikes (1.11 Ga, in particular) in the age-probability plots. These spikes are interpreted to indicate the influx of zircon from major silicic volcanic fields. Igneous rocks such as the Pikes Peak Granite (1.093 Ga) of Colorado, and the Aibo Granite (1.110 Ga) of Sonora, Mexico, may represent the deeply eroded roots of such volcanic fields. Samples from farther north along the Cordilleran margin that contain abundant 1.2-1.0 Ga detrital zircons do not show spikes in the age distribution, but rather ages spread out across the entire 1.2-1.0 Ga range. These age spectra resemble those for detrital zircons from the Grenville province, which is considered their source. Less common detrital zircons had a variety of sources. Zircons ranging in age from 3.36 to 2.31 Ga were apparently derived from inland parts of the North American continent from Wyoming to Canada. Zircons of about 1.577 Ga are highly unusual and may have had an exotic source; they may have come from Australia and been deposited in North America when Australia and North America were juxtaposed as part of the hypothetical Rodinian supercontinent. Detrital zircon of ??1.320 Ga apparently had the same source as that for tuff (1.320 Ga) in the Pioneer Shale of the Apache Group in Arizona

Can Single Crystal (U-Th)/He Zircon Ages from Nördlinger Ries Suevite be Linked to Impact-Related Shock Effects?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Soest, M. C.; Cooper, F. J.; Wartho, J.; Hodges, K.; Buchner, E.; Schmieder, M.; Koeberl, C.

2010-12-01

Dating of impact-related material is difficult especially when pristine impact melt is unavailable. In the absence of such melts, most geochronometers in shocked basement or melt-poor impact rocks yield only partially reset or non-reset ages. In such cases, application of the low closure temperature apatite and zircon (U-Th)/He geochronometers can be successful, since impact-related physical and thermal shock should reset the He systematics in both minerals in most materials affected by the impact. For a proof of concept study on the well-studied Ries impact structure, we (U-Th)/He dated apatites (14.08 ± 0.26 Ma 2σ, n = 5) and zircons (14.26 ± 0.31 Ma 2σ, n = 10) from two Aumühle quarry suevite samples and one Polsingen quarry impact melt rock, which was dated at 14.37 ± 0.30 Ma (2σ) using Ar-Ar stepwise heating of recrystallized K-feldspar melt (Buchner et al., 2010). The (U-Th)/He ages agree well with the 14.37 Ma age, but are slightly younger than the suggested age of 14.59 ± 0.20 Ma (2σ - based on recent, post 1995, Ar-Ar data, Buchner et al., 2010) for the impact structure. However, among the 27 zircons dated, 6 were partially reset (>16Ma), and 11 zircons yielded younger dates (<13.5 Ma).The younger dates are problematic for successful (U-Th)/He dating of impact structures of unknown age, as they would be identified incorrectly as the age of the impact event. The cause for these younger dates may be: a) partial He loss due to a post-impact thermal event, which at Ries is unlikely as there is no geological evidence for such an event; b) compromised He retention due to metamictization by progressive radiation damage; or c) compromised He retention due to impact shock-related effects. The latter two causes can produce similar visual effects on zircon and the He loss mechanism is also similar, i.e. changes in the zircon crystal structure on a micro scale. However, the effects of these processes on zircon have been documented extensively by non

The 230Th correction is the 1st priority for accurate dates of young zircons: U/Th partitioning experiments and measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krawczynski, M.; McLean, N.

2017-12-01

One of the most accurate and useful ways of determining the age of rocks that formed more than about 500,000 years ago is uranium-lead (U-Pb) geochronology. Earth scientists use U-Pb geochronology to put together the geologic history of entire regions and of specific events, like the mass extinction of all non-avian dinosaurs about 66 million years ago or the catastrophic eruptions of supervolcanoes like the one currently centered at Yellowstone. The mineral zircon is often utilized because it is abundant, durable, and readily incorporates uranium into its crystal structure. But it excludes thorium, whose isotope 230Th is part of the naturally occurring isotopic decay chain from 238U to 206Pb. Calculating a date from the relative abundances of 206Pb and 238U therefore requires a correction for the missing 230Th. Existing experimental and observational constraints on the way U and Th behave when zircon crystallizes from a melt are not known precisely enough, and thus currently the uncertainty in dates introduced by they `Th correction' is one of the largest sources of systematic error in determining dates. Here we present preliminary results on our study of actinide partitioning between zircon and melt. Experiments have been conducted to grow zircon from melts doped with U and Th that mimic natural magmas at a range of temperatures, and compositions. Synthetic zircons are separated from their coexisting glass and using high precision and high-spatial-resolution techniques, the abundance and distribution of U and Th in each phase is determined. These preliminary experiments are the beginning of a study that will result in precise determination of the zircon/melt uranium and thorium partition coefficients under a wide variety of naturally occurring conditions. This data will be fit to a multidimensional surface using maximum likelihood regression techniques, so that the ratio of partition coefficients can be calculated for any set of known parameters. The results of

Timing of metasomatism in a subcontinental mantle: evidence from zircon at Finero (Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Badanina, I. Yu.; Malitch, K. N.

2012-04-01

The Finero phlogopite-peridotite represents a metasomatized residual mantle harzburgite, exposed at the base of the lower-crust section in the Ivrea Zone, Western Alps (Hartmann and Wedepohl 1993). It forms the core of a concentrically zoned sequence of internal layered gabbro, amphibole-rich peridotite and external gabbro. The phlogopite peridotite contains small-size chromitite bodies, with a suite of accessory minerals such as phlogopite, apatite, Ca-Mg carbonates, zirconolite, zircon, thorianite and uraninite, proposed to form during alkaline-carbonatitic metasomatism process within the mantle (Zaccarini et al. 2004). In this study, the combined application of a non-destructive technique to separate zircon from their host rocks (see details at http://www.natires.com) and in-situ analytical technique for compositional and isotopic analysis (SHRIMP-II at Russian Geological Research Institute, St. Petersburg) has provided new more detailed age constraints on the formation of chromitite and related metasomatic events within a mantle tectonite at Finero. Chromitite samples derived from the dump in the prospecting trenches of Rio Creves. In thin sections, zircon occurs as relatively large (up to 200 μm) grains characterized by subhedral to euhedral shapes. Separated grains of zircon form two distinct populations. Dominant zircon population is pale pink and characterized by different shapes (subhedral, subrounded or elongated). In cathodoluminescense, the main set of population is represented by complex grains, which show development of core-rim relationship (most likely recrystallized rim on a preserved core). Subordinate zircon grains are colourless. They are characterized by a smoky cathodoluminescense, with almost no internal pattern. Three main U-Pb age clusters have been recognized. The youngest age cluster, typical for subordinate colourless zircon population and rims in complex grains of dominant pale pink population, show two concordant 206Pb/238U ages (e

A demonstration experiment for studying the properties of saturated vapor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grebenev, Igor V.; Lebedeva, Olga V.; Polushkina, Svetlana V.

2017-11-01

The paper proposes an important demonstration experiment that can be used at secondary schools in physics. The described experiment helps students learn the main concepts of the topic ‘saturated vapor’, namely, evaporation, condensation, dynamic equilibrium, saturation vapor, partial pressure, and the dependence of saturated vapor pressure on temperature.

When the CA-TIMS therapy fails: the over-enthusiastic, the mixed-up, and the stubborn zircon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corfu, F.

2009-12-01

Mattinson’s CA-TIMS technique has proven to be highly successful in efficiently removing disturbed domains of zircon, thus enabling the determination of precise and accurate ages in a variety of geological situations. The method generally produces equal or better results than mechanical abrasion. There are, however, cases where CA-TIMS fails to achieve perfect concordance, and occasionally actually increases the degree of discordance. Such a behaviour (the over-reaction) is observed for example in U-rich (>1000 ppm) but texturally homogeneous zircon, a type quite common in highly differentiated portions of mafic intrusions, in granitic pegmatites, and in some metamorphic rocks. Because of their internal uniformity, such zircons do not exhibit large contrasts in crystallinity and solubility and after the baking stage of the CA-TIMS procedure they will either totally dissolve in the first HF attack, or produce discordant results. By contrast, mechanical abrasion of this type of zircon can isolate alteration-free zircon domains that yield concordant and reproducible data. This is due to the homogeneity of the crystals, the lack of zoning limiting contrasts in the degrees of metamictization and brittleness and preventing fracturing. The absence of fractures helps to confine alteration of zircon to the marginal domains, and these can be removed very efficiently by mechanical abrasion. This behaviour is exemplified by zircon populations from 252.0 Ma and 182.5 Ma mafic sills in Siberia and the Karoo basin. Another class of zircons that in general does not, or only partially comply with CA-TIMS includes populations from metamorphic and poly-orogenic rocks, typical of many Proterozoic orogens. The metamorphic reprocessing of zircon into low-U domains can freeze-in old Pb-loss patterns that cannot be undone by any technique. New metamorphic zircon growth can also create mixtures of different aged domains that cannot be resolved by CA-TIMS. In favourable circumstances

Potentially biogenic carbon preserved in a 4.1 billion-year-old zircon

DOE PAGES

Bell, Elizabeth A.; Boehnke, Patrick; Harrison, T. Mark; ...

2015-10-19

Here, evidence of life on Earth is manifestly preserved in the rock record. However, the microfossil record only extends to ~3.5 billion years (Ga), the chemofossil record arguably to ~3.8 Ga, and the rock record to 4.0 Ga. Detrital zircons from Jack Hills, Western Australia range in age up to nearly 4.4 Ga. From a population of over 10,000 Jack Hills zircons, we identified one >3.8-Ga zircon that contains primary graphite inclusions. Here, we report carbon isotopic measurements on these inclusions in a concordant, 4.10 ± 0.01-Ga zircon. We interpret these inclusions as primary due to their enclosure in amore » crack-free host as shown by transmission X-ray microscopy and their crystal habit. Their δ 13C PDB of –24 ± 5‰ is consistent with a biogenic origin and may be evidence that a terrestrial biosphere had emerged by 4.1 Ga, or ~300 My earlier than has been previously proposed.« less

Potentially biogenic carbon preserved in a 4.1 billion-year-old zircon

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bell, Elizabeth A.; Boehnke, Patrick; Harrison, T. Mark

Here, evidence of life on Earth is manifestly preserved in the rock record. However, the microfossil record only extends to ~3.5 billion years (Ga), the chemofossil record arguably to ~3.8 Ga, and the rock record to 4.0 Ga. Detrital zircons from Jack Hills, Western Australia range in age up to nearly 4.4 Ga. From a population of over 10,000 Jack Hills zircons, we identified one >3.8-Ga zircon that contains primary graphite inclusions. Here, we report carbon isotopic measurements on these inclusions in a concordant, 4.10 ± 0.01-Ga zircon. We interpret these inclusions as primary due to their enclosure in amore » crack-free host as shown by transmission X-ray microscopy and their crystal habit. Their δ 13C PDB of –24 ± 5‰ is consistent with a biogenic origin and may be evidence that a terrestrial biosphere had emerged by 4.1 Ga, or ~300 My earlier than has been previously proposed.« less

Cogenetic late Pleistocene rhyolite and cumulate diorites from Augustine Volcano revealed by SIMS 238U-230Th dating of zircon, and implications for silicic magma generation by extraction from mush

USGS Publications Warehouse

Coombs, Michelle L.; Vazquez, Jorge A.

2014-01-01

Augustine Volcano, a frequently active andesitic island stratocone, erupted a late Pleistocene rhyolite pumice fall that is temporally linked through zircon geochronology to cumulate dioritic blocks brought to the surface in Augustine's 2006 eruption. Zircon from the rhyolite yield a 238U-230Th age of ∼25 ka for their unpolished rims, and their interiors yield a bimodal age populations at ∼26 ka and a minority at ∼41 ka. Zircon from dioritic blocks, ripped from Augustine's shallow magmatic plumbing system and ejected during the 2006 eruption, have interiors defining a ∼26 ka age population that is indistinguishable from that for the rhyolite; unpolished rims on the dioritic zircon are dominantly younger (≤12 ka) indicating subsequent crystallization. Zircon from rhyolite and diorite overlap in U, Hf, Ti, and REE concentrations although diorites also contain a second population of high-U, high temperature grains. Andesites that brought dioritic blocks to the surface in 2006 contain zircon with young (≤9 ka) rims and a scattering of older ages, but few zircon that crystallized during the 26 ka interval. Both the Pleistocene-age rhyolite and the 2006 dioritic inclusions plot along a whole-rock compositional trend distinct from mid-Holocene–present andesites and dacites, and the diorites, rhyolite, and two early Holocene dacites define linear unmixing trends often oblique to the main andesite array and consistent with melt (rhyolite) extraction from a mush (dacites), leaving behind a cumulate amphibole-bearing residue (diorites). Rare zircon antecrysts up to ∼300 ka from all rock types indicate that a Quaternary center has been present longer than preserved surficial deposits.

Triassic deposits of the Chukotka Arctic continental margin (sedimentary implications and detrital zircon data)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tuchkova, Marianna; Sokolov, Sergey; Verzhbitsky, Vladimir

2013-04-01

Triassic clastic deposits of Chukotka are represented by rhythmic intercalation of sandstones, siltstones and mudstones. During the Triassic, sedimentation was represented by continental slope progradation. Detrital zircons from Triassic sedimentary rocks were collected for constrain its paleogeographic links to source terranes. Zircons populations from three Chukotka's samples are very similar, and youngest zircon ages show peaks at 236-255 Ma (Miller et al., 2006). Lower Triassic sandstones from the Chaun subterrane do not contain the young population 235-265 Ma that is characteristic of the Upper Triassic rocks from the Anyui subterrane and Wrangel Island. The young zircon population is missing also from the coeval Sadlerochit Group (Alaska) and Blind Fiord Formation of the Sverdrup basin (Miller et al., 2006; Omma et al., 2011). Our data of Triassic sandstones of Wrangel island demonstrate detrital zircons ages dominated by Middle Triassic (227-245 Ma), Carboniferous (309-332 Ma) and Paleoproterozoic (1808-2500 Ma) ages. The new data on Chukotka show that populations of detrital zircons from Chukotka, the Sverdrup basin, and Alaska, the Sadlerochit Mountains included, demonstrate greater similarity than it was previously thought. Consequently, it may be assumed that they originate from a single source situated in the north. The data on zircon age of gabbro-dolerite magmatism in eastern Chukotka (252 Ma. Ledneva et al., 2011) and K-Ar ages obtained for sills and small intrusive bodies (Geodynamics…, 2006) in Lower Triassic deposits allow the local provenance. The presence of products of synchronous magmatism and shallow-water facies in the Lower Triassic sequences confirm this assumption. At the same time, coeval zircons appear only in the Upper Triassic strata. It is conceivable that the young zircon population originates from intrusive, not volcanic rocks, which were subjected to erosion only in the Late Triassic. In our opinion, the assumption of the local

Evidence of extinct 244Pu in ancient terrestrial zircons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harrison, T. M.; Turner, G.; Holland, G.; Gilmour, J. D.; Mojzsis, S. J.

2003-04-01

The Pu/U ratio of the early Earth is an important parameter in models of mantle evolution based on noble gas isotopes. Current estimates assume the Earth accreted with a chondritic Pu/U and are based on analyses of the chondrite St Severin and the achondrite Angra dos Reis. These estimates are poorly constrained, ranging from 0.004 to 0.008. On account of its short, 82 Ma, half-life, 244Pu was essentially extinct 3,900 Ma ago, and consequently there exists no reliable measurement of Pu/U for the Earth. The discovery of zircons dating from the period when 244Pu was "live" offers the first opportunity to measure the former terrestrial abundance of 244Pu directly. Xenon isotopes are produced by spontaneous fission and, in principle, are readily distinguishable from those produced by 238U-fission (e.g. 131Xe/136Xe = 0.24 and 0.08 respectively). However the expected levels of fission xenon in individual zircons, weighing 1 - 2 μg and containing 100 - 200 ppm U, are below, or at best comparable to, the Xe blank levels (˜10-15 ccSTP) typical of conventional noble gas mass spectrometers. In order to analyse these minute amounts of xenon we have made use of a uniquely sensitive instrument, developed in Manchester, based on the principle of laser resonance ionisation. RELAX (Refrigerator Enhanced Laser Analyser for Xenon) is capable of analysing samples of only a few thousand atoms, some two orders of magnitude smaller than conventional mass spectrometers. We have carried out preliminary analyses of 4 individual 4,150 Ma zircons and one 3,600 Ma zircon from Jack Hills, Western Australia, and obtained five clear fission spectra. All but one were essentially free from significant atmospheric blank (the average 130Xe blank was 3× 10-18 ccSTP, i.e. 80 atoms). The spectra of the older zircons clearly demonstrated the presence of varying amounts of 244Pu fission xenon. The highest 131Xe/136Xe, 0.136 ± 0.003, corresponds to an initial Pu/U ratio of 0.0057. The lower ratios

Detrital zircon age patterns and provenance of the metamorphic complexes of southern Chile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hervé, F.; Fanning, C. M.; Pankhurst, R. J.

2003-05-01

Zircon SHRIMP U-Pb age patterns are reported for 13 metasedimentary rocks from the low grade metamorphic complexes of the Patagonian Andes. Combined with four recently published patterns, these provide the first detailed survey of the provenance of these complexes. The youngest dated zircons, corresponding to maximum sedimentation ages, are Devonian-Late Triassic in the eastern Andes metamorphic complex, Carboniferous in the main range metamorphic complex, Permian in the Duque de York complex, and Late Triassic in the Chonos metamorphic complex. In the last two cases, these ages are in agreement with their respective fossil ages. Older components in the eastern Andes metamorphic complex include a large proportion of Proterozoic (predominantly 1000-1200 Ma) zircons, which may indicate distribution, probably by rivers, of detrital material from regions currently in northern South America, Africa, or east Antarctica. The abundance of Proterozoic zircons is very much less in the Duque de York complex, possibly because of the rise of an inferred Permian magmatic arc related to the Gondwanan orogeny and consequent westward migration of the watershed. A Late Triassic magmatic episode is registered in the Chonos metamorphic complex, where reappearance of significant Proterozoic zircons indicates exhumation of the cratonic areas or of recycled sedimentary material.

Zircon Age Distributions Provide Magma Fluxes in the Earth's Crust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caricchi, L.; Simpson, G.; Schaltegger, U.

2014-12-01

Magma fluxes control the growth of continents, the frequency and magnitude of volcanic eruptions and are important for the genesis of magmatic ore deposits. A significant part of the magma produced in the Earth's mantle solidifies at depth and this limits our capability of determining magma fluxes, which, in turn, compromises our ability to establish a link between global heat transfer and large-scale geological processes. Using thermal modelling in combination with high precision zircon dating we show that populations of zircon ages provide an accurate mean to retrieve magma fluxes. The characteristics of zircon age populations vary significantly and systematically as function of the flux and total volume of magma accumulated at depth. This new approach provides results that are identical to independent determinations of magma fluxes and volumes of magmatic systems. The analysis of existing age population datasets by our method highlights that porphyry-type deposits, plutons and large eruptions each require magma input over different timescales at characteristic average fluxes.

Petrologic and zircon U-Pb geochronological characteristics of the pelitic granulites from the Badu Complex of the Cathaysia Block, South China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Lei; Zhou, Xiwen; Zhai, Mingguo; Liu, Bo; Cui, Xiahong

2018-06-01

The recognition of the Indosinian Orogeny in the South China block has been controversial and difficult because of strong weathering and thick cover. High temperature (HT) and high pressure (HP) metamorphic rocks related to this orogeny were considered to be absent from this orogenic belt until the recent discovery of eclogite and granulite facies meta-igneous rocks, occurring as lenses within the meta-sedimentary rocks of the Badu Complex. However, metamorphic state of these meta-sedimentary rocks is still not clear. Besides, there have been no geochronological data of HT pelitic granulites previously reported from the Badu Complex. This paper presents petrographic characteristics and zircon geochronological results on the newly discovered kyanite garnet gneiss, pyroxene garnet gneiss and the HT pelitic granulites (sillimanite garnet gneiss). Mineral assemblages are garnet + sillimanite + ternary feldspar + plagioclase + quartz + biotite for the HT pelitic granulite, kyanite + ternary feldspar + garnet + sillimanite + plagioclase + quartz + biotite for the kyanite garnet gneiss, and garnet + biotite + pyroxene + plagioclase + ternary feldspar + quartz for the pyroxene garnet gneiss, respectively. Decompressional coronas around garnet grains can be observed in all these pelitic rocks. Typical granulite facies mineral assemblages and reaction textures suggest that these rocks experienced HP granulite facies metamorphism and overprinted decompression along a clockwise P-T loop. Results from integrated U-Pb dating and REE analysis indicate the growth of metamorphic zircons from depleted heavy REE sources (100-50 chondrite) compared with detrital zircons derived from granitic sources (typically > 1000 chondrite). Metamorphic zircons in HP granulite exhibit no or subdued negative Eu anomalies, which perhaps indicate zircon overgrowth under eclogite facies conditions. The zircon overgrowth ages range from 250 to 235 Ma, suggesting that HP granulite (eclogite) to

Archaean zircons in Miocene oceanic hotspot rocks establish ancient continental crust beneath Mauritius

PubMed Central

Ashwal, Lewis D.; Wiedenbeck, Michael; Torsvik, Trond H.

2017-01-01

A fragment of continental crust has been postulated to underlie the young plume-related lavas of the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius based on the recovery of Proterozoic zircons from basaltic beach sands. Here we document the first U–Pb zircon ages recovered directly from 5.7 Ma Mauritian trachytic rocks. We identified concordant Archaean xenocrystic zircons ranging in age between 2.5 and 3.0 Ga within a trachyte plug that crosscuts Older Series plume-related basalts of Mauritius. Our results demonstrate the existence of ancient continental crust beneath Mauritius; based on the entire spectrum of U–Pb ages for old Mauritian zircons, we demonstrate that this ancient crust is of central-east Madagascar affinity, which is presently located ∼700 km west of Mauritius. This makes possible a detailed reconstruction of Mauritius and other Mauritian continental fragments, which once formed part of the ancient nucleus of Madagascar and southern India. PMID:28140395

Detrital zircon geochronology of pre- and syncollisional strata, Acadian orogen, Maine Appalachians

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bradley, Dwight C.; O'Sullivan, Paul B.

2017-01-01

The Central Maine Basin is the largest expanse of deep-marine, Upper Ordovician to Devonian metasedimentary rocks in the New England Appalachians, and is a key to the tectonics of the Acadian Orogeny. Detrital zircon ages are reported from two groups of strata: (1) the Quimby, Rangeley, Perry Mountain and Smalls Falls Formations, which were derived from inboard, northwesterly sources and are supposedly older; and (2) the Madrid, Carrabassett and Littleton Formations, which were derived from outboard, easterly sources and are supposedly younger. Deep-water deposition prevailed throughout, with the provenance shift inferred to mark the onset of foredeep deposition and orogeny. The detrital zircon age distribution of a composite of the inboard-derived units shows maxima at 988 and 429 Ma; a composite from the outboard-derived units shows maxima at 1324, 1141, 957, 628, and 437 Ma. The inboard-derived units have a greater proportion of zircons between 450 and 400 Ma. Three samples from the inboard-derived group have youngest age maxima that are significantly younger than the nominal depositional ages. The outboard-derived group does not share this problem. These results are consistent with the hypothesised provenance shift, but they signal potential problems with the established stratigraphy, structure, and (or) regional mapping. Shallow-marine deposits of the Silurian to Devonian Ripogenus Formation, from northwest of the Central Maine Basin, yielded detrital zircons featuring a single age maximum at 441 Ma. These zircons were likely derived from a nearby magmatic arc now concealed by younger strata. Detrital zircons from the Tarratine Formation, part of the Acadian foreland-basin succession in this strike belt, shows age maxima at 1615, 980 and 429 Ma. These results are consistent with three episodes of zircon recycling beginning with the deposition of inboard-derived strata of the Central Maine Basin, which were shed from post-Taconic highlands located to the

Zircon reveals protracted magma storage and recycling beneath Mount St. Helens

USGS Publications Warehouse

Claiborne, L.L.; Miller, C.F.; Flanagan, D.M.; Clynne, M.A.; Wooden, J.L.

2010-01-01

Current data and models for Mount St. Helens volcano (Washington, United States) suggest relatively rapid transport from magma genesis to eruption, with no evidence for protracted storage or recycling of magmas. However, we show here that complex zircon age populations extending back hundreds of thousands of years from eruption age indicate that magmas regularly stall in the crust, cool and crystallize beneath the volcano, and are then rejuvenated and incorporated by hotter, young magmas on their way to the surface. Estimated dissolution times suggest that entrained zircon generally resided in rejuvenating magmas for no more than about a century. Zircon elemental compositions reflect the increasing influence of mafic input into the system through time, recording growth from hotter, less evolved magmas tens of thousands of years prior to the appearance of mafic magmas at the surface, or changes in whole-rock geochemistry and petrology, and providing a new, time-correlated record of this evolution independent of the eruption history. Zircon data thus reveal the history of the hidden, long-lived intrusive portion of the Mount St. Helens system, where melt and crystals are stored for as long as hundreds of thousands of years and interact with fresh influxes of magmas that traverse the intrusive reservoir before erupting. ?? 2010 Geological Society of America.

Zircon oxygen isotopes reveal Ivrea-Verbano Zone source characteristics of the Sesia Valley Caldera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Economos, R. C.; Quick, J. E.; Sinigoi, S.; de Silva, S. L.

2013-12-01

The Sesia Valley, in the Italian Alpine foothills, contains >14 km diameter caldera adjacent to and structurally shallower than the famous Ivrea-Verbano Zone deep crustal section. The caldera and its associated eruptive sequence presents opportunity to explore volcanic magmatism in light of exposed and well characterized source candidates, namely lower crustal gabbros and the mid-crustal metasedimentary Kinzigite formation. Original geochemical characteristics of volcanic units have been obscured by the effects of subsequent hydrothermal alteration. The resistance of the mineral zircon to fluid alteration makes it a prime candidate for the preservation and exploration of these geochemical signals, such as O isotopes. Lower crustal gabbros in the Ivrea-Verbano Zone have broadly monotonic whole-rock δ18O values between +8 and +9‰VSMOW (Sinigoi et al., 1994). Kinzigites preserve a much higher and more heterogeneous δ18O values, typically ranging from +10‰ up to +15‰ (Baker, 1990). Zircons from the caldera-forming rhyolitic eruption units and a pre-caldera rhyodacitic unit were analyzed by ion microprobe at UCLA for in-situ oxygen isotope ratios. External reproducibility of within-mount standard R33 grains range from 0.27 to 0.36‰. Rhyolites from the caldera-forming eruption yield a range of δ18O(zircon) values from 6.3‰ to 8.3‰. This range displays rough correlation with CL activity - CL active grains have lower δ18O(zircon) values while CL dark grains have higher δ18O(zircon) values. This variation may correlate with U contents, which are notoriously low in zircons from Ivrea-Verbano Zone gabbros. We argue that the range in O isotope values suggests zircons are a good fit for magmas influenced by gabbro and Kinzigite sources. However, these zircons do not appear to be inherited directly from either the gabbro or Kinzigite sources as their O isotope signatures are typically intermediate between the two. The pre-caldera rhyodacite sample displays a

Microstructure and Properties of Zircon-Added Carbon Refractories for Blast Furnace

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Tianbin; Li, Yawei; Sang, Shaobai; Chen, Xilai; Zhao, Lei; Li, Yuanbing; Li, Shujing

2012-11-01

Microstructure and properties of zircon-added carbon refractory specimens for blast furnace (BF) were investigated with the aid of X-ray diffraction (XRD), a scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray, mercury porosimetry, and a laser thermal conductivity (TC) meter. Additives could influence the matrix structures and improve the properties of specimens. With the increase of zircon powder content, the amount of SiC whiskers formed increased and their aspect ratio became larger, and the SiC whiskers tended to be distributed homogeneously. Zircon powder additions decreased the mean pore diameter and increased <1- μm pore volume by filling in pores via SiC, improved the TC and the cold crushing strength (CCS) due to the in-situ formation of the more well-developed SiC whiskers with high TC, and significantly reduced the molten iron attack to carbon specimens.

Zircon Hf-O isotopic constraints on the origin of Late Mesozoic felsic volcanic rocks from the Great Xing'an Range, NE China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, Mingyue; Tian, Wei; Fu, Bin; Wang, Shuangyue; Dong, Jinlong

2018-05-01

The voluminous Late Mesozoic magmatism was related to extensive re-melting of juvenile materials that were added to the Central East Asia continent in Phanerozoic time. The most favoured magma generation mechanism of Late Mesozoic magmas is partial melting of underplated lower crust that had radiogenic Hf-Nd isotopic characteristics, but this mechanism faces difficulties when interpreting other isotopic data. The tectonic environment controlling the generation of the Late Mesozoic felsic magmas is also in dispute. In this study, we obtained new U-Pb ages, and geochemical and isotopic data of representative Jurassic (154.4 ± 1.5 Ma) and Cretaceous (140.2 ± 1.5 Ma) felsic volcanic samples. The Jurassic sample has inherited zircon cores of Permian age, with depleted mantle-like εHf(t) of +7.4 - +8.5, which is in contrast with those of the magmatic zircons (εHf(t) = +2.4 ± 0.7). Whereas the inherited cores and the magmatic zircons have identical mantle-like δ18O composition ranges (4.25-5.29‰ and 4.69-5.54‰, respectively). These Hf-O isotopic characteristics suggest a mixed source of enriched mantle materials rather than ancient crustal components and a depleted mantle source represented by the inherited Permian zircon core. This mechanism is manifested by the eruption of Jurassic alkaline basalts originated from an enriched mantle source. The Cretaceous sample has high εHf(t) of +7.0 - +10.5, suggesting re-melting of a mafic magma derived from a depleted mantle-source. However, the sub-mantle zircon δ18O values (3.70-4.58‰) suggest the depleted mantle-derived mafic source rocks had experienced high temperature hydrothermal alteration at upper crustal level. Therefore, the Cretaceous felsic magma, if not all, could be generated by re-melting of down-dropped supracrustal volcanic rocks that experienced high temperature oxygen isotope alteration. The two processes, enriched mantle-contribution and supracrustal juvenile material re-melting, are new

New generalized corresponding states correlation for surface tension of normal saturated liquids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yi, Huili; Tian, Jianxiang

2015-08-01

A new simple correlation based on the principle of corresponding state is proposed to estimate the temperature-dependent surface tension of normal saturated liquids. The new correlation contains three coefficients obtained by fitting 17,051 surface tension data of 38 saturated normal liquids. These 38 liquids contain refrigerants, hydrocarbons and some other inorganic liquids. The new correlation requires only the triple point temperature, triple point surface tension and critical point temperature as input and is able to well represent the experimental surface tension data for each of the 38 saturated normal liquids from the triple temperature up to the point near the critical point. The new correlation gives absolute average deviations (AAD) values below 3% for all of these 38 liquids with the only exception being octane with AAD=4.30%. Thus, the new correlation gives better overall results in comparison with other correlations for these 38 normal saturated liquids.

Evolution of the depleted mantle and growth of the continental crust: improving on the imperfect detrital zircon record

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vervoort, J. D.; Kemp, A. I. S.; Patchett, P. J.

2012-04-01

One of the basic tenets of terrestrial geochemistry is that the continental crust has been extracted from the mantle leaving the latter depleted in incompatible elements. Nd and Hf isotopes have long shown that this process has been an essential feature of the Earth throughout its history. There is wide agreement on the general nature of this process, but the details of the isotopic record—and their implications for the depletion of the mantle and the extraction of continental crust—remain debated. Recently, much attention has been given to detrital zircons in both modern and ancient sediments. An advantage of this approach is the integration of the crystallization history of the zircon from the U-Pb chronometer with its Hf isotopic composition, which can provide important information on whether the zircons have been derived from juvenile or reworked crust. One essential requirement in this approach, however, is to unambiguously determine the crystallization ages of the zircons. We suggest that this represents an important—but generally ignored—source of uncertainty in the Hf isotopic record from detrital zircons. The quality filter most often used to assess the integrity of zircon U-Pb systematics is concordance; if a zircon is concordant, it is assumed that the U-Pb age is accurate. A concordance filter is less effective in old zircons, however, because ancient Pb loss, viewed today, parallels concordia. Without the benefit from the geological context of the host rock to the zircons, it is impossible to unambiguously determine it true crystallization age. Ancient Pb loss in zircons produces an apparent age less than the true magmatic age. The initial Hf isotopic composition of these zircons, as a result, will be calculated at the wrong age and will be anomalously low (by ~2.2 epsilon Hf units per 0.1 Ga). Hf model ages, calculated from these parameters, will be artificially old and spurious. The combination of unradiogenic Hf and Hf model ages > U-Pb ages

Rock-magnetic properties of single zircon crystals sampled from the Tanzawa tonalitic pluton, central Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sato, Masahiko; Yamamoto, Shinji; Yamamoto, Yuhji; Okada, Yoshihiro; Ohno, Masao; Tsunakawa, Hideo; Maruyama, Shigenori

2015-09-01

This paper reports on the rock-magnetic properties of single zircon crystals, which are essential for future work establishing the reliable paleointensity method using single zircon crystals. Zircon crystals used in this study were sampled from the Nakagawa River, which crosses the Tanzawa tonalitic pluton in central Japan. Rock-magnetic measurements were conducted on 1037 grains of zircons, but many of these measurements are below the limits of the sensitivity of the magnetometers employed. Isothermal remanent magnetizations (IRMs) of 876 zircon crystal are below the practical resolution of this study; we infer that these crystals contain no or only minute quantities of ferromagnetic minerals. The other zircon crystals contain enough magnetic minerals to be measured in the DC SQUID magnetometer. For 81 zircon crystals, IRM intensities ( M IRM) are larger than 4 × 10-12 Am2, while natural remanent magnetization (NRM) intensities ( M NRM) are below 4 × 10-12 Am2, indicating that these crystals are inappropriate for the paleomagnetic study. For the samples that had values of M NRM ≥ 4 × 10-12 Am2 and M IRM ≥ 4 × 10-12 Am2 (80 zircons), combining the rock-magnetic parameter, we proposed the sample-selection criteria for future study of paleointensity experiments using single zircon crystals. In the case that the samples had high coercivity ( B c) values (>10 mT) or high M NRM/ M IRM values (>~0.1), main remanence carriers are probably pyrrhotite and these samples are inappropriate for the paleointensity study. In the case that the samples had low B c values (<10 mT) and low M NRM/ M IRM values (<~0.1), main remanence carriers seem to be nearly pure magnetite with pseudo-single-domain grain sizes, and these samples are expected to appropriate for the paleointensity study. Total thermoremanent magnetization (TRM) acquisition experiments were also carried out for 12 samples satisfying the above criteria. The TRM intensity was comparable with that of NRM, and a

Tectono-magmatic evolution of the Chihuahua-Sinaloa border region in northern Mexico: Insights from zircon-apatite U-Pb geochronology, zircon Hf isotope composition and geochemistry of granodiorite intrusions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahar, Munazzam Ali; Goodell, Philip C.; Feinstein, Michael Nicholas

2016-11-01

We present the whole-rock geochemistry, LA-ICP-MS zircon-apatite U-Pb ages and zircon Hf isotope composition of the granodioritic plutons at the southwestern boundary of Chihuahua with the states of Sinaloa and Sonora. These granodiorites are exposed in the north and south of the Rio El Fuerte in southwest Chihuahua and northern Sinaloa. The magmatism spans over a time period of 37 Ma from 90 to 53 Ma. Zircons are exclusively magmatic with strong oscillatory zoning. No inheritance of any age has been observed. Our new U-Pb dating ( 250 analyses) does not support the involvement of older basement lithologies in the generation of the granitic magmas. The U-Pb apatite ages from granodiorites in southwest Chihuahua vary from 52 to 70 Ma. These apatite ages are 1 to 20 Ma younger than the corresponding zircon U-Pb crystallization ages, suggesting variable cooling rates from very fast to 15 °C/Ma ( 800 °C to 500 °C) and shallow to moderate emplacement depths. In contrast, U-Pb apatite ages from the Sinaloa batholith are restricted from 64 to 61 Ma and are indistinguishable from the zircon U-Pb ages range from 67 to 60 Ma within the error, indicating rapid cooling and very shallow emplacement. However, one sample from El Realito showed a larger difference of 20 Ma in zircon-apatite age pair: zircon 80 ± 0.8 Ma and apatite 60.6 ± 4 Ma, suggesting a slower cooling rate of 15 °C/Ma. The weighted mean initial εHf (t) isotope composition (2σ) of granodiorites varies from + 1.8 to + 5.2. The radiogenic Hf isotope composition coupled with previous Sr-Nd isotope data demonstrates a significant shift from multiple crustal sources in the Sonoran batholithic belt to the predominant contribution of the mantle-derived magmas in the southwest Chihuahua and northern Sinaloa. Based on U-Pb ages, the absence of inheritance, typical high Th/U ratio and radiogenic Hf isotope composition, we suggest that the Late Cretaceous-Paleogene magmatic rocks in this region are not derived from

Extinct Plutonium Geochemistry of Ancient Hadean Zircons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turner, G.; Gilmour, J.; Crowther, S.; Busfield, A.; Mojzsis, S.; Harrison, M.

2005-12-01

The abundance of 244Pu in the early solar system has important implications for r-process nucleosynthesis and models of noble gas transport within the Earth's mantle. Our recent discovery(1) of xenon isotopes from the in-situ decay of 244Pu in ancient Jack Hills zircons promises to provide a new time-sensitive window on the first 500 Ma of Earth history. We have extended this initial work by the use of resonance ioniisation mass spectrometry to analyse xenon released by stepped heating from 17 individual zircons with Pb-Pb ages in the range 3.95 to 4.18 Ga. Our immediate objectives are to determine the causes of variations in the inferred Pu/U ratios and in the longer term to determine the initial Pu/U ratio of the Earth. The Pu/U ratios calculated for individual zircons may be expected to vary as a result of igneous fractionation and also from differential loss of Pu and U fission xenon in the last 4 Ga. We have studied the effects of xenon loss by irradiating the zircons with thermal neutrons to generate xenon from 235U neutron fission in order to determine U/Xe ratios and apparent ages. 131Xe/134Xe and 132Xe/134Xe ratios can be used to calculate the relative contributions from 244Pu and 238U spontaneous fission and 235U neutron fission. The measured Pu/U ratios (back calculated to 4.56 Ga on the basis of the individual Pb-Pb ages) range from zero to 0.012. The highest ratio in our initial study was 0.008 (note that the published ratio has been revised upwards on the basis of improved decay parameters for 238U spontaneous fission). Comparison of Pb-Pb and U-Xe ages indicate varying amounts of xenon loss, over 50% in some cases. While this accounts for some of the variability in the inferred Pu/U, igneous fractionation may also play a part, and we are currently attempting to investigate this by a comparison with REE abundances. Reference: (1) Turner et al. (2004) Science, 306, 89-91.

Interpretation of zircon coronae textures from metapelitic granulites of the Ivrea-Verbano Zone, northern Italy: two-stage decomposition of Fe-Ti oxides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kovaleva, Elizaveta; Austrheim, Håkon O.; Klötzli, Urs S.

2017-07-01

In this study, we report the occurrence of zircon coronae textures in metapelitic granulites of the Ivrea-Verbano Zone. Unusual zircon textures are spatially associated with Fe-Ti oxides and occur as (1) vermicular-shaped aggregates 50-200 µm long and 5-20 µm thick and as (2) zircon coronae and fine-grained chains, hundreds of micrometers long and ≤ 1 µm thick, spatially associated with the larger zircon grains. Formation of such textures is a result of zircon precipitation during cooling after peak metamorphic conditions, which involved: (1) decomposition of Zr-rich ilmenite to Zr-bearing rutile, and formation of the vermicular-shaped zircon during retrograde metamorphism and hydration; and (2) recrystallization of Zr-bearing rutile to Zr-depleted rutile intergrown with quartz, and precipitation of the submicron-thick zircon coronae during further exhumation and cooling. We also observed hat-shaped grains that are composed of preexisting zircon overgrown by zircon coronae during stage (2). Formation of vermicular zircon (1) preceded ductile and brittle deformation of the host rock, as vermicular zircon is found both plastically and cataclastically deformed. Formation of thin zircon coronae (2) was coeval with, or immediately after, brittle deformation as coronae are found to fill fractures in the host rock. The latter is evidence of local, fluid-aided mobility of Zr. This study demonstrates that metamorphic zircon can nucleate and grow as a result of hydration reactions and mineral breakdown during cooling after granulite-facies metamorphism. Zircon coronae textures indicate metamorphic reactions in the host rock and establish the direction of the reaction front.

Dielectric properties of rare earth (Sm and La) substituted lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dipti, Singh, Sangeeta; Juneja, J. K.; Raina, K. K.; Prakash, Chandra

2013-06-01

In the present paper, we are reporting the studies on dielectric properties of Lanthanum (La) and Samarium (Sm) substituted Lead Zirconate Titanate with compositional formula Pb(1.02-x)SmxZr0.55Ti0.45O3 and Pb(1.02-x)LaxZr0.55Ti0.45O3 with x = 0.00, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03. The materials were synthesized by solid state reaction route. XRD analysis shows that all the samples be in single phase with tetragonal structure. Dielectric properties were studied as a function of temperature.

Complex Histories of Two Lunar Zircons as Evidenced by their Internal Structures and U-Pb Ages

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pidgeon, R. T.; Nemchin, A. A.; Meyer, Charles

2006-01-01

The U-Pb dating of lunar zircon by ion-microprobe provides a robust technique for investigating the timing of lunar events [1,2]. However, we have now identified two cases where the U-Pb systems in a single zircon show more than one age. These complex zircons provide new opportunities for extending our knowledge on the timing of events in the early history of the Moon.

Low heat flow inferred from >4 Gyr zircons suggests Hadean plate boundary interactions.

PubMed

Hopkins, Michelle; Harrison, T Mark; Manning, Craig E

2008-11-27

The first approximately 600 million years of Earth history (the 'Hadean' eon) remain poorly understood, largely because there is no rock record dating from that era. Detrital Hadean igneous zircons from the Jack Hills, Western Australia, however, can potentially provide insights into the conditions extant on our planet at that time. Results of geochemical investigations using these ancient grains have been interpreted to suggest the presence of a hydrosphere and continental crust before 4 Gyr. An underexploited characteristic of the >4 Gyr zircons is their diverse assemblage of mineral inclusions. Here we present an examination of over 400 Hadean zircons from Jack Hills, which shows that some inclusion assemblages are conducive to thermobarometry. Our thermobarometric analyses of 4.02-4.19-Gyr-old inclusion-bearing zircons constrain their magmatic formation conditions to about 700 degrees C and 7 kbar. This result implies a near-surface heat flow of approximately 75 mW m(-2), about three to five times lower than estimates of Hadean global heat flow. As the only site of magmatism on modern Earth that is characterized by heat flow of about one-quarter of the global average is above subduction zones, we suggest that the magmas from which the Jack Hills Hadean zircons crystallized were formed largely in an underthrust environment, perhaps similar to modern convergent margins.

Signatures of mountain building: Detrital zircon U/Pb ages from northeast Tibet

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lease, Richard O.; Burbank, Douglas W.; Gehrels, George E.; Wang, Zhicai; Yuan, Daoyang

2007-01-01

Although detrital zircon has proven to be a powerful tool for determining provenance, past work has focused primarily on delimiting regional source terranes. Here we explore the limits of spatial resolution and stratigraphic sensitivity of detrital zircon in ascertaining provenance, and we demonstrate its ability to detect source changes for terranes separated by only a few tens of kilometers. For such an analysis to succeed for a given mountain, discrete intrarange source terranes must have unique U/Pb zircon age signatures and sediments eroded from the range must have well-defined depositional ages. Here we use ∼1400 single-grain U/Pb zircon ages from northeastern Tibet to identify and analyze an area that satisfies these conditions. This analysis shows that the edges of intermontane basins are stratigraphically sensitive to discrete, punctuated changes in local source terranes. By tracking eroding rock units chronologically through the stratigraphic record, this sensitivity permits the detection of the differential rock uplift and progressive erosion that began ca. 8 Ma in the Laji Shan, a 10-25-km-wide range in northeastern Tibet with a unique U/Pb age signature.

Large-Velocity Saturation in Thin-Film Black Phosphorus Transistors.

PubMed

Chen, Xiaolong; Chen, Chen; Levi, Adi; Houben, Lothar; Deng, Bingchen; Yuan, Shaofan; Ma, Chao; Watanabe, Kenji; Taniguchi, Takashi; Naveh, Doron; Du, Xu; Xia, Fengnian

2018-05-22

A high saturation velocity semiconductor is appealing for applications in electronics and optoelectronics. Thin-film black phosphorus (BP), an emerging layered semiconductor, shows a high carrier mobility and strong mid-infrared photoresponse at room temperature. Here, we report the observation of high intrinsic saturation velocity in 7 to 11 nm thick BP for both electrons and holes as a function of charge-carrier density, temperature, and crystalline direction. We distinguish a drift velocity transition point due to the competition between the electron-impurity and electron-phonon scatterings. We further achieve a room-temperature saturation velocity of 1.2 (1.0) × 10 7 cm s -1 for hole (electron) carriers at a critical electric field of 14 (13) kV cm -1 , indicating an intrinsic current-gain cutoff frequency ∼20 GHz·μm for radio frequency applications. Moreover, the current density is as high as 580 μA μm -1 at a low electric field of 10 kV cm -1 . Our studies demonstrate that thin-film BP outperforms silicon in terms of saturation velocity and critical field, revealing its great potential in radio-frequency electronics, high-speed mid-infrared photodetectors, and optical modulators.

The first discovery of Hadean zircon in garnet granulites from the Sutam River (Aldan Shield)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glukhovskii, M. Z.; Kuz'min, M. I.; Bayanova, T. B.; Lyalina, L. M.; Makrygina, V. A.; Shcherbakova, T. F.

2017-09-01

For the first time in Russia, a Hadean zircon grain with an age of 3.94 Ga (ID-TIMS) has been discovered in high-aluminous garnet granulites of the Aldan Shield among the U-Pb zircons with an age from 1.92 Ga. In this connection, the problems of its parental source, the petrogenesis of granulites that captured this zircon, and the mechanism of occurrence of these deep rocks in the upper horizons of the crust have been solved. The comparison of the geochemistry of garnet granulites and the middle crust has shown that the granulites are enriched in the entire range of rare-earth elements (except for the Eu minimum), as well as in Al2O3, U, and Th and are depleted in the most mobile elements (Na, Ca, Sr). In the upper part of the allitic weathering zone of the middle crust, which formed under conditions of arid climate, this zircon grain was originated from the weathered granites from the middle crust. In the latter case, they were empleced discretely in the upper granite-gneiss crust under high pressure conditions (the rutile age is 1.83-1.82 Ga). The zircon with an age of 3.94 Ga is comparable to the Hadean zircons from orthogneisses of the Acasta region (Canadian Shield, 4.03-3.94 Ga).

Zircon ion microprobe dating of high-grade rocks in Sri Lanka

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kroener, A.; Williams, I.S.; Compston, W.

1987-11-01

The high-grade gneisses of Sri Lanka display spectacular in-situ granulitization phenomena similar to those observed in southern India and of current interest for evolutionary models of the lower continental crust. The absolute ages of these rocks are poorly constrained and so, using the SHRIMP ion microprobe, the authors have analyzed small spots on zircons from upper amphibolite to granulite grade quartzitic and pelitic metasediments. Detrital grains from a metaquartzite of the Highland Group preserve premetamorphic U-Pb ages of between 3.17 and 2.4 Ga and indicate derivation of the sediment from an unidentified Archean source terrain. The Pb-loss patterns of thesemore » zircons and the other samples suggest severe disturbance at ca 1100 Ma ago, which the authors attribute to high-grade regional metamorphism. Two pelitic gneisses contain detrital zircons with ages up to 2.04 Ga and also record an approx. = 1100 Ma event that is also apparent from metamorphic rims around old cores and new zircon growth. A granite intrusive into the Highland Group granulites records an emplacement age of 1000-1100 Ma as well as metamorphic disturbance some 550 Ma ago but also contains older, crustally derived xenocrysts. Zircons from a metaquartzite xenolith within the granitoid Vijayan Complex are not older than approx. 1100 Ma; therefore the Vijayan is neither Archean in age nor acted as basement to the Highland Group, as previously proposed. The authors suggest that the Vijayan Complex formed significantly later than the Highland Group and that the two units were brought into contact through post-1.1 Ga thrusting. Although the granulitization phenomena in India and Sri Lanka are similar, the granulite event in Sri Lanka is not Archean in age but took place in the late Proterozoic.« less

Controls on Highly Siderophile Element Concentrations in Martian Basalt: Sulfide Saturation and Under-Saturation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Righter, Kevin

2009-01-01

Highly siderophile elements (HSE; Re, Au and the platinum group elements) in shergottites exhibit a wide range from very high, similar to the terrestrial mantle, to very low, similar to sulfide saturated mid ocean ridge basalt (e.g., [1]). This large range has been difficult to explain without good constraints on sulfide saturation or under-saturation [2]. A new model for prediction of sulfide saturation places new constraints on this problem [3]. Shergottite data: For primitive shergottites, pressure and temperature estimates are between 1.2-1.5 GPa, and 1350-1470 C [4]. The range of oxygen fugacities is from FMQ-2 to IW, where the amount of Fe2O3 is low and thus does not have a significant effect on the S saturation values. Finally, the bulk compositions of shergottites have been reported in many recent studies (e.g., [5]). All of this information will be used to test whether shergottites are sulfide saturated [3]. Modeling values and results: The database for HSE partition coefficients has been growing with many new data for silicates and oxides [6-8] to complement a large sulfide database [9- 11]. Combining these data with simple batch melting models allows HSE contents of mantle melts to be estimated for sulfide-bearing vs. sulfide-free mantle. Combining such models with fractional crystallization modeling (e.g., [12]) allows HSE contents of more evolved liquids to be modeled. Most primitive shergottites have high HSE contents (and low S contents) that can be explained by sulfide under-saturated melting of the mantle. An exception is Dhofar 019 which has high S contents and very low HSE contents suggesting sulfide saturation. Most evolved basaltic shergottites have lower S contents than saturation, and intermediate HSE contents that can be explained by olivine, pyroxene, and chromite fractionation. An exception is EET A79001 lithology B, which has very low HSE contents and S contents higher than sulfide saturation values . evidence for sulfide saturation

Sapphirine-bearing granulites from the Tongbai orogen, China: Petrology, phase equilibria, zircon U-Pb geochronology and implications for Paleozoic ultrahigh temperature metamorphism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiang, Hua; Zhong, Zeng-Qiu; Li, Ye; Qi, Min; Zhou, Han-Wen; Zhang, Li; Zhang, Ze-Ming; Santosh, M.

2014-11-01

We report here for the first time the occurrence of sapphirine-bearing granulites within the Qinling Group of the Qinling-Tongbai orogen and provide robust evidence for extreme crustal metamorphism at ultrahigh-temperature (UHT) conditions. We document the UHT indicator of sapphirine and spinel in a mafic granulite consisting of orthopyroxene, biotite, plagioclase, amphibole and rutile/ilmenite. The ferromagnesian minerals in the sapphirine-bearing granulite have high XMg [Mg/(Mg + Fe)] (orthopyroxene XMg = 0.84-0.95; biotite XMg = 0.81; amphibole XMg = 0.87-0.96). The phase equilibria modeling demonstrates that the early spinel-bearing assemblage is stable at 923-950 °C and 6.7-8.9 kbar, and the peak assemblage of Opx + Pl + Spr/Spl + Amp + Bt + Ilm (+ melt) defines a field at 922-947 °C and 8.4-10.2 kbar. Rutiles have variable Zr concentrations but mostly cluster at ca. 1,500 and 3400 ppm. Zr-in-rutile geothermometry yielded high temperatures of up to 890-940 °C. Zircon U-Pb dating of the granulite constrains the timing of the immediate post-peak and retrograde metamorphic stages as 429 ± 7 Ma and 412 ± 4 Ma, respectively. The UHT metamorphism, together with extensive occurrence of coeval magmatic suites suggests that the Tongbai orogen experienced a Paleozoic Andean-type orogeny probably derived from mid-oceanic ridge subduction of the Qinling Ocean.

Lithofacies control in detrital zircon provenance studies: Insights from the Cretaceous Methow basin, southern Canadian Cordillera

USGS Publications Warehouse

DeGraaff-Surpless, K.; Mahoney, J.B.; Wooden, J.L.; McWilliams, M.O.

2003-01-01

High-frequency sampling for detrital zircon analysis can provide a detailed record of fine-scale basin evolution by revealing the temporal and spatial variability of detrital zircon ages within clastic sedimentary successions. This investigation employed detailed sampling of two sedimentary successions in the Methow/Methow-Tyaughton basin of the southern Canadian Cordillera to characterize the heterogeneity of detrital zircon signatures within single lithofacies and assess the applicability of detrital zircon analysis in distinguishing fine-scale provenance changes not apparent in lithologic analysis of the strata. The Methow/Methow-Tyaughton basin contains two distinct stratigraphic sequences of middle Albian to Santonian clastic sedimentary rocks: submarine-fan deposits of the Harts Pass Formation/Jackass Mountain Group and fluvial deposits of the Winthrop Formation. Although both stratigraphic sequences displayed consistent ranges in detrital zircon ages on a broad scale, detailed sampling within each succession revealed heterogeneity in the detrital zircon age distributions that was systematic and predictable in the turbidite succession but unpredictable in the fluvial succession. These results suggest that a high-density sampling approach permits interpretation of finescale changes within a lithologically uniform turbiditic sedimentary succession, but heterogeneity within fluvial systems may be too large and unpredictable to permit accurate fine-scale characterization of the evolution of source regions. The robust composite detrital zircon age signature developed for these two successions permits comparison of the Methow/Methow-Tyaughton basin age signature with known plutonic source-rock ages from major plutonic belts throughout the Cretaceous North American margin. The Methow/Methow-Tyaughton basin detrital zircon age signature matches best with source regions in the southern Canadian Cordillera, requiring that the basin developed in close proximity to the

Investigating sources of ignimbrites in the Altiplano-Puna Volcanic Complex using U-Pb dating of zircons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kern, J. M.; de Silva, S. L.; Schmitt, A. K.

2011-12-01

Large silicic volcanic fields (LSVFs) are thought to represent the surface expression of upper crustal batholith emplacement, with the spatiotemporal distribution of the vents and eruptions representing the development of the system. The Altiplano-Puna Volcanic Complex (APVC) in the Central Andes is a LSVF active from 11-1 Ma that erupted over 13,000 km3 of magma from large, multicyclic caldera centers and smaller ignimbrite shields during 3 distinct pulses of volcanism at 8.4, 5.5, and 4.0 Ma. Links to the magmatic system beneath are being pursued through U-Pb zircon dating of APVC ignimbrites. Initial results comprise 61 238U/206Pb zircon ages of mostly marginal crystal domains from five APVC ignimbrites-the 0.98 ± 0.03 Ma Purico, 3.96 ± 0.08 Ma Atana, 4.0 ± 0.9 Ma Toconao, 4.09 ± 0.02 Ma Puripicar, and 8.33 ± 0.06 Ma Sifon ignimbrites-dated by high-resolution secondary ionization mass spectrometry (SIMS). Each zircon analyzed was less than 350 μm in length and cathodoluminescence images reveal zonations within individual zircons, though significant core-rim age differences are rare. The ~1 Ma Purico ignimbrite displays multiple zircon age populations significantly predating the 40Ar/39Ar eruption age, but younger than ages from the nearby large-volume Atana ignimbrite erupted from La Pacana caldera. Some peaks do, however, coincide with later resurgent activity within La Pacana as expressed by the 2.7 Ma Cerro Bola dome. Zircon ages in the Atana ignimbrite are indistinguishable from its eruption, while those from the 4.0 Ma Toconao ignimbrite-the volatile-rich cap of the Atana magma chamber-contains three populations of xenocrystic zircons from the Proterozoic-Ordivician, ~13 Ma, and ~9 Ma. The ~9 Ma zircons correlate with K-Ar ages from an underlying ignimbrite, whereas the 13 Ma xenocrysts likely have a plutonic source. The Purico ignimbrite thus provides direct evidence of zircon inheritance from previous eruption cycles, while the Toconao records a

Correlated microanalysis of zircon: Trace element, δ 18O, and U-Th-Pb isotopic constraints on the igneous origin of complex >3900 Ma detrital grains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cavosie, Aaron J.; Valley, John W.; Wilde, Simon A.; E. I. M. F.

2006-11-01

radiation damage. The enrichment is not attributed to hydrothermal alteration, however, as oxygen isotope ratios in Type 2 domains overlap with magmatic values of Type 1 domains, and do not appear re-set as might be expected from dissolution or ion-exchange processes operating at variable temperatures. Thus, REE compositions in Type 2 domains where mineral inclusions are not suspected are best interpreted to result from localized enrichment of LREE in areas with past or present radiation damage, and with a very low fluid/rock ratio. Correlated in situ analyses allow magmatic compositions in these complex zircons to be distinguished from the effects of secondary processes. These results are additional evidence for preservation of magmatic compositions in Jack Hills zircons, and demonstrate the benefits of detailed imaging in studies of complicated detrital zircons of unknown origin. The data reported here support previous interpretations that the majority of >3900 Ma zircons from the Jack Hills have an origin in evolved granitic melts, and are evidence for the existence of continental crust very early in Earth's history.

In situ detrital zircon (U-Th)/He thermochronology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tripathy, A.; Monteleone, B. D.; van Soest, M. C.; Hodges, K.; Hourigan, J. K.

2010-12-01

Detrital studies of both sand and rock are relevant to many problems, ranging from the climate and tectonics feedback debate to the long-term record of orogenic evolution. When applying the conventional (U-Th)/He technique to such studies, two important issues arise. Often, only euhedral grains are permissible for analysis in order to make simple geometric corrections for α-recoil. In detrital samples, this is problematic because euhedral grains can be scarce due to mechanical abrasion during transport, and potentially introduce bias in favour of more proximally sourced grains. Second, inherent to detrital studies is the need to date many grains (>100) per sample to ensure a representative sampling of the sediment source region, thus making robust conventional detrital studies both expensive and time-consuming. UV laser microprobes can improve this by permitting careful targeting of the grain interior away from the α-ejection zone, rendering the α-recoil correction unnecessary, thus eliminating bias toward euhedral grains. In the Noble Gas, Geochemistry, and Geochronology Laboratory at ASU, apatite and zircon have been successfully dated using in situ methods. For this study, the conventional and in situ techniques are compared by dating zircons from a modern river sand that drains a small catchment in the Mesozoic-Cenozoic Ladakh Batholith in NW India. This sample has a simple provenance, which allows us to demonstrate the robustness of the in situ method. Moreover, different microbeam techniques will be explored to establish the most efficient approach to obtain accurate and precise U-Th concentrations using synrock, which is our powdered, homogenized, and reconstituted zircon-rock standard. Without this, such in situ U-Th data would be difficult to obtain. 117 zircons were dated using the conventional (U-Th)/He method, revealing dates ranging from 9.70±0.35 to 106.6±3.5 Ma (2σ) with the major mode at 26 Ma. For comparison, 44 grains were dated using the in

Hydrogenation at low temperatures does not always lead to saturation: the case of HNCO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noble, J. A.; Theule, P.; Congiu, E.; Dulieu, F.; Bonnin, M.; Bassas, A.; Duvernay, F.; Danger, G.; Chiavassa, T.

2015-04-01

Context. It is generally agreed that hydrogenation reactions dominate chemistry on grain surfaces in cold, dense molecular cores, saturating the molecules present in ice mantles. Aims: We present a study of the low temperature reactivity of solid phase isocyanic acid (HNCO) with hydrogen atoms, with the aim of elucidating its reaction network. Methods: Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and mass spectrometry were employed to follow the evolution of pure HNCO ice during bombardment with H atoms. Both multilayer and monolayer regimes were investigated. Results: The hydrogenation of HNCO does not produce detectable amounts of formamide (NH2CHO) as the major product. Experiments using deuterium reveal that deuteration of solid HNCO occurs rapidly, probably via cyclic reaction paths regenerating HNCO. Chemical desorption during these reaction cycles leads to loss of HNCO from the surface. Conclusions: It is unlikely that significant quantities of NH2CHO form from HNCO. In dense regions, however, deuteration of HNCO will occur. HNCO and DNCO will be introduced into the gas phase, even at low temperatures, as a result of chemical desorption.

Zircon U-Pb geochronology and geochemistry of granites in the Zhuguangshan complex, South China: Implications for uranium mineralization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Long; Chen, Zhenyu; Li, Xiaofeng; Li, Shengrong; Santosh, M.; Huang, Guolong

2018-05-01

The Zhuguangshan complex, composed of Caledonian, Indosinian, and Yanshanian granites, and Cretaceous mafic dykes, is one of the most important granite-hosted uranium producers in South China. Here we present LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb and hornblende 40Ar/39Ar geochronology and whole-rock and biotite geochemistry for the granites in this complex to evaluate the magmatism and its constraints on uranium mineralization. Samples collected from the Fuxi, Youdong, Longhuashan, Chikeng, Qiling, and Sanjiangkou intrusions yield zircon weighted 206Pb/238U ages of 426.7 ± 5.4 Ma, 226.4 ± 3.5 Ma, 225.0 ± 2.7 Ma, 152.2 ± 3.0 Ma, 153.9 ± 2.1 Ma, and 155.2 ± 2.1 Ma, respectively. A new Ar-Ar dating of the hornblende of the diabase from the Changjiang uranium ore field yields a plateau age of 145.1 ± 1.5 Ma. These results coupled with published geochronological data indicate that six major magmatic events occurred in the study area at 420-435 Ma, 225-240 Ma, 150-165 Ma, 140 Ma, 105 Ma, and 90 Ma. Both U-bearing and barren granites occur in this complex, and they display differences in whole-rock and biotite geochemistry. The barren granites show higher Al2O3, CaO, TFMM, Rb, Zr, Ba, SI, Mg#, (La/Yb)N, and Eu/Eu*, but lower SiO2, ALK, Rb, DI, Rb/Sr, and TiO2/MgO than those of the U-bearing granites. Biotites in the U-bearing granites are close to the Fe-rich siderophyllite-annite end member with Fe/(Fe + Mg) ratios higher than 0.66, whereas those in the barren granites are relatively close to the Mg-rich eastonite-phlogopite end member with Fe/(Fe + Mg) ratios <0.66. The U-bearing granites were mainly derived from the partial melting of pelitic sedimentary source, whereas the psammitic source generated the barren granites. In addition, the barren granites show higher TFMM, Ba, and Eu/Eu* but lower SiO2, Rb/Sr and Al2O3/TiO2 ratios with higher zircon saturation temperatures relative to the U-bearing granites. These results indicate that the geochemical compositions of the U

Thermal events documented in Hadean zircons by ion microprobe depth profiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trail, Dustin; Mojzsis, Stephen J.; Harrison, T. Mark

2007-08-01

We report the first U-Th-Pb ion microprobe depth profiles of four Hadean zircons from the Jack Hills and Mount Narryer supracrustal belts of the Narryer Gneiss Complex (NGC), Western Australia. This ultra-high spatial resolution technique probes the age and origin of sub-micron features in individual crystals that can record episodes of zircon growth. Near-surface grain dates of 2700 Ma or older are coincident with post-depositional growth/modification. Some ages may coincide with documented pre-deposition metamorphic events for the NGC and igneous emplacement at ca. 3700 Ma. Separate events that do not correlate in time with known geologic episodes prior to the preserved rock record are also present on pre-4000 Ma zircons. We find evidence for a ˜3.9 Ga event, which is coterminous within age uncertainty with one or several large basin-forming impacts (e.g. Nectaris) on the Moon attributed to the late heavy bombardment of the inner solar system.

Zircon: Free Energy of Formation by Aqueous Solubility Measurements at High T and P

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newton, R. C.; Manning, C. E.; Hanchar, J. M.

2002-12-01

We measured the silica solubility at 800 °C, 12 kbar, of small (~0.5 mg) limpid euhedral zircon crystals grown by a flux-melt method (Hanchar et al., Am. Min., 86, 667, 2001). Incongruent solution occurs according to ZrSiO4 = ZrO2 + SiO2,aq. Zircon lost ~0.1 mg after exposure of 1-2 mg of zircon to ~32 mg H2O in welded Pt envelopes for 90-120 hr in piston-cylinder apparatus using NaCl-graphite furnaces. The average solubility was 0.0645+/-0.007 molal (m), or a mole fraction (XS) of 0.00116. Reversibility was established by rerunning the baddeleyite-coated zircons with a fluid initially slightly SiO2-oversaturated, as determined by the forward experiments, resulting in weight gains of the composite crystals. Similar runs on sintered ZrO2 compacts yielded spontaneous surface nucleation and growth of zircons up to 1 mm. Concentrations were corrected for a small, measured solubility of ZrO2 (0.001 m). Nonideality of aqueous silica was calculated assuming that SiO2,aq consists of a mixture of monomers and dimers (Zotov and Keppler (Chem. Geol., 184, 71, 2002; Newton and Manning, GCA, in press). Our zircon solubility and that of quartz at the same conditions (XS=0.02634, Manning, GCA, 58, 4831, 1994) give activity coefficients at the two concentrations of 0.730 and 0.255, respectively. The activity coefficients and concentrations yield the free energy of formation of zircon from the oxides at 800 °C, 12 kbar of -18.46+/-0.96 kJ/mol, which translates to -11.91+/-0.96 kJ/mol at 800 °C, 1 bar. Our value is compatible with previous estimates based on experiment (Schuiling et al., Am. Min., 61, 166, 1976) and high-T oxide-melt calorimetry (Ellison and Navrotsky, J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 75, 1430, 1992), but is four times more precise than these estimates.

Detrital zircons from the Tananao metamorphic complex of Taiwan: Implications for sediment provenance and Mesozoic tectonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yui, T. F.; Maki, K.; Lan, C. Y.; Hirata, T.; Chu, H. T.; Kon, Y.; Yokoyama, T. D.; Jahn, B. M.; Ernst, W. G.

2012-05-01

Taiwan formed during the Plio-Pleistocene collision of Eurasia with the outboard Luzon arc. Its pre-Tertiary basement, the Tananao metamorphic complex, consists of the western Tailuko belt and the eastern Yuli belt. These circum-Pacific belts have been correlated with the high-temperature/low-pressure (HT/LP) Ryoke belt and the high-pressure/low-temperature (HP/LT) Sanbagawa belt of Japan, respectively. To test this correlation and to reveal the architecture and plate-tectonic history of the Tananao metamorphic basement, detrital zircons were separated from 7 metasedimentary rock samples for U-Pb dating by LA-ICPMS techniques. Results of the present study, coupled with previous data, show that (1) the Tailuko belt consists of a Late Jurassic to earliest Cretaceous accretionary complex sutured against a Permian-Early Jurassic marble ± metabasaltic terrane, invaded in the north by scattered Late Cretaceous granitic plutons; the latter as well as minor Upper Cretaceous cover strata probably formed in a circum-Pacific forearc; (2) the Yuli belt is a mid- to Late Cretaceous accretionary complex containing HP thrust sheets that were emplaced attending the Late Cenozoic Eurasian plate-Luzon arc collision; (3) these two Late Mesozoic belts are not coeval, and in part were overprinted by low-grade metamorphism during the Plio-Pleistocene collision; (4) accreted clastic sediments of the Tailuko belt contain mainly Phanerozoic detrital zircons, indicating that terrigenous sediments were mainly sourced from western Cathaysia, whereas in contrast, clastic rocks of the Yuli accretionary complex contain a significant amount of Paleoproterozoic and distinctive Neoproterozoic zircons, probably derived from the North China craton and the Yangtze block ± eastern Cathaysia, as a result of continent uplift/exhumation after the Permo-Triassic South China-North China collision; and (5) the Late Jurassic-Late Cretaceous formation of the Tananao basement complex precludes the possibility

Resolution, the key to unlocking granite petrogenesis using zircon U-Pb - Lu-Hf studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tapster, Simon; Horstwood, Matthew; Roberts, Nick M. W.; Deady, Eimear; Shail, Robin

2017-04-01

Coarse-scale understanding of crustal evolution and source contributions to igneous systems has been drastically enhanced by coupled zircon U-Pb and Lu-Hf data sets. These are now common place and potentially offer advantages over whole-rock analyses by resolving heterogeneous source components in the complex crystal cargos of single hand-samples. However, the application of coupled zircon U-Pb and Lu-Hf studies to address detailed petrogenetic questions faces a crisis of resolution - On the one hand, micro-beam analytical techniques have high spatial resolution, capable of interrogating crystals with complex growth histories. Yet, the >1-2% temporal resolution of these techniques places a fundamental limitation on their utility for developing petrogenetic models. This limitation in data interpretation arises from timescales of crystal recycling or changes in source evolution that are often shorter than the U-Pb analytical precision. Conversely, high-precision CA-ID-TIMS U-Pb analysis of single whole zircons and solution MC-ICP-MS Lu-Hf isotopes of column washes (Hf masses equating to ca. 10-50 ng) have much greater temporal resolution (<0.1%), yet lack the spatial resolution to deal with complex crystal growth. Analyses homogenize any heterogeneity within the zircon and convolute the petrogenetic model. A balance must be struck between spatial and temporal resolution to address petrogenetic issues. Here, we demonstrate that micro-sampling of complex xenocryst-rich zircon crystals (e.g. <40 µm zircon tips) from the granitic post-Variscan Cornubian Batholith (SW England), in tandem with low-common Pb blank CA-ID-TIMS U-Pb chemistry, permits the analysis of zircon volumes that approach those of LA-ICPMS analyses, whilst simultaneously retaining the majority of the temporal resolution associated with the CA-ID-TIMS U-Pb technique. The low volume of zircon within these analyses may only provide <5 ng Hf, and therefore gaining useful precision from Lu-Hf isotopes is

Major zircon megacryst suites of the Indo-Pacific lithospheric margin (ZIP) and their petrogenetic and regional implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sutherland, Lin; Graham, Ian; Yaxley, Gregory; Armstrong, Richard; Giuliani, Gaston; Hoskin, Paul; Nechaev, Victor; Woodhead, Jon

2016-04-01

Zircon megacrysts (± gem corundum) appear in basalt fields of Indo-Pacific origin over a 12,000 km zone (ZIP) along West Pacific continental margins. Age-dating, trace element, oxygen and hafnium isotope studies on representative zircons (East Australia-Asia) indicate diverse magmatic sources. The U-Pb (249 to 1 Ma) and zircon fission track (ZFT) ages (65 to 1 Ma) suggest thermal annealing during later basalt transport, with < 1 to 203 Ma gaps between the U-Pb and ZFT ages. Magmatic growth zonation and Zr/Hf ratios (0.01-0.02) suggest alkaline magmatic sources, while Ti—in—zircon thermometry suggests that most zircons crystallized within ranges between 550 and 830 °C. Chondrite-normalised multi-element plots show variable enrichment patterns, mostly without marked Eu depletion, indicating little plagioclase fractionation in source melts. Key elements and ratios matched against zircons from magmatic rocks suggest a range of ultramafic to felsic source melts. Zircon O-isotope ratios (δ18O in the range 4 to 11‰) and initial Hf isotope ratios (ɛHf in the range +2 to +14) encompass ranges for both mantle and crustal melts. Calculated Depleted Mantle (TDM 0.03-0.56 Ga) and Crustal Residence (0.20-1.02 Ga) model ages suggest several mantle events, continental break-ups (Rodinia and Gondwana) and convergent margin collisions left imprints in the zircon source melts. East Australian ZIP sites reflect prolonged intraplate magmatism (~85 Ma), often during times of fast-migrating lithosphere. In contrast, East Asian-Russian ZIP sites reflect later basaltic magmatism (<40 Ma), often linked to episodes of back-arc rifting and spreading, slow-migrating lithosphere and slab subduction.

Constraints on the timing of multiple thermal events and re-equilibration recorded by high-U zircon and xenotime: Case study of pegmatite from Piława Górna (Góry Sowie Block, SW Poland)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Budzyń, Bartosz; Sláma, Jiří; Kozub-Budzyń, Gabriela A.; Konečný, Patrik; Holický, Ivan; Rzepa, Grzegorz; Jastrzębski, Mirosław

2018-06-01

The application of zircon and xenotime geochronometers requires knowledge of their potential and limitations related to possible disturbance of the age record. The alteration of the intergrown zircon and xenotime in pegmatite from the Góry Sowie Block (SW Poland) was studied using the electron microprobe analysis, X-ray WDS compositional mapping, micro-Raman analysis, and LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating of zircon and xenotime, as well as the U-Th-total Pb dating of uraninite. These microanalytical techniques were applied to understand the formation mechanisms of the secondary textures related to post-magmatic processes in the zircon and xenotime intergrowth, and to constrain their timing. Textural and compositional features combined with U-Pb data indicate that the pegmatite-related crystallization of the zircon and xenotime intergrowth occurred ca. 2.09 Ga (2086 ± 35 Ma for zircon and 2093 ± 52 Ma for xenotime), followed by the re-equilibration of zircon and xenotime ca. 370 Ma (373 ± 18 Ma and 368 ± 6 Ma, respectively) during the formation of the younger pegmatite. The zircon and xenotime were most likely derived from Precambrian basement rocks and emplaced in the pegmatite as a restite. The zircon preserved textures related to diffusion-reaction processes that affected its high-U core (up to ca. 9.6 wt% UO2), which underwent further metamictization and amorphization due to self-radiation damage. The zircon rim and xenotime were affected by coupled dissolution-reprecipitation processes that resulted in patchy zoning, age disturbance and sponge-like textures. Xenotime was also partially replaced by fluorapatite or hingganite-(Y) and Y-enriched allanite-(Ce). The termination of the low-temperature alteration was constrained by the U-Th-total Pb age of the uraninite inclusions that crystallized in zircon at 281 ± 2 Ma, which is consistent with the age of 278 ± 15 Ma obtained from the youngest cluster of U-Pb ages in the re-equilibrated high-U zircon domains. This study

Detrital zircon ages from southern Norway - implications for the Proterozoic evolution of the southwestern Baltic Shield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knudsen, T.-L.; Andersen, T.; Whitehouse, M. J.; Vestin, J.

An ion-microprobe (SIMS) U-Pb zircon dating study on four samples of Precambrian metasediments from the high-grade Bamble Sector, southern Norway, gives the first information on the timing of discrete crust-forming events in the SW part of the Baltic Shield. Recent Nd and Pb studies have indicated that the sources of the clastic metasediments in this area have crustal histories extending back to 1.7 to 2.1Ga, although there is no record of rocks older than 1.6Ga in southern Norway. The analysed metasediments are from a sequence of intercalated, centimetre to 10-metre wide units of quartzites, semi-metapelites, metapelites and mafic granulites. The zircons can be grouped in two morphological populations: (1) long prismatic; (2) rounded, often flattened. The BSE images reveal that both populations consist of oscillatory zoned, rounded and corroded cores (detrital grains of magmatic origin), surrounded by homogeneous rims (metamorphic overgrowths). The detrital zircons have 207Pb/206Pb ages between 1367 and 1939Ma, with frequency maxima in the range 1.85 to 1.70Ga and 1.60 to 1.50Ga. There is no correlation between crystal habit and age of the zircon. One resorbed, inner zircon core in a detrital grain is strongly discordant and gives a composite inner core-magmatic outer core 207Pb/206Pb age of 2383 Ma. Two discrete, unzoned zircons have 207Pb/206Pb ages of 1122 and 1133Ma, representing zircon growth during the Sveconorwegian high-grade metamorphism. Also the μm wide overgrowths, embayments in the detrital cores and apparent ``inner cores'' which represent secondary metamorphic zircon growth in deep embayments in detrital grains, are of Sveconorwegian age. The composite-detrital-metamorphic zircon analyses give generally discordant 206Pb/238U versus 207Pb/235U ratios and maximum 207Pb/206Pb ages of 1438Ma. These data demonstrate the existence of a protocrust of 1.7 to 2.0Ga in the southwestern part of the Baltic Shield, implying a break in the overall westward

U-Pb SHRIMP geochronology and trace-element geochemistry of coesite-bearing zircons, North-East Greenland Caledonides

USGS Publications Warehouse

McClelland, W.C.; Power, S.E.; Gilotti, J.A.; Mazdab, F.K.; Wopenka, B.

2006-01-01

Obtaining reliable estimates for the timing of eclogite-facies metamorphism is critical to establishing models for the formation and exhumation of high-pressure and ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphic terranes in collisional orogens. The presence of pressure-dependent phases, such as coesite, included in metamorphic zircon is generally regarded as evidence that zircon growth occurred at UHP conditions and, ifdated, should provide the necessary timing information. We report U-Pb sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) ages and trace-element SHRIMP data from coesite-bearing zircon suites formed during UHP metamorphism in the North- East Greenland Caledonides. Kyanite eclogite and quartzofeldspathic host gneiss samples from an island in J??kelbugt (78??00'N, 18??04'W) contained subspherical zircons with well-defined domains in cathodoluminescence (CL) images. The presence of coesite is confirmed by Raman spectroscopy in six zircons from four samples. Additional components of the eclogite-facies inclusion suite include kyanite, omphacite, garnet, and rutile. The trace-element signatures in core domains reflect modification of igneous protolith zircon. Rim signatures show flat heavy rare earth element (HREE) patterns that are characteristic of eclogite-facies zircon. The kyanite eclogites generally lack a Eu anomaly, whereas a negative Eu anomaly persists in all domains of the host gneiss. The 207Pb- corrected 206Pb/238U ages range from 330 to 390 Ma for the host gneiss and 330-370 Ma for the kyanite eclogite. Weighted mean 206Pb/238U ages for coesite-bearing domains vary from 364 ?? 8 Ma for the host gneiss to 350 ?? 4 Ma for kyanite eclogite. The combined U-Pb and REE data interpreted in conjunction with observed CL domains and inclusion suites suggest that (1) Caledonian metamorphic zircon formed by both new zircon growth and recrystallization, (2) UHP metamorphism occurred near the end of the Caledonian collision, and (3) the 30-50m.y. span of ages

Structure of gel phase saturated lecithin bilayers: temperature and chain length dependence.

PubMed Central

Sun, W J; Tristram-Nagle, S; Suter, R M; Nagle, J F

1996-01-01

Systematic low-angle and wide-angle x-ray scattering studies have been performed on fully hydrated unoriented multilamamellar vesicles of saturated lecithins with even chain lengths N = 16, 18, 20, 22, and 24 as a function of temperature T in the normal gel (L beta') phase. For all N, the area per chain Ac increases linearly with T with an average slope dAc/dT = 0.027 A2/degree C, and the lamellar D-spacings also increase linearly with an average slope dD/dT = 0.040 A/degree C. At the same T, longer chain length lecithins have more densely packed chains, i.e., smaller Ac's, than shorter chain lengths. The chain packing of longer chain lengths is found to be more distorted from hexagonal packing than that of smaller N, and the distortion epsilon of all N approaches the same value at the respective transition temperatures. The thermal volume expansion of these lipids is accounted for by the expansion in the hydrocarbon chain region. Electron density profiles are constructed using four orders of low-angle lamellar peaks. These show that most of the increase in D with increasing T is due to thickening of the bilayers that is consistent with a decrease in tilt angle theta and with little change in water spacing with either T or N. Because of the opposing effects of temperature on area per chain Ac and tilt angle 0, the area expansivity alpha A is quite small. A qualitative theoretical model based on competing head and chain interactions accounts for our results. PMID:8842227

Impact-shocked zircons: discovery of shock-induced textures reflecting increasing degrees of shock metamorphism

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bohor, B.F.; Betterton, W.J.; Krogh, T.E.

1993-01-01

Textural effects specifically characteristic of shock metamorphism in zircons from impact environments have not been reported previously. However, planar deformation features (PDF) due to shock metamorphism are well documented in quartz and other mineral grains from these same environments. An etching technique was developed that allows SEM visualization of PDF and other probable shock-induced textural features, such as granular (polycrystalline) texture, in zircons from a variety of impact shock environments. These textural features in shocked zircons from K/T boundary distal ejecta form a series related to increasing degrees of shock that should correlate with proportionate resetting of the UPb isotopic system. ?? 1993.

Impact-shocked zircons: Discovery of shock-induced textures reflecting increasing degrees of shock metamorphism

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bohor, B. F.; Betterton, W. J.; Krogh, T. E.

1993-01-01

Textural effects specifically characteristic of shock metamorphism in zircons from impact environments have not been reported previously. However, planar deformation features (PDF) due to shock metamorphism are well documented in quartz and other mineral grains from these same environments. An etching technique was developed that allows scanning electron microscope (SEM) visualization of PDF and other probable shock-induced textural features, such as granular (polycrystalline) texture, in zircons from a variety of impact shock environments. These textural features in shocked zircons from K/T boundary distal ejecta form a series related to increasing degrees of shock that should correlate with proportionate resetting of the U-Pb isotopic system.

Detrital zircon geochronology of some neoproterozoic to triassic rocks in interior alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bradley, D.C.; McClelland, W.C.; Wooden, J.L.; Till, A.B.; Roeske, S.M.; Miller, M.L.; Karl, Susan M.; Abbott, J.G.

2007-01-01

We report 777 U-Pb SHRIMP detrital zircon ages from thirteen sandstones and metasandstones in interior Alaska. About sixty grains per sample were analyzed; typically, half to three-fourths of these were concordant within ?? 10%. Farewell terrane. Two quartzites were collected from Ruby quadrangle and a third from Taylor Mountains quadrangle. All three are interpreted to represent a low stratigraphic level in the Nixon Fork platform succession; the samples from Ruby quadrangle are probably late Neoproterozoic, and the sample from Taylor Mountains quadrangle is probably Cambrian in age. The youngest detrital zircon in any of the three is 851 Ma. The two Ruby quadrangle samples area almost identical: one has a major age cluster at 1980-2087 and minor age clusters at 944-974 and 1366-1383 Ma; the other has a major age cluster at 1993-2095 Ma and minor age clusters at 912-946 and 1366-1395 Ma. The Taylor Mountains sample shows one dominant peak at 1914-2057 Ma. Notably absent are zircons in the range 1800-1900 Ma, which are typical of North American sources. The detrital zircon populations are consistent with paleontological evidence for a peri- Siberian position of the Farewell terrane during the early Paleozoic. Mystic subterrane of the Farewell terrane. Three graywackes from flysch of the Mystic subterrane, Talkeetna quadrangle, were sampled with the expectation that all three were Pennsylvanian. Asample from Pingston Creek is Triassic (as revealed by an interbedded ash dated at ca. 223 Ma) and is dominated by age clusters of 341-359 and 1804-1866 Ma, both consistent with a sediment source in the Yukon-Tanana terrane. Minor age clusters at 848-869 and 1992-2018 Ma could have been sourced in the older part of the Farewell terrane. Still other minor age clusters at 432-461, 620-657, 1509-1536, and 1627-1653 Ma are not readily linked to sources that are now nearby. Asample from Surprise Glacier is mid-Mississippian or younger. Adominant age cluster at 1855-1883 and a

What Hf isotopes in zircon tell us about crust-mantle evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iizuka, Tsuyoshi; Yamaguchi, Takao; Itano, Keita; Hibiya, Yuki; Suzuki, Kazue

2017-03-01

The 176Lu-176Hf radioactive decay system has been widely used to study planetary crust-mantle differentiation. Of considerable utility in this regard is zircon, a resistant mineral that can be precisely dated by the U-Pb chronometer and record its initial Hf isotope composition due to having low Lu/Hf. Here we review zircon U-Pb age and Hf isotopic data mainly obtained over the last two decades and discuss their contributions to our current understanding of crust-mantle evolution, with emphasis on the Lu-Hf isotope composition of the bulk silicate Earth (BSE), early differentiation of the silicate Earth, and the evolution of the continental crust over geologic history. Meteorite zircon encapsulates the most primitive Hf isotope composition of our solar system, which was used to identify chondritic meteorites best representative of the BSE (176Hf/177Hf = 0.282793 ± 0.000011; 176Lu/177Hf = 0.0338 ± 0.0001). Hadean-Eoarchean detrital zircons yield highly unradiogenic Hf isotope compositions relative to the BSE, providing evidence for the development of a geochemically enriched silicate reservoir as early as 4.5 Ga. By combining the Hf and O isotope systematics, we propose that the early enriched silicate reservoir has resided at depth within the Earth rather than near the surface and may represent a fractionated residuum of a magma ocean underlying the proto-crust, like urKREEP beneath the anorthositic crust on the Moon. Detrital zircons from world major rivers potentially provide the most robust Hf isotope record of the preserved granitoid crust on a continental scale, whereas mafic rocks with various emplacement ages offer an opportunity to trace the Hf isotope evolution of juvenile continental crust (from εHf[4.5 Ga] = 0 to εHf[present] = + 13). The river zircon data as compared to the juvenile crust composition highlight that the supercontinent cycle has controlled the evolution of the continental crust by regulating the rates of crustal generation and intra

Provenance analysis and detrital zircon geochronology on the onshore Makran accretionary wedge, SE Iran: implication for the geodynamic setting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohammadi, Ali; Burg, Jean-Pierre; Winkler, Wilfried; Ruh, Jonas

2014-05-01

juvenile magma sources, which are common in continental arc environments. Point counts of 32 sandstone thin sections were performed following the Gazzi-Dikinson method. 300-400 points were counted in each thin section. The sandstones are feldspathic litharenites and litharenites. Feldspar is dominantly plagioclase (> 90%) with minor amounts of K-feldspar. Most of the quartz grains (75%) are mono-crystalline but poly-crystalline ones (maximum 25%) also occur. Rock fragments are represented by sedimentary, volcanic and metamorphic grains. Volcanic rock-fragments mostly are andesites and volcanic chert. Sedimentary lithic grains comprise mostly sandstone, siltstone, limestone and dolomite. Metamorphic lithic grains generally are low-grade schists and phyllites. In various compositional ternary diagrams, the sources of the sandstones plot in the transitional to dissected arc and recycled orogenic fields. We selected 26 samples for heavy mineral study. 200-300 grain were identified and counted in each sample. Heavy mineral suites show a highly variable composition including (1) a group of ultra-stable minerals (zircon, monazite, tourmaline, rutile, brookite, anatase and sphene) derived from a granitic continental crust sources, (2) metastable minerals delivered from variable metamorphic-grade source rocks (epidote group, garnet, staurolite, chloritoid, kyanite, andalusite, glaucophane), (3) chromian spinel from ultrabasic rocks, (4) common hornblende either supplied from metamorphic or basic igneous series, and (5) a local pyroxene-rich source in the pyroclastic sandstone formation overlying pillow lavas. Glaucophane (5-20%) occurs in several samples, which indicates high-pressure/low-temperature metamorphic rocks in the detrital source areas for Eocene and Miocene sandstones. Earlier work in the Pakistani Makran suggested that pre-Miocene sediments were supplied from the Himalaya, whereas Miocene to Recent deposits were reworked older sediments of the accretionary wedge. Our

Investigation of Saturation Effects in Ceramic Phosphors for Laser Lighting

PubMed Central

Krasnoshchoka, Anastasiia; Dam-Hansen, Carsten; Corell, Dennis Dan; Petersen, Paul Michael

2017-01-01

We report observations of saturation effects in a Ce:LuAG and Eu-doped nitride ceramic phosphor for conversion of blue laser light for white light generation. The luminous flux from the phosphors material increases linearly with the input power until saturation effects limit the conversion. It is shown that the temperature of the phosphor layer influences the saturation power level and the conversion efficiency. It is also shown that the correlated color temperature (CCT), phosphor conversion efficiency and color rendering index (CRI) are dependent both on the incident power and spot size diameter of the illumination. A phosphor conversion efficiency up to 140.8 lm/W with CRI of 89.4 was achieved. The saturation in a ceramic phosphor, when illuminated by high intensity laser diodes, is estimated to play the main role in limiting the available luminance from laser-based lighting systems. PMID:29292770

Late Pleistocene granodiorite source for recycled zircon and phenocrysts in rhyodacite lava at Crater Lake, Oregon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bacon, C.R.; Lowenstern, J. B.

2005-01-01

Rhyodacite tephra and three lavas erupted ???27 ka, interpreted to be early leaks from the climactic magma chamber of Mount Mazama, contain ubiquitous resorbed crystals (antecrysts) that were recycled from young granodiorite and related plutonic rocks of the same magmatic system. The shallow composite pluton is represented by blocks ejected in the 7.7-ka climactic eruption that formed Crater Lake caldera. Plagioclase crystals in both rhyodacite and granodiorites commonly have cores with crystallographically oriented Fe-oxide needles exsolved at subsolidus conditions. At least 80% of plagioclase crystals in the rhyodacite are antecrysts derived from plutonic rocks. Other crystals in the rhyodacite, notably zircon, also were recycled. SIMS 238U- 230Th dating indicates that zircons in 4 granodiorite blocks crystallized at various times between ???20 ka and ???300 ka with concentrations of analyses near 50-70, ???110, and ???200 ka that correspond to periods of dacitic volcanism dated by K- Ar. U-Th ages of zircon from a rhyodacite sample yield similar results. No analyzed zircons from the granodiorite or rhyodacite are pre-Quaternary. Zircon minimum ages in blocks from different locations around the caldera reflect ages of nearby volcanic vents and may map the distribution of intrusions within a composite pluton. Survival of zircon in zircon-undersaturated hydrous magma and of Fe-oxide needles in plagioclase suggests that little time elapsed from entrainment of antecrysts to the ???27-ka eruption of the rhyodacite. The ???27-ka rhyodacite is an example of young silicic magma that preserved unstable antecrysts from a known source early during growth of a large high-level magma chamber. In contrast, the voluminous 7.7-ka climactic rhyodacite pumice is virtually lacking in zircon, indicating dissolution of any granodioritic debris in the intervening period. Mineralogical evidence of assimilation may be destroyed in hot, vigorously growing silicic magma bodies such as

Age and origin of the Merrimack terrane, southeastern New England: A detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sorota, Kristin

Metasedimentary rocks of the Merrimack terrane (MT) originated as a thick cover sequence on Ganderia consisting of sandstones, calcareous sandstones, pelitic rocks and turbidites. In order to investigate the age, provenance and stratigraphic order of these rocks and correlations with adjoining terranes, detrital zircon suites from 7 formations across the MT along a NNE-trending transect from east-central Massachusetts to SE New Hampshire were analyzed by U-Pb LA-ICP-MS methods on 90-140 grains per sample. The youngest detrital zircons in the western units, the Worcester, Oakdale and Paxton Formations, are ca. 438 Ma while those in the Kittery, Eliot and Berwick Formations in the northeast are ca. 426 Ma. The Tower Hill Formation previously interpreted to form the easternmost unit of the MT in MA, has a distinctly different zircon distribution with its youngest zircon population in the Cambrian. All samples except for the Tower Hill Formation have detrital zircon age distributions with significant peaks in the mid-to late Ordovician, similar abundances of early Paleozoic and late Neoproterozoic zircons, significant input from ˜1.0 to ˜1.8 Ga sources and limited Archean grains. The similarities in zircon provenance suggest that all units across the terrane, except for the Tower Hill Formation, belong to a single sequence of rocks, with similar sources and with the units in the NE possibly being somewhat younger than those in east-central Massachusetts. The continuous zircon age distributions observed throughout the Mesoproterozoic and late Paleoproterozoic are consistent with an Amazonian source. All samples, except the Tower Hill Formation, show sedimentary input from both Ganderian and Laurentian sources and suggest that Laurentian input increases as the maximum depositional age decreases.

Code Saturation Versus Meaning Saturation: How Many Interviews Are Enough?

PubMed

Hennink, Monique M; Kaiser, Bonnie N; Marconi, Vincent C

2017-03-01

Saturation is a core guiding principle to determine sample sizes in qualitative research, yet little methodological research exists on parameters that influence saturation. Our study compared two approaches to assessing saturation: code saturation and meaning saturation. We examined sample sizes needed to reach saturation in each approach, what saturation meant, and how to assess saturation. Examining 25 in-depth interviews, we found that code saturation was reached at nine interviews, whereby the range of thematic issues was identified. However, 16 to 24 interviews were needed to reach meaning saturation where we developed a richly textured understanding of issues. Thus, code saturation may indicate when researchers have "heard it all," but meaning saturation is needed to "understand it all." We used our results to develop parameters that influence saturation, which may be used to estimate sample sizes for qualitative research proposals or to document in publications the grounds on which saturation was achieved.

Nanogeochronology of discordant zircon measured by atom probe microscopy of Pb-enriched dislocation loops

PubMed Central

Peterman, Emily M.; Reddy, Steven M.; Saxey, David W.; Snoeyenbos, David R.; Rickard, William D. A.; Fougerouse, Denis; Kylander-Clark, Andrew R. C.

2016-01-01

Isotopic discordance is a common feature in zircon that can lead to an erroneous age determination, and it is attributed to the mobilization and escape of radiogenic Pb during its post-crystallization geological evolution. The degree of isotopic discordance measured at analytical scales of ~10 μm often differs among adjacent analysis locations, indicating heterogeneous distributions of Pb at shorter length scales. We use atom probe microscopy to establish the nature of these sites and the mechanisms by which they form. We show that the nanoscale distribution of Pb in a ~2.1 billion year old discordant zircon that was metamorphosed c. 150 million years ago is defined by two distinct Pb reservoirs. Despite overall Pb loss during peak metamorphic conditions, the atom probe data indicate that a component of radiogenic Pb was trapped in 10-nm dislocation loops that formed during the annealing of radiation damage associated with the metamorphic event. A second Pb component, found outside the dislocation loops, represents homogeneous accumulation of radiogenic Pb in the zircon matrix after metamorphism. The 207Pb/206Pb ratios measured from eight dislocation loops are equivalent within uncertainty and yield an age consistent with the original crystallization age of the zircon, as determined by laser ablation spot analysis. Our results provide a specific mechanism for the trapping and retention of radiogenic Pb during metamorphism and confirm that isotopic discordance in this zircon is characterized by discrete nanoscale reservoirs of Pb that record different isotopic compositions and yield age data consistent with distinct geological events. These data may provide a framework for interpreting discordance in zircon as the heterogeneous distribution of discrete radiogenic Pb populations, each yielding geologically meaningful ages. PMID:27617295

He diffusion in zircon: Observations from (U-Th)/He age suites and 4He diffusion experiments and implications for radiation damage and anisotropic effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guenthner, W. R.; Reiners, P. W.

2009-12-01

Despite widespread use of zircon (U-Th)/He thermochronometry in many geologic applications, our understanding of the kinetics of He diffusion in this system is rudimentary. Previous studies have shown that both radiation damage and crystallographic anisotropy may strongly influence diffusion kinetics and ages. We present observations of zircon He ages from multiple single-grain analyses from both detrital and bedrock suites from a wide variety of locations, showing relationships consistent with effects arising from the interaction of radiation damage and anisotropy. Individual zircons in each suite have experienced the same post-depositional or exhumational t-T history but grains appear to have experienced differential He loss that is correlated with effective uranium (eU) content, a proxy for the relative extent of radiation damage within each suite. Several suites of zircons heated to partial resetting upon burial or that have experienced slow cooling show positive correlations between age and eU. Examples of partially reset detrital samples include Cretaceous Sevier foreland basin sandstones buried to ~6-8 km depth, with ages ranging from 88-309 Ma across an eU range of 215-1453 ppm, and Apennines and Olympics greywackes heated to >~120 °C, showing similar trends. Some slowly-cooled bedrock samples also show positive age-eU correlations, suggesting increasing closure temperature with higher extents of radiation damage. Conversely, zircons from cratonal bedrock samples with high levels of radiation damage—measured as accumulated alpha dosage (in this case >~10^18 α/g)—generally show negative age-eU correlations. We interpret these contrasting age-eU relationships as a manifestation of the interaction of radiation damage and anisotropic diffusion: at low damage, He diffusivity is relatively high and preferentially through c-axis-parallel channels. As suggested by Farley (2007), however, with increasing damage, channels are progressively blocked and He

Temperature dependence of sulfide and sulfate solubility in olivine-saturated basaltic magmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beermann, O.; Botcharnikov, R. E.; Holtz, F.; Diedrich, O.; Nowak, M.

2011-12-01

The sulfur concentration at pyrrhotite- and anhydrite-saturation in primitive hydrous basaltic melt of the 2001-2002 eruption of Mt. Etna was determined at 200 MPa, T = 1050-1250 °C and at log fO 2 from FMQ to FMQ+2.2 (FMQ is Fayalite-Magnetite-Quartz oxygen buffer). At 1050 °C Au sample containers were used. A double-capsule technique, using a single crystal olivine sample container closed with an olivine piston, embedded in a sealed Au 80Pd 20 capsule, was developed to perform experiments in S-bearing hydrous basaltic systems at T > 1050 °C. Pyrrhotite is found to be a stable phase coexisting with melt at FMQ-FMQ+0.3, whereas anhydrite is stable at FMQ+1.4-FMQ+2.2. The S concentration in the melt increases almost linearly from 0.12 ± 0.01 to 0.39 ± 0.02 wt.% S at FeS-saturation and from 0.74 ± 0.01 to 1.08 ± 0.04 wt.% S at anhydrite-saturation with T ranging from 1050-1250 °C. The relationships between S concentration at pyrrhotite and/or anhydrite saturation, MgO content of the olivine-saturated melt, T, and log fO 2 observed in this study and from previous data are used to develop an empirical model for estimating the magmatic T and fO 2 from the S and MgO concentrations of H 2O-bearing olivine-saturated basaltic melts. The model can also be used to determine maximum S concentrations, if fO 2 and MgO content of the melt are known. The application of the model to compositions of melt inclusions in olivines from Mt. Etna indicates that the most primitive magmas trapped in inclusions might have been stored at log fO 2 slightly higher than FMQ+1 and at T = 1100-1150 °C, whereas more evolved melts could have been trapped at T ⩽ 1100 °C. These values are in a good agreement with the estimates obtained by other independent methods reported in the literature.

3-D Characterization of Detrital Zircon Grains and its Implications for Fluvial Transport, Mixing, and Preservation Bias

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Markwitz, V.; Kirkland, C. L.; Mehnert, A.; Gessner, K.; Shaw, J.

2017-12-01

Detrital zircon studies can suffer from selective loss of provenance information due to U-Pb age discordance, metamictization, metamorphic overprinting and fluviatile transport processes. The relationship between isotopic composition and zircon grain shape, and how grain shape is modified during transport, is largely unknown. We combine X-ray tomography with U-Pb geochronology to quantify how fluvial transport affects 3-D zircon shape, detrital age signature, and grain density along the Murchison River, whose catchment comprises Eoarchean to Early Paleozoic source rocks in Western Australia. We acquired tomographic volumes and isotopic data from 373 detrital zircons to document changes in size, shape and density in transport direction, and explore how grain shape, age spectra and the proportion of discordant material vary along the channel. Results show that shape characteristics are sensitive to transport distance, stream gradient, proximity to source material, and whether the source consists of primary or recycled zircons. With increasing transport distance, grain lengths decrease more than their widths. Furthermore, the loss of metamict grains occurs at a near constant rate, resulting in a linear increase of mean calculated zircon density by ca. 0.03 g/cm3 per 100 km transport distance. 3-D grain shape is therefore strongly linked to detrital age signature, and mean grain density is a function of the absolute transport distance. 3-D shape characteristics provide valuable information on detrital zircon populations, including the interaction between source materials with fluvial transport processes, which significantly affects preservation bias and, by inference, the representativeness of the sampled data.

Zircon U-Pb ages and Hf-O isotopes, and whole-rock Sr-Nd isotopes of the Bozhushan granite, Yunnan province, SW China: Constraints on petrogenesis and tectonic setting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xiao-Cui; Hu, Rui-Zhong; Bi, Xian-Wu; Zhong, Hong; Lan, Jiang-Bo; Zhao, Cheng-Hai; Zhu, Jing-Jing

2015-03-01

The Bainiuchang silver-polymetallic ore deposit is a super-large deposit in the western part of the South China tungsten-tin province (or the Nanling tungsten-tin province). The deposit is spatially and temporally associated with the Bozhushan granite pluton. Our new data indicate that the Bozhushan granitoids formed at 86-87 Ma. The granitoids are geochemically consistent with A-type granite. The Bozhushan pluton consists predominantly of biotite granite that is characterized by weakly peraluminous to metaluminous compositions and high alkali contents (Na2O + K2O = 7.51-9.06 wt.%). The granitic rocks are enriched in large-ion lithophile elements (LILE) Rb, Th, U, and K, but relatively depleted in Ba and Sr. In addition, they have high Zr + Nb + Ce + Y contents (310-478 ppm) and high 10,000× Ga/Al ratios (2.7-3.1). The temperatures of the parental magmas for the Bozhushan granites are estimated to be 790-842 °C based on the zircon saturation thermometer. Isotopically, the Bozhushan granites are characterized by elevated initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.7126-0.7257) and low εNd values (-11.2 to -12.4), and high δ18O values (7.91-9.58‰) and low εHf values (-9.5 to -6.1) for zircon crystals, which indicate a dominant continental crustal source. The two-stage Hf model ages vary from 1.53 to 1.86 Ga. The isotopic compositions support the interpretation that the granitic rocks formed by melting of the Meso- and Neoproterozoic metasedimentary basements of the Cathaysia block. These results, together with geological records in the other parts of the western Cathaysia block, suggest that the formation of the Bozhushan A-type granites is related to lithospheric extension and asthenospheric upwelling that are associated with the change of plate motion in Late-Cretaceous.

Equilibrium and Disequilibrium of 230Th-238U in Zircon from the Minoan Eruption, Santorini, Aegean Sea, Greece

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmitt, A. K.; Stockli, D. F.; Song, E. J.; Storm, S.

2016-12-01

The Minoan eruption (ca. 1600 BCE; 40-80 km3 dense rock equivalent) occurred after a ca. 18 ka period of dormancy followed by rapid reinvigoration through arrival of new magma from deep reservoirs colliding with evolved magmas in shallow storage. Although zoned phenocrysts indicate brief timescales ranging between years to decades for final pre-eruptive magma recharge and mixing, it remains unclear how magma accumulation vs. crystallization were balanced in the subvolcanic reservoir during the preceding inter-eruptive cycle. To directly probe magma presence over the repose interval prior to the Minoan eruption and further back in time, we reconnoitered the potential of U-Th zircon geochronology to date the crystallization of individual zircon crystals from pumice from the Minoan eruption. Zircon crystals were extracted from composite pumice samples (several kg each) from basal fall out deposits using gravity and magnetic separation. Etching in cold HF removed adherent glass and revealed the shape of crystals, which were pressed into indium metal to expose unpolished rims to the ion beam of a CAMECA IMS 1270 secondary ionization mass spectrometer. Adherent glass was ubiquitous, indicating that crystals were in contact with melt at the time of eruption. Six of 18 crystals were in 230Th/238U secular equilibrium, two crystals yielded ages of ca. 160 ka, and the remaining rims dated between eruption age and ca. 20 ka. Low Th/U of some secular equilibrium zircon suggests recycling of metamorphic basement zircon, which is also indicated by the presence of rutile in heavy mineral separates. U-Th dates also reveal recycling of zircon from Pleistocene intrusions that likely represent left-over magma from antecedent eruption cycles. We tentatively interpret the dominant zircon population with near-eruption to ca. 20 ka ages to indicate continuous melt presence underneath Santorini during the last repose interval. Distinguishing a hiatus in zircon crystallization between 20 ka

Design, fabrication and delivery of a prototype saturator for ACPL

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keyser, G.; Rogers, C. F.; Squires, P.

1979-01-01

The design configuration and performance characteristics of a saturator developed to provide ground-based simulation for some of the experiments for ACPL-1 first flights of Spacelab are described, some difficulties encountered with the apparatus are discussed, and recommendations concerning testing of this type of instrument are presented. The saturators provide a means of accurately fixing the water vapor mixing ratio of an aerosol sample. Dew point temperatures from almost freezing to ambient room temperatures can be attained with high precision. The instruments can accommodate aerosol flow rates approaching 1000 cc/s. Provisions were made to inject aerosols upstream of these saturators, although downstream injection can be accomplished as well. A device of this type will be used in the ACPL-1 to condition various aerosols delivered concurrently to a CFD, expansion chamber, and static diffusion chamber used in zero gravity cloud-forming experiments. The saturator was designed to meet the requirements projected for the flight instrument.

Temperature dependences of saturated vapor pressure and the enthalpy of vaporization of n-pentyl esters of dicarboxylic acids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Portnova, S. V.; Krasnykh, E. L.; Levanova, S. V.

2016-05-01

The saturated vapor pressures and enthalpies of vaporization of n-pentyl esters of linear C2-C6 dicarboxylic acids are determined by the transpiration method in the temperature range of 309.2-361.2 K. The dependences of enthalpies of vaporization on the number of carbon atoms in the molecule and on the retention indices have been determined. The predictive capabilities of the existing calculation schemes for estimation of enthalpy of vaporization of the studied compounds have been analyzed.

Detrital zircon geochronology and provenance of the Chubut Group in the northeast of Patagonia, Argentina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Navarro, Edgardo L.; Astini, Ricardo A.; Belousova, Elena; Guler, M. Verónica; Gehrels, George

2015-11-01

The Chubut Group constitutes the most widespread sedimentary unit in NE Patagonia, characterized by variable-energy fluvial deposits. U-Pb analysis of detrital zircons from two sections of the Chubut Group constraint the age of the oldest sedimentary rocks in the northeast of the Somuncurá - Cañadón Asfalto Basin. In the Cañadón Williams area, at San Jorge section, 20 km NW of Telsen locality, dating of 56 detrital zircons from a medium to coarse sandstone indicated a maximum depositional age of 109 ± 1 Ma (n = 4). These sandstones were interpreted to represent shallow channels, associated with a lacustrine system. In the Telsen locality, a laser ablation analysis of 115 detrital zircons from a medium to coarse-grained sandstone, from fluvial channel facies, yielded a maximum depositional age of ca. 106 ± 1 Ma (n = 8). Both ages are consistent with volcanic events of the Barremian to Albian age in the central Patagonian Andes Region. Cathodoluminescence images of zircons from the San Jorge sample suggest an igneous origin, which is further supported by Th/U values above 0.5 in most of the grains. The distribution of the statistical modes of the main age populations of detrital zircons for the two samples [182, 185 and 189 Ma for Telsen sample (T2S) and 181 ± 1 Ma for San Jorge sample (SJS)] matches the age of the volcanic Marifil Formation. The rocks of the Marifil Formation of these ages are exposed NE to SE of the study area. The abundance of zircons of similar Jurassic ages (n = 52 for SJS and n = 105 for T2S) and the external morphology of the zircons in the sample SJS, implies a close proximity of the source area. Suggestion that the Marifil Formation was the main provenance source is also supported by northeast-southeasterly paleocurrents measured at the San Jorge and Telsen sections.

Mechanisms and timescales of generating eruptible rhyolitic magmas at Yellowstone caldera from zircon and sanidine geochronology and geochemistry

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stelten, Mark; Cooper, Kari M.; Vazquez, Jorge A.; Calvert, Andrew T.; Glessner, Justin G

2015-01-01

We constrain the physical nature of the magma reservoir and the mechanisms of rhyolite generation at Yellowstone caldera via detailed characterization of zircon and sanidine crystals hosted in three rhyolites erupted during the (ca. 170 – 70 ka) Central Plateau Member eruptive episode – the most recent post-caldera magmatism at Yellowstone. We present 238U-230Th crystallization ages and trace-element compositions of the interiors and surfaces (i.e., unpolished rims) of individual zircon crystals from each rhyolite. We compare these zircon data to 238U- 230Th crystallization ages of bulk sanidine separates coupled with chemical and isotopic data from single sanidine crystals. Zircon age and trace-element data demonstrate that the magma reservoir that sourced the Central Plateau Member rhyolites was long-lived (150 – 250 kyr) and genetically related to the preceding episode of magmatism, which occurred ca. 256 ka. The interiors of most zircons in each rhyolite were inherited from unerupted material related to older stages of Central Plateau Member magmatism or the preceding late Upper Basin Member magmatism (i.e., are antecrysts). Conversely, most zircon surfaces crystallized near the time of eruption from their host liquids (i.e., are autocrystic). The repeated recycling of zircon interiors from older stages of magmatism demonstrates that sequentially erupted Central Plateau Member rhyolites are genetically related. Sanidine separates from each rhyolite yield 238U-230Th crystallization ages at or near the eruption age of their host magmas, coeval with the coexisting zircon surfaces, but are younger than the coexisting zircon interiors. Chemical and isotopic data from single sanidine crystals demonstrate that the sanidines in each rhyolite are in equilibrium with their host melts, which considered along with their near-eruption crystallization ages suggests that nearly all CPM sanidines are autocrystic. The paucity of antecrystic sanidine crystals relative to

Critical temperatures and a critical chain length in saturated diacylphosphatidylcholines: calorimetric, ultrasonic and Monte Carlo simulation study of chain-melting/ordering in aqueous lipid dispersions.

PubMed

Kharakoz, Dmitry P; Panchelyuga, Maria S; Tiktopulo, Elizaveta I; Shlyapnikova, Elena A

2007-12-01

Chain-ordering/melting transition in a series of saturated diacylphosphatidylcholines (PCs) in aqueous dispersions have been studied experimentally (calorimetric and ultrasonic techniques) and theoretically (an Ising-like lattice model). The shape of the calorimetric curves was compared with the theoretical data and interpreted in terms of the lateral interactions and critical temperatures determined for each lipid studied. A critical chain length has been found (between 16 and 17 C-atoms per chain) which subdivides PCs into two classes with different phase behavior. In shorter lipids, the transition takes place above their critical temperatures meaning that this is an intrinsically continuous transition. In longer lipids, the transition occurs below the critical temperatures of the lipids, meaning that the transition is intrinsically discontinuous (first-order). This conclusion was supported independently by the ultrasonic relaxation sensitive to density fluctuations. Interestingly, it is this length that is the most abundant among the saturated chains in biological membranes.

U-Pb ages and Hf isotope compositions of zircons in plutonic rocks from the central Famatinian arc, Argentina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Otamendi, Juan E.; Ducea, Mihai N.; Cristofolini, Eber A.; Tibaldi, Alina M.; Camilletti, Giuliano C.; Bergantz, George W.

2017-07-01

The Famatinian arc formed around the South Iapetus rim during the Ordovician, when oceanic lithosphere subducted beneath the West Gondwana margin. We present combined in situ U-Th-Pb and Lu-Hf isotope analyses for zircon to gain insights into the origin and evolution of Famatinian magmatism. Zircon crystals sampled from four intermediate and silicic plutonic rocks confirm previous observations showing that voluminous magmatism took place during a relatively short pulse between the Early and Middle Ordovician (472-465 Ma). The entire zircon population for the four plutonic rocks yields coherent εHf negative values and spreads over several ranges of initial εHf(t) units (-0.3 to -8.0). The range of εHf units in detrital zircons of Famatinian metasedimentary rocks reflects a prolonged history of the cratonic sources during the Proterozoic to the earliest Phanerozoic. Typical tonalites and granodiorites that contain zircons with evolved Hf isotopic compositions formed upon incorporating (meta)sedimentary materials into calc-alkaline metaluminous magmas. The evolved Hf isotope ratios of zircons in the subduction related plutonic rocks strongly reflect the Hf isotopic character of the metasedimentary contaminant, even though the linked differentiation and growth of the Famatinian arc crust was driven by ascending and evolving mantle magmas. Geochronology and Hf isotope systematics in plutonic zircons allow us understanding the petrogenesis of igneous series and the provenance of magma sources. However, these data could be inadequate for computing model ages and supporting models of crustal evolution.

Low {delta}{sup 18}O magma, Isle of Skye, Scotland: Evidence from zircons

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gilliam, C.E.; Valley, J.W.

1997-12-01

Zircons in Tertiary granitic rocks from the Isle of Skye, Scotland were resistant to measurable oxygen isotope exchange during intense hydrothermal activity in the subvolcanic environment. Five granite bodies from the Western Red Hills complex were investigated; four have {sup 18}O (Zrc) = 4.1 {+-} 0.2{per_thousand} (VSMOW) while the fifth, which intruded before major cauldron subsidence, is 2{per_thousand} lower. Zircons from Lewisian gneiss are visually and isotopically distinct indicating that zircons in the granite are not xenocrysts from the Lewisian basement. Analysis of different magnetic and size fractions of zircon shows no significant correlation to {delta}{sup 18}O supporting the conclusionmore » that these values represent the true magmatic compositions and that the Western Red Hills granites intruded as low {delta}{sup 18}O magmas with a whole rock {delta}{sup 18}O {le} 6.0%. Quartz separates from four granites are close to the calculated magmatic values in {delta}{sup 18}O, but in the fifth, values are 5% lower indicating variable exchange of quartz with low {delta}{sup 18}O heated meteoric waters. These results might be explained by magmatic interaction with hydrothermally altered crust early in the evolution of the granites, before crystallization of zircon, followed by interaction with later hydrothermal fluids. Alternatively, independent evidence for low {delta}{sup 18}O mafic magmatism in NW Scotland suggests the presence of large quantities of low {delta}{sup 18}O subducted ocean crust in the subcontinental lithosphere that could contaminate or be the source of low {delta}{sup 18}O mantle-derived melts. 31 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab.« less

Zircon from charnockite gneiss, charnockite, and leucosome of migmatite in the Nimnyr Block of the Aldan Shield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glebovitsky, V. A.; Sedova, I. S.; Berezhnaya, N. G.; Skublov, S. G.; Samorukova, L. M.

2015-12-01

The microgeochemistry of zircon was studied in three samples: charnockite gneiss (1594), charnockite (1594a), and migmatite leucosome Lc4 (1594c). Prismatic (Zrn I) and oval (Zrn II) zircon morphotypes are distinguished in the first two samples. Most zircon grains consist of two-phase cores and overgrowth rims variable in thickness. The average weighted concordant U-Pb age of Zrn II cores from charnockite gneiss is 2436 ± 10 Ma. The concordant ages of Zrn I and Zrn II cores from charnockite are 2402 ± 16 Ma and 2453 ± 14 Ma, respectively. Some overgrowth rims are 1.9-2.1 Ga in age. In leucosome Lc4, all measured prismatic zircon crystals yielded a discordant age of 1942 ± 11 Ma (the upper intersection of discordia with concordia). These zircons are strongly altered and anomalously enriched in U and Th. Zrn I grains are enriched relative to Zrn II in REE, Li, Ca, Sr, Ba, Hf, Th, and U. Zrn I is considered to be a product of melt crystallization or subsolidus recrystallization in the presence of melt. Zrn II is relict or crystallizing from melt and then partly fused again. Zrn I from charnockite gneiss and especially from charnockite are markedly altered and have a more discordant age than Zrn II. This is probably related to concentration of fluid in the residual melt left after zircon crystallization.

Permian single crystal U-Pb zircon age of the Rožňava Formation volcanites (Southern Gemeric Unit, Western Carpathians, Slovakia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vozárová, Anna; Šmelko, Miloš; Paderin, Ilya

2009-12-01

Zircon populations from the Rožňava Formation volcanic rock complex have been analysed. Euhedral zircons from the 1st volcanogenic horizon with fine oscillatory growth zoning, typical of magmatic origin, gave the average concordia age of 273.3 ± 2.8 Ma, with Th/U ratios in the range of 0.44-0.73. The Permian ages ranging from 266 to 284 Ma were identified in the wider, zoned or unzoned, central zircon parts, as well as in their fine-zoned oscillatory rims. The average concordia age of 275.3 ± 2.9 was obtained from the euhedral zircon population of the 2nd volcanogenic horizon of the Rožňava Formation. The analyses were performed on zoned magmatic zircons in the age interval from 267 to 287 Ma, with Th/U ratios in the range of 0.39-0.75. In the later zircon population two inherited zircon grains were dated giving the age of 842 ± 12 Ma (Neoproterozoic) and 456 ± 7 Ma (Late Ordovician). The magmatic zircon ages document the Kungurian age of Permian volcanic activity and contemporaneous establishment of the south-Gemeric basin. The time span of volcanic activity corresponds to the collapse of the Western Carpathian Variscan foreland which expanded southward.

Exploring for early bombardments on Earth from pre-3.85 Fa thermal effects recorded in Hadean zircons - a status report

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mojzsis, S. J.; Abramov, O.; Harrison, T. M.; Kring, D. A.; Levison, H. F.; Trail, D.; Watson, E. B.

2008-12-01

We report on our progress with high-resolution ion microprobe U-Th-Pb depth profiles and Ti+REEs spot analysis which show that subsequent to their crystallization in melts under typical crustal conditions on Earth, some Hadean (pre-3.85 Ga) zircons record common age domains with unusual chemical and isotopic characteristics consistent with a high-temperature (possibly impact) origin. We have found evidence for later overprints caused by intense thermal alteration between 3.94-3.97 Ga in six of eight studied grains but no evidence for older events. These findings alert us to two fundamental things we did not know before about the probiotic potential of the Earth in the earliest solar system: (i) that the bombardment epoch did not result in complete 'Doomsday' scale destruction of the Earth's crust since the Moon-forming event at ca. 4.5 Ga; and (ii) age constraints on both sides of the ther-mally altered 3.94-3.97 Ga zircon domains are very good and so far our data show that no detectable thermal events are recorded by the zircons before ~3.97 Ga up to about 4.3 Ga. This observation is consistent with the output of new classes of dynamical models that successfully re-create the decay of impactor populations in the early solar system as recorded on the Moon and in meteorites.

Genesis of zircon megacrysts in Cenozoic alkali basalts and the heterogeneity of subcontinental lithospheric mantle, eastern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Yao; Xu, Xisheng; Chen, Xiaoming

2010-09-01

Zircon megacrysts are found in alluvial deposits associated with Cenozoic basalts from Changle in Shandong Province, Mingxi in Fujian Province and Penglai in Hainan Province within the coastal area of eastern China. They are colourless, transparent to light brown-maroon, and some of them are up to 16 mm long. U-Pb ages of zircon megacrysts from Changle, Mingxi and Penglai are 19.2 ± 0.7 Ma, 1.2 ± 0.1 Ma and 4.1 ± 0.2 Ma respectively, slightly older than the eruption ages of their corresponding host rocks (16.05-18.87 Ma, 0.9-2.2 Ma, 3 Ma). ɛHf(t) values of zircon megacrysts are 9.02 ± 0.49, 6.83 ± 0.47, 4.46 ± 0.48 for Changle, Mingxi and Penglai, respectively, which indicates their mantle origin. We suggest that the zircon megacrysts originated from metasomatised lithospheric mantle and were later brought up quickly by the host basaltic magma. The euhedral forms, uniform internal structure and chemical homogeneity within a single grain suggest crystallization under stable conditions. Pronounced positive Ce anomalies and negligible Eu anomalies suggest oxidizing conditions and little or no fractional crystallization of plagioclase. The differences in Hf-isotope compositions among the zircon megacrysts from different localities are consistent with the Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic compositions of their respective host basalts. This indicates that the host basalts acquired their isotopic signatures from the lithospheric mantle from which the zircon megacrysts derived. These data document the lateral compositional heterogeneity in the upper mantle beneath eastern China. Like mantle xenoliths, zircon megacrysts also have the potential to fingerprint the composition and evolution of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle.

New zircon (U-Th)/He and U/Pb eruption age for the Rockland tephra, western USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Coble, Matthew A.; Burgess, Seth; Klemetti, Erik W.

2017-01-01

Eruption ages of a number of prominent Quaternary volcanic deposits remain inaccurately and/or imprecisely constrained, despite their importance as regional stratigraphic markers in paleo-environment reconstruction and as evidence of climate-altering eruptions. Accurately dating volcanic deposits presents challenging analytical considerations, including poor radiogenic yield, scarcity of datable minerals, and contamination of crystal populations by magma, eruption, and transport processes. One prominent example is the Rockland tephra, which erupted from the Lassen Volcanic Center in the southern Cascade arc. Despite a range in published eruption ages from 0.40 to 0.63 Ma, the Rockland tephra is extensively used as a marker bed across the western United States. To more accurately and precisely constrain the age of the Rockland tephra-producing eruption, we report U/Pb crystallization dates from the outermost ∼2 μm of zircon crystal faces (surfaces) using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). Our new weighted mean 238U/206Pb age for Rockland tephra zircon surfaces is 0.598 ± 0.013 Ma (2σ) and MSWD = 1.11 (mean square weighted deviation). As an independent test of the accuracy of this age, we obtained new (U-Th)/He dates from individual zircon grains from the Rockland tephra, which yielded a weighted mean age of 0.599 ± 0.012 Ma (2σ, MSWD = 5.13). We also obtained a (U-Th)/He age of 0.628 ± 0.014 Ma (MSWD = 1.19) for the Lava Creek Tuff member B, which was analyzed as a secondary standard to test the accuracy of the (U-Th)/He technique for Quaternary tephras, and to evaluate assumptions made in the model-age calculation. Concordance of new U/Pb and (U-Th)/He zircon ages reinforces the accuracy of our preferred Rockland tephra eruption age, and confirms that zircon surface dates sample zircon growth up to the time of eruption. We demonstrate the broad applicability of coupled U/Pb zircon-surface and single-grain zircon (U-Th)/He geochronology to

New zircon (U-Th)/He and U/Pb eruption age for the Rockland tephra, western USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coble, Matthew A.; Burgess, Seth D.; Klemetti, Erik W.

2017-09-01

Eruption ages of a number of prominent Quaternary volcanic deposits remain inaccurately and/or imprecisely constrained, despite their importance as regional stratigraphic markers in paleo-environment reconstruction and as evidence of climate-altering eruptions. Accurately dating volcanic deposits presents challenging analytical considerations, including poor radiogenic yield, scarcity of datable minerals, and contamination of crystal populations by magma, eruption, and transport processes. One prominent example is the Rockland tephra, which erupted from the Lassen Volcanic Center in the southern Cascade arc. Despite a range in published eruption ages from 0.40 to 0.63 Ma, the Rockland tephra is extensively used as a marker bed across the western United States. To more accurately and precisely constrain the age of the Rockland tephra-producing eruption, we report U/Pb crystallization dates from the outermost ∼2 μm of zircon crystal faces (surfaces) using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). Our new weighted mean 238U/206Pb age for Rockland tephra zircon surfaces is 0.598 ± 0.013 Ma (2σ) and MSWD = 1.11 (mean square weighted deviation). As an independent test of the accuracy of this age, we obtained new (U-Th)/He dates from individual zircon grains from the Rockland tephra, which yielded a weighted mean age of 0.599 ± 0.012 Ma (2σ, MSWD = 5.13). We also obtained a (U-Th)/He age of 0.628 ± 0.014 Ma (MSWD = 1.19) for the Lava Creek Tuff member B, which was analyzed as a secondary standard to test the accuracy of the (U-Th)/He technique for Quaternary tephras, and to evaluate assumptions made in the model-age calculation. Concordance of new U/Pb and (U-Th)/He zircon ages reinforces the accuracy of our preferred Rockland tephra eruption age, and confirms that zircon surface dates sample zircon growth up to the time of eruption. We demonstrate the broad applicability of coupled U/Pb zircon-surface and single-grain zircon (U-Th)/He geochronology to accurate

Detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology and provenance of the Carboniferous-Permian glaciomarine pebbly slates in the Tibetan Plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Q.; Zhu, D.; Zhao, Z.; Chung, S.; Li, C.; Sui, Q.; Fu, X.; Mo, X.

2011-12-01

Glaciomarine diamictites (including pebbly slate, pebbly siltstone, and pebbly sandstone) in the Tibetan Plateau are widely interpreted to have been associated with the deglaciation of the Indian continent. Guiding by zircon cathodoluminescence images, we determined U-Pb ages for detrital zircons from five typical Carboniferous-Permian pebbly slate samples from the Qiangtang, Lhasa, and Tethyan Himalaya of the Tibetan Plateau. The age distributions of detrital zircons from two samples (180 analyses) from Qiwu and Gangma Tso of the Qiangtang Terrane are similar, with two main age peaks ca. 579 and ca. 816 Ma and one minor age peak ca. 2490 Ma. Two samples (177 analyses) from Jiangrang and Damxung of the Lhasa Terrane define similar age distributions with two main age peaks ca. 539 and ca. 1175 Ma. Ages of detrital zircons from one sample (110 analyses) from Kangmar of the Tethyan Himalaya display main age peaks ca. 535, ca. 949, and ca. 2490 Ma. The ca. 816-Ma detrital zircons from the Qiangtang Terrane were most likely derived from the Lesser Himalaya, and the ca. 950-Ma detrital zircons from the Tethyan Himalaya might have been sourced from the High Himalaya, Eastern Ghats Province of the Indian plate and the Rayner Province of East Antarctica. The distinctive ca. 1175-Ma age population characteristic of zircons in the pebbly slates from the Lhasa Terrane is identical to the detrital zircons from the late Paleozoic sandstones (Zhu et al., 2011a) and the inherited zircons from the Mesozoic peraluminous granites (Zhu et al., 2011b) in this terrane, but significantly absent in the pebbly slates from both the Qiangtang and the Tethyan Himalayan terranes. The ca. 1175-Ma detrital zircons in the Lhasa Terrane were most likely sourced from the Albany-Fraser-Wilkes in southwestern Australia and East Antarctica. These new data obtained in this study reveal a distinct difference of detrital zircon provenance for the coeval Carboniferous-Permian glaciomarine pebbly slates

UPb ages of zircon rims: A new analytical method using the air-abrasion technique

USGS Publications Warehouse

Aleinikoff, J.N.; Winegarden, D.L.; Walter, M.

1990-01-01

We present a new technique for directly dating, by conventional techniques, the rims of zircons. Several circumstances, such as a xenocrystic or inherited component in igneous zircon and metamorphic overgrowths on igneous cores, can result in grains with physically distinct age components. Pneumatic abrasion has been previously shown by Krogh to remove overgrowths and damaged areas of zircon, leaving more resistant and isotopically less disturbed parts available for analysis. A new abrader design, which is capable of very gently grinding only tips and interfacial edges of even needle-like grains, permits easy collection of abraded material for dating. Five examples demonstrate the utility of the "dust-collecting" technique, including two studies that compare conventional, ion microprobe and abrader data. Common Pb may be strongly concentrated in the outermost zones of many zircons and this Pb is not easily removed by leaching (even in weak HF). Thus, the benefit of removing only the outermost zones (and avoiding mixing of age components) is somewhat compromised by the much higher common Pb contents which result in less precise age determinations. A very brief abrasion to remove the high common Pb zones prior to collection of material for dating is selected. ?? 1990.

Nonlinear saturation of the Weibel instability

DOE PAGES

Cagas, P.; Hakim, A.; Scales, W.; ...

2017-11-21

The growth and saturation of magnetic fields due to the Weibel instability (WI) have important implications for laboratory and astrophysical plasmas, and this has drawn significant interest recently. Since the WI can generate a large magnetic field from no initial field, the maximum magnitudes achieved can have significant consequences for a number of applications. Hence, an understanding of the detailed dynamics driving the nonlinear saturation of the WI is important. This work considers the nonlinear saturation of the WI when counter-streaming populations of initially unmagnetized electrons are perturbed by a magnetic field oriented perpendicular to the direction of streaming. Previousmore » works have found magnetic trapping to be important and connected electron skin depth spatial scales to the nonlinear saturation of the WI. The results presented in this work are consistent with these findings for a high-temperature case. However, using a high-order continuum kinetic simulation tool, this work demonstrates that when the electron populations are colder, a significant electrostatic potential develops that works with the magnetic field to create potential wells. The electrostatic field develops due to transverse flows induced by the WI and in some cases is strengthened by a secondary instability. This field plays a key role in saturation of the WI for colder populations. In conclusion, the role of the electrostatic potential in Weibel instability saturation has not been studied in detail previously.« less

Nonlinear saturation of the Weibel instability

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cagas, P.; Hakim, A.; Scales, W.

The growth and saturation of magnetic fields due to the Weibel instability (WI) have important implications for laboratory and astrophysical plasmas, and this has drawn significant interest recently. Since the WI can generate a large magnetic field from no initial field, the maximum magnitudes achieved can have significant consequences for a number of applications. Hence, an understanding of the detailed dynamics driving the nonlinear saturation of the WI is important. This work considers the nonlinear saturation of the WI when counter-streaming populations of initially unmagnetized electrons are perturbed by a magnetic field oriented perpendicular to the direction of streaming. Previousmore » works have found magnetic trapping to be important and connected electron skin depth spatial scales to the nonlinear saturation of the WI. The results presented in this work are consistent with these findings for a high-temperature case. However, using a high-order continuum kinetic simulation tool, this work demonstrates that when the electron populations are colder, a significant electrostatic potential develops that works with the magnetic field to create potential wells. The electrostatic field develops due to transverse flows induced by the WI and in some cases is strengthened by a secondary instability. This field plays a key role in saturation of the WI for colder populations. In conclusion, the role of the electrostatic potential in Weibel instability saturation has not been studied in detail previously.« less

Geochronology and Geochemistry of Zircons from the IODP Site U1437 in the Rear of the Izu-Bonin Volcanic Arc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andrews, G. D.; Schmitt, A. K.; Busby, C. J.; Brown, S. R.

2015-12-01

Zircons recovered from International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 350 Site U1437 (31°47.390'N, 139°01.580'E) in the Izu-Bonin arc were analyzed by SIMS to constrain their age (U/Pb geochronology) and geochemistry (trace elements, δ18O); LA-ICP-MS ɛHf analyses are pending. Seven intervals were dated successfully: six tuffs and lapilli-tuffs between 680.99 and 1722.46 m below sea floor (mbsf) and a single peperitic rhyolitic intrusion at 1388.86 - 1390.07 mbsf. Thirty-two intervals which underwent mineral separation lacked zircon, or yielded zircon much older than age expectations for U1437. Geochronology results from separated zircons confirm and extend the shipboard age model to 1360.77 mbsf where Late Miocene (Tortonian) submarine volcanic rocks (11.3 ±0.7 Ma; n = 17) were sampled. In-situ measurement of zircons associated with magnetite crystals in the rhyolite intrusion yield an age of 13.6 ±1.7 Ma (n = 9). Zircon U contents are low (typically <300 ppm), with trace element ratios characteristic of oceanic lithosphere and near-mantle δ18O values (4-6 ‰). Individual Miocene zircon crystals are difficult to distinguish by age alone from those in the drilling mud (sepiolite) used during Expedition 350; the sepiolite is quarried by IMV Nevada in the Amargosa Valley. Our analysis of thirty-three zircons from the sepiolite finds that they have a broad and varied age distribution (2 - 2033 Ma) with a prominent peak at 12-14 Ma, bimodal δ18O values (peaks at 5-5.5 and 6.5-7.5 ‰), and dominantly continental trace element signatures. Three zircons from U1437 are tentatively identified as sepiolite-derived, but a single Eocene grain (51.7 ±2.4 Ma) recovered from 1722.46 mbsf has an age unlike those in the sepiolite, and potentially is genuinely xenocrystic. The majority of U1437 zircons thus crystallized from evolved melts lacking continental characteristics, although thermal and compositional conditions conducive for zircon crystallization appear to have

Mixture modeling of multi-component data sets with application to ion-probe zircon ages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sambridge, M. S.; Compston, W.

1994-12-01

A method is presented for detecting multiple components in a population of analytical observations for zircon and other ages. The procedure uses an approach known as mixture modeling, in order to estimate the most likely ages, proportions and number of distinct components in a given data set. Particular attention is paid to estimating errors in the estimated ages and proportions. At each stage of the procedure several alternative numerical approaches are suggested, each having their own advantages in terms of efficency and accuracy. The methodology is tested on synthetic data sets simulating two or more mixed populations of zircon ages. In this case true ages and proportions of each population are known and compare well with the results of the new procedure. Two examples are presented of its use with sets of SHRIMP U-238 - Pb-206 zircon ages from Palaeozoic rocks. A published data set for altered zircons from bentonite at Meishucun, South China, previously treated as a single-component population after screening for gross alteration effects, can be resolved into two components by the new procedure and their ages, proportions and standard errors estimated. The older component, at 530 +/- 5 Ma (2 sigma), is our best current estimate for the age of the bentonite. Mixture modeling of a data set for unaltered zircons from a tonalite elsewhere defines the magmatic U-238 - Pb-206 age at high precision (2 sigma +/- 1.5 Ma), but one-quarter of the 41 analyses detect hidden and significantly older cores.

Integrated in situ U-Pb Age and Hf-O Analyses of Zircon from the Northern Yangtze Block: New Insights into the Neoproterozoic Low-δ18O Magmas in the South China Block

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Y. N.; Wang, X. C.; Li, Q. L.; Li, X. H.

2015-12-01

The oxygen isotopic composition of Neoproterozoic magmas from the northern Yangtze Block holds a key for the origin of large-scale 18O depletion in the HP and UHP metamorphic rocks in the Dabie-Sulu orogenic belt, northern margin of the South China Block. We report here the integrated in situ U-Pb dating and O-Hf isotope analyses of zircon grains from sedimentary and volcanic rocks of the late Neoproterozoic Suixian Group (SG) from the northern Yangtze Block. Detrital zircon grains display age peaks of 0.73-0.74 Ga, 0.79 Ga, and 2.0 Ga. Zircon U-Pb ages together with Hf-O isotopic composition indicate provenance of SG dominantly from proximal Neoproterozoic igneous rock and likely hidden Paleoproterozoic basement along the northern margin of the Yangtze Block. The zircon δ18O values from SG range from 10.5‰ to 1.3‰. Zircon grains with negative δ18O value, typical result of magma-ice interaction, were not identified in this study. The major phase of low-δ18O (< 4‰) magmas initiated at ca. 780 Ma, long before the first glaciation event (< 715 Ma) in the South China Block. Thus caution should be taken when using low-δ18O zircon grains to infer cold climate. Low-δ18O zircon grains have large ranges of ɛHf(t) values, varying from -15.5 to 10.7, concentrating on negative ɛHf(t). This strongly argues against the possibility that the low-δ18O magma was produced by partial melting of high-temperature hydrothermally altered oceanic crust because this model predicted MORB-like Hf isotopes for the resultant low-δ18O magmas. This study emphasizes that high-T water-rock interaction and continental rifting tectonic setting are essential to generate abundant low-δ18O magmas. The important application of our study is to confirm that most of negative-δ18O zircons identified in HP and UHP metamorphic rocks may not have been inherited from their Neoproterozoic protoliths.

U-series in zircon and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology reveal the most recent stage of a supervolcanic cycle in the Altiplano-Puna Volcanic Complex, Central Andes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tierney, C.; de Silva, S. L.; Schmitt, A. K.; Jicha, B.; Singer, B. S.

2010-12-01

peaks in zircon crystallization ages could result from periodic injections of andesitic magma that reinvigorated crystallization. However, the ubiquity of likely antecrystic zircon interiors suggests that the associated temperature rise was insufficient to cause complete resorbtion of the antecrysts. A shared peak of zircon crystallization just prior to eruptions, as well as co-eruption of andesitic lava connotes recharge as the eruption trigger.

Geology, zircon geochronology, and petrogenesis of Sabalan volcano (northwestern Iran)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghalamghash, J.; Mousavi, S. Z.; Hassanzadeh, J.; Schmitt, A. K.

2016-11-01

Sabalan Volcano (NW Iran) is an isolated voluminous (4821 m elevation; > 800 km2) composite volcano that is located within the Arabia-Eurasia collision zone. Its edifice was assembled by recurrent eruptions of trachyandesite and dacite magma falling into a relatively restricted compositional range (56-67% SiO2) with high-K calc-alkaline and adakitic trace element (Sr/Y) signatures. Previous K-Ar dating suggested protracted eruptive activity between 5.6 and 1.4 Ma, and a two stage evolution which resulted in the construction of the Paleo- and Neo-Sabalan edifices, respectively. The presence of a topographic moat surrounding Neo-Sabalan and volcanic breccias with locally intense hydrothermal alteration are indicative of intermittent caldera collapse of the central part of Paleo-Sabalan. Volcanic debris-flow and debris-avalanche deposits indicate earlier episodes of volcanic edifice collapse during the Paleo-Sabalan stage. In the Neo-Sabalan stage, three dacitic domes extruded to form the summits of Sabalan (Soltan, Heram, and Kasra). Ignimbrites and minor pumice fall-out deposits are exposed in strongly dissected drainages that in part have breached the caldera depression. Lavas and pyroclastic rocks are varyingly porphyritic with Paleo-Sabalan rocks being trachyandesites carrying abundant phenocrysts (plagioclase + amphibole + pyroxene + biotite). The Neo-Sabalan rocks are slightly more evolved and include dacitic compositions with phenocrysts of plagioclase + amphibole ± alkali-feldspar ± quartz. All Sabalan rock types share a common accessory assemblage (oxides + apatite + zircon). High spatial resolution and sensitivity U-Pb geochronology using Secondary Ionization Mass Spectrometry yielded two clusters of zircon ages which range from 4.5 to 1.3 Ma and 545 to 149 ka, respectively (all ages are averages of multiple determinations per sample). U-Th zircon geochronology for selected Neo-Sabalan rocks agrees with the U-Pb ages, with the youngest zircon rims dating

Saturation and negative temperature coefficient of electrical resistivity in liquid iron-sulfur alloys at high densities from first-principles calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagle, Fabian; Steinle-Neumann, Gerd; de Koker, Nico

2018-03-01

We report results on electronic transport properties of liquid Fe-S alloys at conditions of planetary cores, computed using first-principle techniques in the Kubo-Greenwood formalism. We describe a combined effect of resistivity saturation due to temperature, compression, and chemistry by comparing the electron mean free path from the Drude response of optical conductivity to the mean interatomic distance. At high compression and high sulfur concentration the Ioffe-Regel condition is satisfied, and the temperature coefficient of resistivity changes sign from positive to negative. We show that this happens due to a decrease in the d density of states at the Fermi level in response to thermal broadening.

Thermometers and thermobarometers in granitic systems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Anderson, J.L.; Barth, A.P.; Wooden, J.L.; Mazdab, F.; ,

2008-01-01

The ability to determine the thermal and barometric history during crystallization and emplacement of granitic plutons has been enhanced by several new calibrations applicable to granitic mineral assemblages. Other existing calibrations for granitic plutons have continued to be popular and fairly robust. Recent advances include the trace element thermometers Ti-in-quartz, Ti-in-zircon, and Zr-in-sphene (titanite), which need to be further evaluated on the roles of reduced activities due to lack of a saturating phase, the effect of pressure dependence (particularly for the Ti-in-zircon thermometer), and how resistive these thermometers are to subsolidus reequilibration. As zircon and sphene are also hosts to radiogenic isotopes, these minerals potentially also provide new insights into the temperature - time history of magmas. When used in conjunction with pressure-sensitive mineral equilibria in the same rocks, a complete assessment of the P-T-t (pressure-temperature-time) path is possible given that the mineralogy of plutons can reflect crystallization over a range of pressure and temperature during ascent and emplacement and that many intrusions are now seen as forming over several millions of years during the protracted history of batholith construction. Accessory mineral saturation thermometers, such as those for zircon, apatite, and allanite, provide a different and powerful perspective, specifically that of the temperature of the onset of crystallization of these minerals, which can allow an estimate of the range of temperature between the liquidus and solidus of a given pluton. In assessment of the depth of crystallization and emplacement of granitic plutons, the Al-in-hornblende remains popular for metaluminous granites when appropriately corrected for temperature. For peraluminous granites, potential new calibrations exist for the assemblages bearing garnet, biotite, plagioclase, muscovite, and quartz. Other thermometers, based on oxygen abundance, and

TEMORA 1: A new zircon standard for Phanerozoic U-Pb geochronology

USGS Publications Warehouse

Black, L.P.; Kamo, S.L.; Allen, C.M.; Aleinikoff, J.N.; Davis, D.W.; Korsch, R.J.; Foudoulis, C.

2003-01-01

The role of the standard is critical to the derivation of reliable U-Pb zircon ages by micro-beam analysis. For maximum reliability, it is critically important that the utilised standard be homogeneous at all scales of analysis. It is equally important that the standard has been precisely and accurately dated by an independent technique. This study reports the emergence of a new zircon standard that meets those criteria, as demonstrated by Sensitive High Resolution Ion MicroProbe (SHRIMP), isotope dilution thermal ionisation mass-spectrometry (IDTIMS) and excimer laser ablation- inductively coupled plasma-mass-spectrometry (ELA-ICP-MS) documentation. The TEMORA 1 zircon standard derives from the Middledale Gabbroic Diorite, a high-level mafic stock within the Palaeozoic Lachlan Orogen of eastern Australia. Its 206Pb/238U IDTIMS age has been determined to be 416.75??0.24 Ma (95% confidence limits), based on measurement errors alone. Spike-calibration uncertainty limits the accuracy to 416.8??1.1 Ma for U-Pb intercomparisons between different laboratories that do not use a common spike. ?? 2003 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Selective zircon accumulation in a new benthic foraminifer, Psammophaga zirconia, sp. nov.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sabbatini, Anna; Negri, Alessandra; Bartolini, Annachiara; Morigi, Caterina; Boudouma, Omar; Dinelli, Enrico; Florindo, Fabio; Galeazzi, Roberta; Holzmann, Maria; Lurcock, Pontus C.; Massaccesi, Luca; Pawlowski, Jan W.; Rocchi, Sergio

2017-04-01

Benthic foraminifera are single-celled eukaryotes that make a protective organic, agglutinated or calcareous test. Some agglutinated, single-chambered taxa, including Psammophaga Arnold, 1982, retain mineral particles in their cytoplasm, but the selective mechanism of accumulation is not clear. Here, we report the ability of a foraminiferal species to select and accumulate zircons and other heavy minerals in their cytoplasm. In particular, the use of Scanning Electron Microscope coupled with an Energy Dispersive X-ray microanalysis system (SEM-EDS) enabled a representative overview of the mineral diversity and showed that the analysed Psammophaga zirconia sp. nov. individuals contained dominantly crystals of zircon (51%), titanium oxides (27%), and ilmenite (11%) along with minor magnetite and other minerals. The studied specimens occur in the shallow central Adriatic Sea where the sediment has a content of zircon below 1% and of other heavy minerals below 4%. For that reason, we suggest that: (i) P. zirconia may be able to chemically select minerals, specifically zircon and rutile; (ii) the chemical mechanism allowing the selection is based on electrostatic interaction, and it could work also for agglutinated foraminifera. In particular, this aptitude for high preferential uptake and differential ingestion or retention of zircon is reported here for the first time, together with the selection of other heavy minerals already described in members of the genus Psammophaga. They are generally counted among early foraminifera, constructing a morphologically simple test with a single chamber. Our molecular phylogenetic study confirms that P. zirconia is a new species, genetically distinctive from other Psammophaga, and occurs in the Adriatic as well as in the Black Sea. Finally, the presence of eukaryotic soft-walled monothalamous microfossils, capable of building a fine aluminosilicate case, in the Precambrian geological record, makes them useful as a valuable record

U-Pb Detrital Zircon Ages from Sarawak: Changes in Provenance Reflecting the Tectonic Evolution of Southeast Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breitfeld, H. T.; Galin, T.; Hall, R.

2014-12-01

Sarawak is located on the northern edge of Sundaland in NW Borneo. Five sedimentary basins are distinguished with ages from Triassic to Cenozoic. New light mineral, heavy mineral and U-Pb detrital zircon ages show differences in provenance reflecting the tectonic evolution of the region. The oldest clastic sediments are Triassic of the Sadong-Kuching Basin and were sourced by a Carnian to Norian volcanic arc and erosion of Cathaysian rocks containing zircons of Paleoproterozoic age. Sandstones of the Upper Jurassic to Cretaceous Bau-Pedawan Basin have distinctive zircon populations indicating a major change of tectonic setting, including initiation of subduction below present-day West Sarawak in the Late Jurassic. A wide range of inherited zircon ages indicates various Cathaysian fragments as major source areas and the arrival of the SW Borneo Block following subduction beneath the Schwaner Mountains in the early Late Cretaceous. After collision of the SW Borneo Block and the microcontinental fragments with Sundaland in the early Late Cretaceous, deep marine sedimentation (Pedawan Formation) ceased, and there was uplift forming the regional Pedawan-Kayan unconformity. Two episodes of extension were responsible for basin development on land from the latest Cretaceous onwards, probably in a strike-slip setting. The first episode formed the Kayan Basin in the Latest Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) to Early Paleocene, and the second formed the Ketungau Basin and the Penrissen Sandstone in the Middle to Late Eocene. Zircons indicate nearby volcanic activity throughout the Early Cenozoic in NW Borneo. Inherited zircon ages indicate an alternation between Borneo and Tin Belt source rocks. A large deep marine basin, the Rajang Basin, formed north of the Lupar Line fault. Zircons from sediments of the Rajang Basin indicate they are of similar age and provenance as the contemporaneous terrestrial sediments to the south suggesting a narrow steep continental Sundaland margin at the

Melt recharge, f O2-T conditions, and metal fertility of felsic magmas: zircon trace element chemistry of Cu-Au porphyries in the Sanjiang orogenic belt, southwest China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meng, Xuyang; Mao, Jingwen; Zhang, Changqing; Zhang, Dongyang; Liu, Huan

2018-06-01

The magmatic hydrothermal Pulang Cu deposit (Triassic) and the Beiya Au-Cu deposits (Eocene) are located in the Sanjiang copper porphyry belt, southwest China. Zircon chemistry was used to constrain the magmatic evolution and oxidation state of the porphyries. The results show that porphyries of the Beiya district formed from an early oxidized melt and a later relatively reduced and more evolved magma, whereas Pulang experienced a normal Cu porphyry evolutionary trend. The Pulang porphyries crystallized from more oxidized magma (ΔFMQ + 2.9-4.6, average = 4.0 ± 1.0, n = 3) with an average temperature of 709 ± 6 °C compared to the Beiya porphyries (ΔFMQ + 0.6-3.5, average = 1.9 ± 1.3, n = 5) with a mean magmatic temperature of 780 ± 22 °C. These data, combined with data from other Cu- and Au-rich porphyries in the Sanjiang belt (i.e., Machangjing Cu, Yao'an Au), are consistent with previous experimental work showing that elevated Cu and Au solubilities in magma require oxidizing conditions. A compilation of existing geochemical data for magmatic zircons from fertile and barren porphyry systems worldwide establishes an optimal diagnostic interval on CeIV/CeIII-TTi-in-zircon and (Eu/Eu*)N plots for generating magmatic hydrothermal Cu-Au deposits.

Provenance of sediments from Sumatra, Indonesia - Insights from detrital U-Pb zircon geochronology, heavy mineral analyses and Raman spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liebermann, C.; Hall, R.; Gough, A.

2017-12-01

The island of Sumatra is situated at the southwestern margin of the Indonesian archipelago. Although it is the sixth largest island in the world, the geology of the Sumatra sedimentary basins and their underlying basement is relatively poorly understood in terms of their provenance. This work is a multi-proxy provenance study utilizing U-Pb detrital zircon dating by LA-ICP-MS combined with optical and Raman spectroscopy-based heavy mineral analysis. It will help to unravel the stratigraphy of Sumatra, contribute to paleogeographic reconstruction of western SE Asia, and aid a wider understanding of Sumatran petroleum plays. Thin section analyses, heavy mineral assemblages, and >3500 concordant U-Pb zircon ages, from samples acquired during two fieldwork seasons indicate a mixed provenance for Cenozoic sedimentary formations, including both local igneous sources and mature basement rocks. Characteristic Precambrian zircon age spectra are found in all analysed Cenozoic sedimentary strata. These can be correlated with zircon age populations found in Sumatran basement rocks; Neoproterozoic and Mesoproterozoic age groups are dominant (c. 500-600 Ma, c. 850-1000 Ma, c. 1050-1200 Ma). Paleoproterozoic to Archaean zircons occur as minor populations. The Phanerozoic age spectra of the Cenozoic formations are characterised by distinct Carboniferous, Permo-Triassic, and Jurassic-Cretaceous zircon populations. Permo-Triassic zircons are interpreted to come from granitoids in the Malay peninsula or Sumatra itself. Eocene to Lower Miocene strata are characterised by ultrastable heavy minerals such as zircon, tourmaline, and rutile, which together with garnet, suggest the principal sources were igneous and metamorphic basement rocks. Cenozoic zircons appear only from the Middle Miocene onwards. This change is interpreted to indicate a new contribution from a local volcanic arc, and is supported by the occurrence of unstable heavy minerals such as apatite and clinopyroxene, and the

U-Pb systematics of zircon and titanite from the Gardnos impact structure, Norway: Evidence for impact at 546 Ma?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalleson, E.; Corfu, F.; Dypvik, H.

2009-05-01

Zircon and titanite were investigated in impactites of the Gardnos structure, a crater formed in Sveconorwegian (ca. 1 Ga) crust, which was then overridden in the Devonian by Caledonian nappes. Observed deformation features in zircons are granular texture, planar microstructures, and likely the incorporation of organic carbon during impact causing black staining of the zircon grains. The grains were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and cathode luminescence (CL) and dated by U-Pb isotope dilution - thermo-ionization mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS). Zircon grains without impact related features have U-Pb data showing moderate discordance (5-13%) and indicating formation ages mostly in the range of 1600-1000 Ma, except detrital zircon ages as old as >2481 Ma, reflecting the diversity of target rocks in the area. Titanite with concordant ages of 995-999 Ma dates metamorphism during final juxtaposition of the Telemarkia on the Idefjorden terrane to the east. Zircon grains with demonstrated or presumed shock features yield highly discordant (14-40%) U-Pb data, with a majority of them plotting along an array with a lower intercept of about 340 Ma reflecting the influence of the Caledonian orogeny and recent Pb-loss. One zircon grain was totally reset at 379 Ma during late Caledonian metamorphism, which also caused local growth of new titanite. A specific group of zircon grains yields data with relatively high discordance for moderate U contents, and five of these analyses, including that of a grain with proven granular or aggregate texture, fit a discordia line with an upper intercept of 546 ± 5 Ma. These features are interpreted as indicating zircon break-down to an amorphous state during impact, with subsequent recrystallization into microcrystalline aggregates causing extensive to complete Pb loss. We further suggest that their crystallinity prevented Pb loss during the Caledonian orogeny, while the small subgrain size and increasing metamictisation allowed

Proterozoic to Mesozoic evolution of North-West Africa and Peri-Gondwana microplates: Detrital zircon ages from Morocco and Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marzoli, Andrea; Davies, Joshua H. F. L.; Youbi, Nasrrddine; Merle, Renaud; Dal Corso, Jacopo; Dunkley, Daniel J.; Fioretti, Anna Maria; Bellieni, Giuliano; Medina, Fida; Wotzlaw, Jörn-Frederik; McHone, Greg; Font, Eric; Bensalah, Mohamed Khalil

2017-05-01

The complex history of assemblage and disruption of continental plates surrounding the Atlantic Ocean is in part recorded by the distribution of detrital zircon ages entrained in continental sedimentary strata from Morocco (Central High Atlas and Argana basins) and Canada (Grand Manan Island, New Brunswick). Here we investigate detrital zircon from the latest Triassic (ca. 202 Ma) sedimentary strata directly underlying lava flows of the Central Atlantic magmatic province or interlayered within them. SHRIMP (Sensitive High-Resolution Ion MicroProbe) and LA-ICP-MS (Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry) U-Pb ages for zircon range from Paleozoic to Archean with a dominant Neoproterozoic peak, and significant amounts of ca. 2 Ga zircon. These ages suggest a prevailing West African (Gondwanan) provenance at all sampling sites. Notably, the Paleoproterozoic zircon population is particularly abundant in central Morocco, north of the High Atlas chain, suggesting the presence of Eburnean-aged rocks in this part of the country, which is consistent with recent geochronologic data from outcropping rocks. Minor amounts of late Mesoproterozoic and early Neoproterozoic zircon ages (ca. 1.1-0.9 Ga) in Moroccan samples are more difficult to interpret. A provenance from Avalonia or Amazonia, as proposed by previous studies is not supported by the age distributions observed here. An involvement of more distal source regions, possibly located in north-eastern Africa (Arabian Nubian Shield) would instead be possible. Paleozoic zircon ages are abundant in the Canadian sample, pointing to a significant contribution from Hercynian aged source rocks. Such a signal is nearly absent in the Moroccan samples, suggesting that zircon-bearing Hercynian granitic rocks of the Moroccan Meseta block were not yet outcropping at ca. 200 Ma. The only Moroccan samples that yield Paleozoic zircon ages are those interlayered within the CAMP lavas, suggesting an increased dismantling

Deciphering igneous and metamorphic events in high-grade rocks of the Wilmington complex, Delaware: Morphology, cathodoluminescence and backscattered electron zoning, and SHRIMP U-Pb geochronology of zircon and monazite

USGS Publications Warehouse

Aleinikoff, J.N.; Schenck, W.S.; Plank, M.O.; Srogi, L.A.; Fanning, C.M.; Kamo, S.L.; Bosbyshell, H.

2006-01-01

High-grade rocks of the Wilmington Complex, northern Delaware and adjacent Maryland and Pennsylvania, contain morphologically complex zircons that formed through both igneous and metamorphic processes during the development of an island-arc complex and suturing of the arc to Laurentia. The arc complex has been divided into several members, the protoliths of which include both intrusive and extrusive rocks. Metasedimentary rocks are interlayered with the complex and are believed to be the infrastructure upon which the arc was built. In the Wilmingto n Complex rocks, both igneous and metamorphic zircons occur as elongate and equant forms. Chemical zoning, shown by cathodoluminescence (CL), includes both concentric, oscillatory patterns, indicative of igneous origin, and patchwork and sector patterns, suggestive of metamorphic growth. Metamorphic monazites are chemically homogeneous, or show oscillatory or spotted chemical zoning in backscattered electron images. U-Pb geochronology by sensitive high resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) was used to date complexly zoned zircon and monazite. All but one member of the Wilmington Complex crystallized in the Ordovician between ca. 475 and 485 Ma; these rocks were intruded by a suite of gabbro-to-granite plutonic rocks at 434 ?? Ma. Detrital zircons in metavolcanic and metasedimentary units were derived predominantly from 0.9 to 1.4 Ga (Grenvillian) basement, presumably of Laurentian origin. Amphibolite to granulite facies metamorphism of the Wilmington Complex, recorded by ages of metamorphic zircon (428 ?? 4 and 432 ?? 6 Ma) and monazite (429 ?? 2 and 426 ?? 3 Ma), occurred contemporaneously with emplacement of the younger plutonic rocks. On the basis of varying CL zoning patterns and external morphologies, metamorphic zircons formed by different processes (presumably controlled by rock chemistry) at slightly different times and temperatures during prograde metamorphism. In addition, at least three other thermal episodes are

Detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology of Cambrian to Triassic miogeoclinal and eugeoclinal strata of Sonora, Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gehrels, G.E.; Stewart, John H.

1998-01-01

One hundred and eighty two individual detrital zircon grains from Cambrian through Permian miogeoclinal strata, Ordovician eugeoclinal rocks, and Triassic post-orogenic sediments in northwestern Sonora have been analyzed. During Cambrian, Devonian, Permian, and Triassic time, most zircons accumulating along this part of the Cordilleran margin were shed from 1.40-1.45 and 1.62-1.78 Ga igneous rocks that are widespread in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Zircons with ages of approximately 1.11 Ga are common in Cambrian strata and were apparently shed from granite bodies near the sample site. The sources of 225-280 Ma zircons in our Triassic sample are more problematic, as few igneous rocks of these ages are recognized in northwestern Mexico. Such sources may be present but unrecognized, or the grains could have been derived from igneous rocks of the appropriate ages to the northwest in the Mojave Desert region, to the east in Chihuahua and Coahuila, or to the south in accreted(?) arc-type terranes. Because the zircon grains in our Cambrian and Devonian to Triassic samples could have accumulated in proximity to basement rocks near their present position or in the Death Valley region of southern California, our data do not support or refute the existence of the Mojave-Sonora megashear. Ordovician strata of both miogeoclinal and eugeoclinal affinity are dominated by >1.77 Ga detrital zircons, which are considerably older than most basement rocks in the region. Zircon grains in the miogeoclinal sample were apparently derived from the Peace River arch area of northwestern Canada and transported southward by longshore currents. The eugeoclinal grains may also have come from the Peace River arch region, with southward transport by either sedimentary or tectonic processes, or they may have been shed from off-shelf slivers of continents (perhaps Antarctica?) removed from the Cordilleran margin during Neoproterozoic rifting. It is also possible that the

Significance of zircon U-Pb ages from the Pescadero felsite, west-central California coast ranges

USGS Publications Warehouse

McLaughlin, Robert J.; Moore, Diane E.; ,; Martens, UWE C.; Clark, J.C.

2011-01-01

Weathered felsite is associated with the late Campanian–Maastrichtian Pigeon Point Formation near Pescadero, California. Poorly exposed, its age and correlation are uncertain. Is it part of the Pigeon Point section west of the San Gregorio–Hosgri fault? Does it rest on Nacimiento block basement? Is it dextrally offset from the Oligocene Cambria Felsite, ∼185 km to the southeast? Why is a calc-alkaline hypabyssal igneous rock intrusive into the outboard accretionary prism? To address these questions, we analyzed 43 oscillatory-zoned zircon crystals from three incipiently recrystallized pumpellyite ± prehnite ± laumontite-bearing Pescadero felsite samples by sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe–reverse geometry (SHRIMP-RG) and laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) techniques. Thirty-three zircons gave late Mesozoic U-Pb ages, with single-grain values ranging from 81 to 167 Ma; ten have pre-Mesozoic, chiefly Proterozoic ages. A group of the four youngest Pescadero zircons yielded an apparent maximum igneous age of ca. 86–90 Ma. Reflecting broad age scatter and presence of partly digested sandstone inclusions, we interpret the rest of the zircons (perhaps all) as xenocrysts. Twenty-three zircons were separated and analyzed from two samples of the similar Cambria Felsite, yielding a unimodal 27 Ma U-Pb age. Clearly, the origin of the Upper Oligocene Cambria Felsite is different from that of the Upper Cretaceous Pescadero felsite; these rocks are not correlated, and do not constrain displacement along the San Gregorio–Hosgri fault. Peak ages differ slightly, but relative probability curves for Mesozoic and pre-Mesozoic Pescadero zircons compare well, for example, with abundant U-Pb age data for detrital zircons from Franciscan metaclastic strata ∼100 km to the east in the Diablo Range–San Francisco Bay area, San Joaquin Great Valley Group turbidites, Upper Cretaceous Nacimiento block Franciscan strata, and Upper

Nonlinear saturation of tearing mode islands.

PubMed

Hastie, R J; Militello, F; Porcelli, F

2005-08-05

New, rigorous results for the tearing island saturation problem are presented. These results are valid for the realistic case where the magnetic island structure is non-symmetric about the reconnection surface and the electron temperature, on which the electrical resistivity depends, is evolved self-consistently with the island growth.

Zircon U-Pb age and Hf-O isotopes of felsic rocks from the Atlantis Bank, Southwest Indian Ridge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, C. Z.; Zhang, W. Q.

2017-12-01

Hole U1473A was drilled to 790 meters below seafloor on the Atlantis Bank, an oceanic core complex in the Southwest Indian Ridge, where the upper crust has been removed by detachment faulting. The recovered core consists dominantly of olivine gabbro, with subordinate gabbro, gabbro with varying Fe-Ti oxide concentrations. Felsic veins intermittently occur throughout the whole core section. Zircons separated from twenty-four felsic samples have been conducted for U-Pb dating and O isotope analyses on the Cameca 1280 and Lu-Hf isotopes by laser ablation coupled with a MC-ICPMS. The zircons have highly variable contents of U (12-2078 ppm) and Th (5-801 ppm), yielding Th/U ratios of 0.33-0.81. They are typical oceanic zircons as defined by the trace element discrimination plots of Grimes et al. (2015). The weighted mean 206Pb/238U ages of the analyzed zircons vary from 11.29 to 12.57 Ma. Age differences between felsic veins throughout the whole core are not resolved within analytical uncertainty of the SIMS measurements. All felsic samples have similar zircon Hf isotope compositions, with initial 176Hf/177Hf ratios of 0.283126-0.283197 and ɛHf values of 12.76-15.27. Zircons from all felsic samples but one have mantle-like δ18O values of 5.14-5.50‰. Zircons from one sample show partial resorption or total recrystallization; in comparison, they have lower δ18O values of 4.81±0.21‰. Such characteristics provide clear evidence for hydrothermal alteration after magmatic intrusion.

Detrital Zircons From the Jack Hills and Mount Narryer, Western Australia: Geochronological, Morphological, and Geochemical Evidence for Diverse >4000 Ma Source Rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crowley, J. L.; Myers, J. S.; Sylvester, P. J.; Cox, R. A.

2004-05-01

Detrital zircons from all major clastic units in the Jack Hills and Mount Narryer metasedimentary belts, Western Australia, were analyzed for morphology, internal zoning, inclusion mineralogy, age, and trace element concentrations (latter two obtained by laser-ablation microprobe ICPMS). The results show that zircons were derived from a wide diversity of rocks, including previously described, >4000 Ma grains that are older than any known terrestrial rocks. In three metaconglomerate samples from the western Jack Hills, 4200-3800 Ma zircons ("old grains") comprise 14% of the population, 3800-3600 Ma grains form only 2%, and 3550-3250 Ma zircons ("young grains") are dominant with a significant peak at 3380 Ma. Old and young grains are interpreted as being from similar rock types because they are indistinguishable in trace element concentrations, size (several hundred microns), morphology (subequant, typically fragmented), internal zoning (typically both oscillatory and sector), and U concentration (50-200 ppm). Many of these properties suggest an intermediate plutonic source, whereas an evolved granitic source was previously interpreted from rare-earth element and oxygen isotope data. Detrital zircons in quartzites and metaconglomerates at Mount Narryer differ significantly from zircons from the western Jack Hills. Old grains comprise only 3% (most of which are 4200-4100 Ma), 3800-3600 Ma zircons form 31%, and there are peaks at 3650, 3600, and 3500 Ma. Old and young grains have similar properties that suggest granitic sources, such as elongate prismatic morphology, oscillatory zoning, high U concentrations (100-600 ppm), and xenotime and monazite inclusions. Trace element concentrations are broadly similar to those in Jack Hills zircons, with notable exceptions being generally higher U, smaller Ce and Eu anomalies, and lower Nb/Ta. It is considered unlikely that Jack Hills zircons were derived from granitic gneisses that surround the metasedimentary belts because

Archean Arctic continental crust fingerprints revealing by zircons from Alpha Ridge bottom rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sergeev, Sergey; Petrov, Oleg; Morozov, Andrey; Shevchenko, Sergey; Presnyakov, Sergey; Antonov, Anton; Belyatsky, Boris

2015-04-01

Whereas thick Cenozoic sedimentary cover overlapping bedrock of the Arctic Ocean, some tectonic windows were sampled by scientific submarine manipulator, as well as by grabbing, dredging and drilling during «Arctic-2012» Russian High-Arctic expedition (21 thousands samples in total, from 400-km profile along Alpha-Mendeleev Ridges). Among others, on the western slope of Alpha Ridge one 10x10 cm fragment without any tracks of glacial transportation of fine-layered migmatitic-gneiss with prominent quartz veinlets was studied. Its mineral (47.5 vol.% plagioclase + 29.6% quartz + 16.6% biotite + 6.1% orthoclase) and chemical composition (SiO2:68.2, Al2O3:14.9, Fe2O3:4.44, TiO2:0.54, MgO:2.03, CaO:3.13, Na2O:3.23, K2O:2.16%) corresponds to trachydacite vulcanite, deformed and metamorphozed under amphibolite facies. Most zircon grains (>80%) from this sample has an concordant U-Pb age 3450 Ma with Th/U 0.8-1.4 and U content of 100-400 ppm, epsilon Hf from -4 up to 0, and ca 20% - ca 3.3 Ga with Th/U 0.7-1.4 and 90-190 ppm U, epsilon Hf -6.5 to -4.5, while only 2% of the grains show Proterozoic age of ca 1.9 Ga (Th/U: 0.02-0.07, U~500 ppm, epsilon Hf about 0). No younger zircons were revealed at all. We suppose that magmatic zircon crystallized as early as 3450 Ma ago during acid volcanism, the second phase zircon crystallization from partial melt (or by volcanics remelting) under amphibolite facies metamorphism was at 3.3 Ga ago with formation of migmatitie gneisses. Last zircon formation from crustal fluids under low-grade metamorphic conditions was 1.9 Ga ago. There are two principal possibilities for the provenance of this metavolcanic rock. The first one - this is ice-rafted debris deposited by melted glacial iceberg. However, presently there are no temporal and compositional analogues of such rocks in basement geology of peri-oceanic regions, including Archean Itsaq Gneiss Complex, Lewisian Complex and Baltic Shield but these regions are far from the places of

Surface chemistry and flotation behavior of monazite, apatite, ilmenite, quartz, rutile, and zircon using octanohydroxamic acid collector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nduwa Mushidi, Josue

Global increase in rare earth demand and consumption has led to further understanding their beneficiation and recovery. Monazite is the second most important rare earth mineral that can be further exploited. In this study, the surface chemistry of monazite in terms of zeta potential, adsorption density, and flotation response by microflotation using octanohydroxamic acid is determined. Apatite, ilmenite, quartz, rutile, and zircon are minerals that frequently occur with monazite among other minerals. Hence they were chosen as gangue minerals in this study. The Iso Electric Point (IEP) of monazite, apatite, ilmenite, quartz, rutile, and zircon are 5.3, 8.7, 3.8, 3.4, 6.3, and 5.1 respectively. The thermodynamic parameters of adsorption were also evaluated. Ilmenite, rutile and zircon have high driving forces for adsorption with DeltaGads. = 20.48, 22.10, and 22.4 kJ/mol respectively. The free energy of adsorption is 14.87 kJ/mol for monazite. Adsorption density testing shows that octanohydroxamic acid adsorbs on negatively charged surfaces of monazite and its gangue minerals which indicates chemisorption. This observation was further confirmed by microflotation experiments. Increasing the temperature to 80°C raises the adsorption and flotability of monazite and gangue minerals. This does not allow for effective separation. Sodium silicate appeared to be most effective to depress associated gangue minerals. Finally, the fundamentals learned were applied to the flotation of monazite ore from Mt. Weld. However, these results showed no selectivity due to the presence of goethite as fine particles and due to a low degree of liberation of monazite in the ore sample.

From a long-lived upper-crustal magma chamber to rapid porphyry copper emplacement: Reading the geochemistry of zircon crystals at Bajo de la Alumbrera (NW Argentina)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buret, Yannick; von Quadt, Albrecht; Heinrich, Christoph; Selby, David; Wälle, Markus; Peytcheva, Irena

2016-09-01

The formation of world class porphyry copper deposits reflect magmatic processes that take place in a deeper and much larger underlying magmatic system, which provides the source of porphyry magmas, as well as metal and sulphur-charged mineralising fluids. Reading the geochemical record of this large magmatic source region, as well as constraining the time-scales for creating a much smaller porphyry copper deposit, are critical in order to fully understand and quantify the processes that lead to metal concentration within these valuable mineral deposits. This study focuses on the Bajo de la Alumbrera porphyry copper deposit in Northwest Argentina. The deposit is centred on a dacitic porphyry intrusive stock that was mineralised by several pulses of porphyry magma emplacement and hydrothermal fluid injections. To constrain the duration of ore formation, we dated zircons from four porphyry intrusions, including pre-, syn- and post-mineralisation porphyries based on intersection relations between successive intrusion and vein generations, using high precision CA-ID-TIMS. Based on the youngest assemblages of zircon grains, which overlap within analytical error, all four intrusions were emplaced within 29 ka, which places an upper limit on the total duration of hydrothermal mineralisation. Re/Os dating of hydrothermal molybdenite fully overlaps with this high-precision age bracket. However, all four porphyries contain zircon antecrysts which record protracted zircon crystallisation during the ∼200 ka preceding the emplacement of the porphyries. Zircon trace element variations, Ti-in-zircon temperatures, and Hf isotopic compositions indicate that the four porphyry magmas record a common geochemical and thermal history, and that the four intrusions were derived from the same upper-crustal magma chamber. Trace element zoning within single zircon crystals confirms a fractional crystallisation trend dominated by titanite and apatite crystallisation. However, zircon

Effects of Hypothermic Cardiopulmonary Bypass on Internal Jugular Bulb Venous Oxygen Saturation, Cerebral Oxygen Saturation, and Bispectral Index in Pediatric Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery: A Prospective Study.

PubMed

Hu, Zhiyong; Xu, Lili; Zhu, Zhirui; Seal, Robert; McQuillan, Patrick M

2016-01-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) on cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO2), internal jugular bulb venous oxygen saturation (SjvO2), mixed venous oxygen saturation (SvO2), and bispectral index (BIS) used to monitor cerebral oxygen balance in pediatric patients.Sixty American Society of Anesthesiologists Class II-III patients aged 1 to 4 years old with congenital heart disease scheduled for elective cardiac surgery were included in this study. Temperature, BIS, rSO2, mean arterial pressure, central venous pressure, cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP), and hematocrit were recorded. Internal jugular bulb venous oxygen saturation and SvO2 were obtained from blood gas analysis at the time points: after induction of anesthesia (T0), beginning of CPB (T1), ascending aortic occlusion (T2), 20 minutes after initiating CPB (T3), coronary reperfusion (T4), separation from CPB (T5), and at the end of operation (T6). The effect of hypothermia or changes in CPP on rSO2, SjvO2, SvO2, and BIS were analyzed.Compared with postinduction baseline values, rSO2 significantly decreased at all-time points: onset of extracorporeal circulation, ascending aortic occlusion, 20 minutes after CPB initiation, coronary reperfusion, and separation from CPB (P < 0.05). Compared with measurements made following induction of anesthesia, SjvO2 significantly increased with initiation of CPB, ascending aortic occlusion, 20 minutes after initiating CPB, coronary reperfusion, and separation from CPB (P < 0.05). Compared with induction of anesthesia, BIS significantly decreased with the onset of CPB, aortic cross clamping, 20 minutes after initiating CPB, and coronary reperfusion (P < 0.05). Bispectral index increased following separation from CPB. There was no significant change in SvO2 during cardiopulmonary bypass (P > 0.05). Correlation analysis demonstrated that rSO2 was positively related to CPP (r = 0.687, P = 0

Effects of episodic low aragonite saturation and elevated temperature on the physiology of Stylophora pistillata

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lürig, M.; Kunzmann, A.

2015-05-01

As global climate change is predicted to gradually alter the oceans' carbonate system and water temperature, knowledge about the effects an altered marine environment has on the physiology of reef building (hermatypic) coral species is more widely established. However, although it is recognized that seawater temperature and the carbonate system of a coral reef can change rapidly and with great amplitude, little is known about how the interaction of these natural fluctuations with long term effects of climate change may affect the metabolism and productivity of hermatypic corals. To investigate this, we acclimated the hermatypic coral Stylophora pistillata to a "worst case" scenario for carbon dioxide emissions (aragonite saturation state [ΩARAG] = 1.6), and tested how exposure to short term (24 h) elevated temperature (+ 3 °C) and further lowered ΩARAG (-1 unit) affected its photosynthesis and respiration. While episodic exposure to very low ΩARAG had only little effect on S. pistillata's physiology, short term heat stress caused a shift from net oxygen production to consumption and partial coral bleaching. Higher gross coral respiration, and lowered photosynthetic activity under episodically elevated temperature may have been the result of photoinhibition and partial coral bleaching. These findings suggest that fluctuating environmental conditions in combination with a low ΩARAG background signal may impair basic metabolic processes in calcifying corals. In a future high-CO2 world short term stress could be relevant for reef ecosystem processes, and may affect the resilience of coral reefs to other external influences and effects of climate change.

Refined Proterozoic evolution of the Gawler Craton, South Australia, through U-Pb zircon geochronology

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fanning, C.M.; Flint, R.B.; Parker, A.J.; Ludwig, K. R.; Blissett, A.H.

1988-01-01

Through the application of both conventional U-Pb zircon analyses and small-sample U-Pb isotopic analyses, the nature and timing of tectonic events leading to the formation of the Gawler Craton have been defined more precisely. Constraints on deposition of Early Proterozoic iron formation-bearing sediments have been narrowed down to the period 1960-1847 Ma. Deformed acid volcanics, including the economically important Moonta Porphyry, have zircon ages of ??? 1790 and 1740 Ma. The voluminous acid Gawler Range Volcanics and correlatives to the east were erupted over a short interval at 1592 ?? 2 Ma, and were intruded by anorogenic granites at ??? 1575 Ma. Small-sample zircon analyses proved to be an extremely valuable adjunct to conventional analyses, generally yielding more-concordant data which forced a curved discordia through an upper intercept slightly younger than from a conventional straight-line discordia. ?? 1988.

Irradiation effects in monazite-(Ce) and zircon: Raman and photoluminescence study of Au-irradiated FIB foils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nasdala, Lutz; Akhmadaliev, Shavkat; Artac, Andreas; Chanmuang N., Chutimun; Habler, Gerlinde; Lenz, Christoph

2018-05-01

Lamellae of 1.5 µm thickness, prepared from well-crystallised monazite-(Ce) and zircon samples using the focused-ion-beam technique, were subjected to triple irradiation with 1 MeV Au+ ions (15.6% of the respective total fluence), 4 MeV Au2+ ions (21.9%) and 10 MeV Au3+ ions (62.5%). Total irradiation fluences were varied in the range 4.5 × 1012 - 1.2 × 1014 ions/cm2. The highest fluence resulted in amorphisation of both minerals; all other irradiations (i.e. up to 4.5 × 1013 ions/cm2) resulted in moderate to severe damage. Lamellae were subjected to Raman and laser-induced photoluminescence analysis, in order to provide a means of quantifying irradiation effects using these two micro-spectroscopy techniques. Based on extensive Monte Carlo calculations and subsequent defect-density estimates, irradiation-induced spectroscopic changes are compared with those of naturally self-irradiated samples. The finding that ion irradiation of monazite-(Ce) may cause severe damage or even amorphisation, is in apparent contrast to the general observation that naturally self-irradiated monazite-(Ce) does not become metamict (i.e. irradiation-amorphised), in spite of high self-irradiation doses. This is predominantly assigned to the continuous low-temperature damage annealing undergone by this mineral; other possible causes are discussed. According to cautious estimates, monazite-(Ce) samples of Mesoproterozoic to Cretaceous ages have stored only about 1% of the total damage experienced. In contrast, damage in ion-irradiated and naturally self-irradiated zircon is on the same order; reasons for the observed slight differences are discussed. We may assess that in zircon, alpha decays create significantly less than 103 Frenkel-type defect pairs per event, which is much lower than previous estimates. Amorphisation occurs at defect densities of about 0.10 dpa (displacements per lattice atom).

Lifetime of an ocean island volcano feeder zone: constraints from U-Pb dating on coexisting zircon and baddeleyite, and 40/39Ar age determinations, Fuerteventura, Canary Islands

USGS Publications Warehouse

Allibon, James; Ovtcharova, Maria; Bussy, Francois; Cosca, Michael; Schaltegger, Urs; Bussien, Denise; Lewin, Eric

2011-01-01

High-precision isotope dilution - thermal ionization mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS) U-Pb zircon and baddeleyite ages from the PX1 vertically layered mafic intrusion Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, indicate initiation of magma crystallization at 22.10 ± 0.07 Ma. The magmatic activity lasted a minimum of 0.52 Ma. 40Ar/39Ar amphibole dating yielded ages from 21.9 ± 0.6 to 21.8 ± 0.3, identical within errors to the U-Pb ages, despite the expected 1% theoretical bias between 40Ar/39Ar and U-Pb dates. This overlap could result from (i) rapid cooling of the intrusion (i.e., less than the 0.3 to 0.6 Ma 40Ar/39Ar age uncertainties) from closure temperatures (Tc) of zircon (699-988 °C) to amphibole (500-600 °C); (ii) lead loss affecting the youngest zircons; or (iii) excess argon shifting the plateau ages towards older values. The combination of the 40Ar/39Ar and U/Pb datasets implies that the maximum amount of time PX1 intrusion took to cool below amphibole Tc is 0.8 Ma, suggesting PX1 lifetime of 520,000 to 800,000 Ma. Age disparities among coexisting baddeleyite and zircon (22.10 ± 0.07/0.08/0.15 Ma and 21.58 ± 0.15/0.16/0.31 Ma) in a gabbro sample from the pluton margin suggest complex genetic relationships between phases. Baddeleyite is found preserved in plagioclase cores and crystallized early from low silica activity magma. Zircon crystallized later in a higher silica activity environment and is found in secondary scapolite and is found close to calcite veins, in secondary scapolite that recrystallised from plagioclase. close to calcite veins. Oxygen isotope δ18O values of altered plagioclase are high (+7.7), indicating interaction with fluids derived from host-rock carbonatites. The coexistence of baddeleyite and zircon is ascribed to interaction of the PX1 gabbro with CO2-rich carbonatite-derived fluids released during contact metamorphism.

Age of the Lava Creek supereruption and magma chamber assembly at Yellowstone based on 40Ar/39Ar and U-Pb dating of sanidine and zircon crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vazquez, J. A.; Matthews, N. E.; Calvert, A. T.

2015-12-01

The last supereruption from the Yellowstone Plateau formed Yellowstone caldera and ejected the >1000 km3 of rhyolite that composes the Lava Creek Tuff (LCT). Tephra from the eruption blanketed much of the western United States, and is a key Quaternary chronostratigraphic marker, in particular for dating deposition of mid-Pleistocene glacial and pluvial deposits in western North America. We performed 40Ar/39Ar dating of single sanidines to delimit eruption age, and ion microprobe U-Pb and trace-element analyses of crystal faces on single zircons to characterize magmatic evolution and date near-eruption crystallization, as well as analyses of crystal interiors to date the interval of zircon crystallization. Sanidines from the two LCT members A and B yield an 40Ar/39Ar isochron date of 631 ± 4 ka (2σ). Crystal faces on zircons from both members yield a weighted mean 206Pb/238U date of 627 ± 6 ka (2σ) and have trace element concentrations that vary with eruptive stratigraphy. Zircon interiors yield a weighted mean 206Pb/238U date of 660 ± 6 ka, and reveal reverse and/or oscillatory zoning of trace element concentrations, with many crystals containing high-U concentrations and dark cathodoluminescence (CL) cores. These crystals with high-U cores are possibly sourced from 'defrosting' of melt-impregnated margins of the growing subvolcanic reservoir. LCT sanidines mirror the variation of zircon composition within the eruptive stratigraphy, with crystals from upper LCT-A and basal LCT-B having bright-CL rims with high Ba concentrations, suggesting late crystallization after addition of less evolved silicic magma. The occurrence of distal LCT in stratigraphic sequences marking the Marine Isotope Stage 16-15 transition supports the apparent eruption age of ca. 631 ka. These results reveal that Lava Creek zircons record episodic heating, renewed crystallization, and an overall up-temperature evolution for Yellowstone's subvolcanic reservoir in the 103-104 year interval

Wave Velocities in Hydrocarbons and Hydrocarbon Saturated - Applications to Eor Monitoring.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhijing

In order to effectively utilize many new seismic technologies and interpret the results, acoustic properties of both reservoir fluids and rocks must be well understood. It is the main purpose of this dissertation to investigate acoustic wave velocities in different hydrocarbons and hydrocarbon saturated rocks under various reservoir conditions. The investigation consists of six laboratory experiments, followed by a series of theoretical and application analyses. All the experiments involve acoustic velocity measurements in hydrocarbons and rocks with different hydrocarbons, using the ultrasonic pulse-transmission methods, at elevated temperatures and pressures. In the experiments, wave velocities are measured versus both temperature and pressure in 50 hydrocarbons. The relations among the acoustic velocity, temperature, pressure, API gravity, and the molecular weight of the hydrocarbons are studied, and empirical equations are established which allow one to calculate the acoustic velocities in hydrocarbons with known API gravities. Wave velocities in hydrocarbon mixtures are related to the composition and the velocities in the components. The experimental results are also analyzed in terms of various existing theories and models of the liquid state. Wave velocities are also measured in various rocks saturated with different hydrocarbons. The compressional wave velocities in rocks saturated with pure hydrocarbons increase with increasing the carbon number of the hydrocarbons. They decrease markedly in all the heavy hydrocarbon saturated rocks as temperature increases. Such velocity decreases set the petrophysical basis for in-situ seismic monitoring thermal enhanced oil recovery processes. The effects of carbon dioxide flooding and different pore fluids on wave velocities in rocks are also investigated. It is highly possible that there exist reflections of seismic waves at the light-heavy oil saturation interfaces in-situ. It is also possible to use seismic methods

Oxygen isotope and trace element evidence for three-stage petrogenesis of the youngest episode (260-79 ka) of Yellowstone rhyolitic volcanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loewen, Matthew W.; Bindeman, Ilya N.

2015-10-01

We report the first high-precision δ18O analyses of glass, δ18O of minerals, and trace element concentrations in glass and minerals for the 260-79 ka Central Plateau Member (CPM) rhyolites of Yellowstone, a >350 km3 cumulative volume of lavas erupted inside of 630 ka Lava Creek Tuff (LCT) caldera. The glass analyses of these crystal-poor rhyolites provide direct characterization of the melt and its evolution through time. The δ18Oglass values are low and mostly homogeneous (4.5 ± 0.14 ‰) within and in between lavas that erupted in four different temporal episodes during 200 ka of CPM volcanism with a slight shift to lower δ18O in the youngest episode (Pitchstone Plateau). These values are lower than Yellowstone basalts (5.7-6 ‰), LCT (5.5 ‰), pre-, and extracaldera rhyolites (~7-8 ‰), but higher than the earliest 550-450 ka post-LCT rhyolites (1-2 ‰). The glass δ18O value is coupled with new clinopyroxene analyses and previously reported zircon analyses to calculate oxygen isotope equilibration temperatures. Clinopyroxene records >900 °C near-liquidus temperatures, while zircon records temperatures <850 °C similar to zircon saturation temperature estimates. Trace element concentrations in the same glass analyzed for oxygen isotopes show evidence for temporal decreases in Ti, Sr, Ba, and Eu—related to Fe-Ti oxide and sanidine (±quartz) crystallization control, while other trace elements remain similar or are enriched through time. The slight temporal increase in glass Zr concentrations may reflect similar or higher temperature magmas (via zircon saturation) through time, while previosuly reported temperature decreases (e.g., Ti-in-quartz) might reflect changing Ti concentrations with progressive melt evolution. Multiple analyses of glass across single samples and in profiles across lava flow surfaces document trace element heterogeneity with compatible behavior of all analyzed elements except Rb, Nb, and U. These new data provide evidence for a

40Ar/39Ar dating and zircon chronochemistry for the Izu-Bonin rear arc, IODP site U1437

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmitt, A. K.; Konrad, K.; Andrews, G. D.; Horie, K.; Brown, S. R.; Koppers, A. A. P.; Busby, C.; Tamura, Y.

2016-12-01

The scientific objective of IODP Expedition 350 drilling at Site U1437 (31°47.390'N, 139°01.580'E) was to reveal the "missing half of the subduction factory": the rear arc of a long-lived intraoceanic subduction zone. Site U1437 lies in a 50 km long and 20 km wide volcano-bounded basin, 90 km west of the Izu arc front, and is the only IODP site drilled in the rear arc. The Izu rear arc is dominated by Miocene basaltic to dacitic seamount chains, which strike at a high angle to the arc front. Radiometric dating targeted a single igneous unit (1390 mbsf), and fine to coarse volcaniclastic units for which we present zircon and 40Ar/39Ar (hornblende, plagioclase, and groundmass) age determinations. All zircons analyzed as grain separates were screened for contamination from drill-mud (Andrews et al., 2016) by analyzing trace elements and, where material was available, O and Hf isotope compositions. Igneous Unit 1 is a rhyolite sheet and yielded concordant in-situ and crystal separate U-Pb zircon ages (13.7±0.3 Ma; MSWD = 1.3; n = 40 spots), whereas the 40Ar/39Ar hornblende plateau age (12.9±0.3; MSWD = 1.1; n = 9 steps) is slightly younger, possibly reflecting pre-eruptive zircon crystallization, or alteration of hornblende. U-Pb zircon and 40Ar/39Ar plateau ages from samples above igneous Unit 1 are concordant with biostratigraphic and paleomagnetic ages (available to 1300 mbsf), but plagioclase and groundmass samples below 1300 m become younger with depth, hinting at post-depositional alteration. A single zircon from 1600 mbsf yielded a U-Pb age of 15.4±1.8 Ma; its trace element composition resembles other igneous zircons from U1437, and is tentatively interpreted as a Middle Miocene age for the lowermost lithostratigraphic unit VII. Oxygen and Hf isotopic values of igneous zircon indicate mantle origins, with some influence of assimilation of hydrothermally altered oceanic crust evident in sub-mantle oxygen isotopic compositions. Lessons from site U1437 are

Using the magmatic record to constrain the growth of continental crust-The Eoarchean zircon Hf record of Greenland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fisher, Christopher M.; Vervoort, Jeffrey D.

2018-04-01

Southern West Greenland contains some of the best-studied and best-preserved magmatic Eoarchean rocks on Earth, and these provide an excellent vantage point from which to view long-standing questions regarding the growth of the earliest continental crust. In order to address the questions surrounding early crustal growth and complementary mantle depletion, we present Laser Ablation Split Stream (LASS) analyses of the U-Pb and Hf isotope compositions of zircon from eleven samples of the least-altered meta-igneous rocks from the Itsaq (Amîtsoq) Gneisses of the Isukasia and Nuuk regions of southern West Greenland. This analytical technique allows a less ambiguous approach to determining the age and Hf isotope composition of complicated zircon. Results corroborate previous findings that Eoarchean zircon from the Itsaq Gneiss (∼3.85 Ga to ∼3.63 Ga) were derived from a broadly chondritic source. In contrast to the Sm-Nd whole rock isotope record for southern West Greenland, the zircon Lu-Hf isotope record provides no evidence for early mantle depletion, nor does it suggest the presence of crust older than ∼3.85 Ga in Greenland. Utilizing LASS U-Pb and Hf data from the Greenland zircons studied here, we demonstrate the importance of focusing on the magmatic (rather than detrital) zircon record to more confidently understand early crustal growth and mantle depletion. We compare the Greenland Hf isotope data with other Eoarchean magmatic complexes such as the Acasta Gneiss Complex, Nuvvuagittuq greenstone belt, and the gneissic complexes of southern Africa, and all lack zircons with suprachondritic Hf isotope compositions. In total, these data suggest only a very modest volume of crust was produced during (or survived from) the Hadean and earliest Eoarchean. There remains no record of planet-scale early Earth mantle depletion in the Hf isotope record prior to 3.8 Ga.

Uranium and minor-element partitioning in Fe-Ti oxides and zircon from partially melted granodiorite, Crater Lake, Oregon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tourrette, T.Z.L.; Burnett, D.S.; Bacon, C.R.

1991-01-01

Crystal-liquid partitioning in Fe-Ti oxides and zircon was studied in partially melted granodiorite blocks ejected during the climactic eruption of Mt. Mazama (Crater Lake), Oregon. The blocks, which contain up to 33% rhyolite glass (75 wt% SiO2), are interpreted to be portions of the magma chamber walls that were torn off during eruption. The glass is clear and well homogenized for all measured elements except Zr. Results for Fe-Ti oxides give DUoxide/liq ??? 0.1. Partitioning of Mg, Mn, Al, Si, V, and Cr in Fe-Ti oxides indicates that grains surrounded by glass are moderately well equilibrated with the melt for many of the minor elements, while those that are inclusions in relict plagioclase are not. Uranium and ytterbium inhomogeneities in zircons indicate that the zircons have only partially equilibrated with the melt and that uranium appears to have been diffusing out of the zircons faster than the zircons were dissolving. Minimum U, Y, and P concentrations in zircons give maximum DUzrc/liq = 13,DYzrc/liq = 23, and DPzrc/liq = 1, but these are considerably lower than reported by other workers for U and Y. Based on our measurements and given their low abundances in most rocks, Fe-Ti oxides probably do not play a major role in U-Th fractionation during partial melting. The partial melts were undersaturated with zircon and apatite, but both phases are present in our samples. This demonstrates an actual case of non-equilibrium source retention of accessory phases, which in general could be an important trace-element fractionation mechanism. Our results do not support the hypothesis that liquid structure is the dominant factor controlling trace-element partitioning in high-silica rhyolites. Rough calculations based on Zr gradients in the glass indicate that the samples could have been partially molten for 800 to 8000 years. ?? 1991.

Anisotropic mechanical properties of zircon and the effect of radiation damage

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Beirau, Tobias; Nix, William D.; Bismayer, Ulrich

2016-06-02

Our study provides new insights into the relationship between radiation-dose-dependent structural damage, due to natural U and Th impurities, and the anisotropic mechanical properties (Poisson s ratio, elastic modulus and hardness) of zircon. Natural zircon samples from Sri Lanka (see Muarakami et al. 1991) and synthetic samples, covering a dose range of zero up to 6.8 x 10 18 -decays/g, have been studied by nanoindentation. Measurements along the [100] crystallographic direction and calculations, based on elastic stiffness constants determined by zkan (1976), revealed a general radiation-induced decrease in stiffness (~ 54 %) and hardness (~ 48 %) and an increasemore » of the Poisson s ratio (~ 54 %) with increasing dose. Additional indentations on selected samples along the [001] allowed one to follow the amorphization process to the point that the mechanical properties are isotropic. This work shows that the radiation-dose-dependent changes of the mechanical properties of zircon can be directly correlated with the amorphous fraction as determined by previous investigations with local and global probes (Rios et al. 2000a; Farnan and Salje 2001; Zhang and Salje 2001). This agreement, revealed by the different methods, indicates a huge influence of structural and even local phenomena on the macroscopic mechanical properties.« less

Development of the Archaean Mallina Basin, Pilbara Craton, northwestern Australia; a study of detrital and inherited zircon ages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smithies, R. H.; Nelson, D. R.; Pike, G.

2001-06-01

SHRIMP U-Pb zircon dates are combined with an examination of the age distribution patterns and provenance of both detrital zircons and of zircon xenocrysts in granites to investigate the development of the Archaean Mallina Basin, in the granite-greenstone terrain of the Pilbara Craton, northwestern Australia. The oldest dated components of the basin are c. 3010 Ma volcaniclastic rocks in the western part of the area. New data indicate that siliciclastic turbidites that dominate the southern and eastern part of the basin were deposited at or after c. 2970 Ma but before c. 2955 Ma. Linking both the detrital zircon populations as well as zircon xenocrysts from granites that intruded the Mallina Basin to well-dated areas of the Pilbara granite-greenstone terrane indicates that the sediment was derived from the south, north, northwest, and east. The basin probably evolved primarily in an intracontinental setting between two elevated land masses to the southeast and northwest. Most of the rocks within the basin were folded before intrusion of granites, the oldest of which has been dated at 2954±4 Ma. Evidence of a second depositional cycle is provided by a maximum depositional age of 2941±9 Ma, indicated by a detrital zircon population from a sample of wacke from the southeast part of the Mallina Basin. This second depositional phase may have been related to renewed extension, and recycling of sedimentary rocks within the basin.

Fabrication of Nanosized Lanthanum Zirconate Powder and Deposition of Thermal Barrier Coating by Plasma Spray Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mishra, S. K.; Jagdeesh, N.; Pathak, L. C.

2016-07-01

The present manuscript discusses our findings on fabrication of nanosized lanthanum zirconate powder for thermal barrier coating application and its coating by plasma spray on nickel-based superalloy substrate. Single-phase La2Zr2O7 coating of thickness of the order of 45 µm on the Ni-Cr-Al bond coat coated Ni-based superalloy substrate was deposited by plasma spray process. The layers at the interface did not show spallation and inter diffusion was very less. The microstructure, interface, porosity, and mechanical properties of different layers are investigated. The lanthanum zirconate hardness and modulus were 10.5 and 277 GPa, respectively. The load depth curve for lanthanum zirconate showed good elastic recovery around 74%.

Zircon crystal morphology and internal structures as a tool for constraining magma sources: Examples from northern Portugal Variscan biotite-rich granite plutons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brites Martins, Helena C.; Simões, Pedro P.; Abreu, Joana

2014-09-01

In northern Portugal, large volumes of granitoids were emplaced during the last stage (D3) of the Variscan orogeny and display a wide range of petrological signatures. We studied the morphologies and internal structures of zircons from syn-, late- and post-D3 granitoids. The sin-D3 granitoids include the Ucanha-Vilar, Lamego, Felgueiras, Sameiro, and Refoios do Lima plutons, the late- and post-D3 granitoids are represented by the Vieira do Minho and the Vila Pouca de Aguiar plutons, respectively. Typological investigations after Pupin (1980) along with scanning electron microprobe imaging reveal that the external morphology of zircon changes consistently with a decrease in the crystallization temperature. Zircon populations from the Refoios do Lima and the Vieira do Minho granites show gradual changes in the internal morphologies and their typologic evolution trends are consistent with their mainly crustal origin. The Sameiro, Felgueiras, Lamego and Ucanha-Vilar granites have more complex internal and external morphology and typological evolution trends that cross the domain of the calc-alkaline to the aluminous granites compatible with a mixing process. Finally, the morphological types of the Vila Pouca de Aguiar granites are found both in calc-alkaline and sub-alkaline granites and their typological evolutionary trends follow the calc-alkaline/sub-alkaline trend, suggesting crustal sources with some mantle contribution.

Effect of temperature on hydration kinetics and polymerization of tricalcium silicate in stirred suspensions of CaO-saturated solutions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Grant, Steven A.; Boitnott, Ginger E.; Korhonen, Charles J.

2006-04-15

Tricalcium silicate was hydrated at 274, 278, 283, 298, and 313 K in stirred suspensions of saturated CaO solutions under a nitrogen-gas atmosphere until the end of deceleratory period. The suspension conductivities and energy flows were measured continuously. The individual reaction rates for tricalcium silicate dissolution, calcium silicate hydrate precipitation, and calcium hydroxide precipitation were calculated from these measurements. The results suggest that the proportion of tricalcium silicate dissolved was determined by the rate of tricalcium silicate dissolution and the time to very rapid calcium hydroxide precipitation. The time to very rapid calcium hydroxide precipitation was more sensitive to changesmore » in temperature than was the rate of tricalcium silicate dissolution, so that the proportion of tricalcium silicate hydration dissolved by the deceleratory period increased with decreasing temperature. The average chain length of the calcium silicate hydrate ascertained by magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy increased with increasing temperature.« less

Provenance from zircon U-Pb age distributions in crustally contaminated granitoids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bahlburg, Heinrich; Berndt, Jasper

2016-05-01

The basement of sedimentary basins is often entirely covered by a potentially multi-stage basin fill and therefore removed from direct observation and sampling. Melts intruding through the basin stratigraphy at a subsequent stage in the geological evolution of a region may assimilate significant volumes of country rocks. This component may be preserved in the intrusive body either as xenoliths or it may be reflected only by the age spectrum of incorporated zircons. Here we present the case of an Ordovician calc-alkaline intrusive belt in NW Argentina named the "Faja Eruptiva de la Puna Oriental" (Faja Eruptiva), which in the course of intrusion sampled the unexposed and unknown basement of the Ordovician basin in this region, and parts of the basin stratigraphy. We present new LA-ICP-MS U-Pb ages on zircons from 9 granodiorites and granites of the Faja Eruptiva. The main part of the Faja Eruptiva intruded c. 445 Ma in the Late Ordovician. The zircon ages obtained from the intrusive rocks have a large spread between 2683.5 ± 21.6 and 440.0 ± 4.9 Ma and reflect the underlying crust and may be interpreted in several ways. The inherited zircons may have been derived from the oldest known unit in the region, the thick siliciclastic turbidite successions of the upper Neoproterozoic-lower Cambrian Puncoviscana Formation, which is inferred to represent the basement of the NW Argentina. The basement to the Puncoviscana Formation is not known. Alternatively, the inherited zircons may reflect the geochronological structure of the entire unexposed Early Paleozoic crust underlying this region of which the Puncoviscana Formation was only one component. This crust likely contained rocks pertaining to and detritus derived from earlier orogenic cycles of the southwestern Amazonia craton, including sources of Early Meso- and Paleoproterozoic age. Detritus derived, in turn, from the Faja Eruptiva intrusive belt reflects the origin of the granitoids as well as the inherited

Tracing the depositional history of Kalimantan diamonds by zircon provenance and diamond morphology studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kueter, Nico; Soesilo, Joko; Fedortchouk, Yana; Nestola, Fabrizio; Belluco, Lorenzo; Troch, Juliana; Wälle, Markus; Guillong, Marcel; Von Quadt, Albrecht; Driesner, Thomas

2016-11-01

Diamonds in alluvial deposits in Southeast Asia are not accompanied by indicator minerals suggesting primary kimberlite or lamproite sources. The Meratus Mountains in Southeast Borneo (Province Kalimantan Selatan, Indonesia) provide the largest known deposit of these so-called "headless" diamond deposits. Proposals for the origin of Kalimantan diamonds include the adjacent Meratus ophiolite complex, ultra-high pressure (UHP) metamorphic terranes, obducted subcontinental lithospheric mantle and undiscovered kimberlite-type sources. Here we report results from detailed sediment provenance analysis of diamond-bearing Quaternary river channel material and from representative outcrops of the oldest known formations within the Alino Group, including the diamond-bearing Campanian-Maastrichtian Manunggul Formation. Optical examination of surfaces of diamonds collected from artisanal miners in the Meratus area (247 stones) and in West Borneo (Sanggau Area, Province Kalimantan Barat; 85 stones) points toward a classical kimberlite-type source for the majority of these diamonds. Some of the diamonds host mineral inclusions suitable for deep single-crystal X-ray diffraction investigation. We determined the depth of formation of two olivines, one coesite and one peridotitic garnet inclusion. Pressure of formation estimates for the peridotitic garnet at independently derived temperatures of 930-1250 °C are between 4.8 and 6.0 GPa. Sediment provenance analysis includes petrography coupled to analyses of detrital garnet and glaucophane. The compositions of these key minerals do not indicate kimberlite-derived material. By analyzing almost 1400 zircons for trace element concentrations with laser ablation ICP-MS (LA-ICP-MS) we tested the mineral's potential as an alternative kimberlite indicator. The screening ultimately resulted in a small subset of ten zircons with a kimberlitic affinity. Subsequent U-Pb dating resulting in Cretaceous ages plus a detailed chemical reflection make

Zircon U-Pb ages and Hf-O isotopic composition of migmatites from the Zanjan-Takab complex, NW Iran: Constraints on partial melting of metasediments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moghadam, Hadi Shafaii; Li, Xian-Hua; Stern, Robert J.; Ghorbani, Ghasem; Bakhshizad, Farzaneh

2016-01-01

We study migmatites and other metamorphic rocks in the Zanjan-Takab region of NW Iran and use these results to report the first evidence of Oligocene core complex formation in Iran. Four samples of migmatites associated with paragneisses, including leucosomes and associated para-amphibolite melanosomes were selected for U-Pb dating and Hf-O isotopic analysis. Zircon cores - interpreted as originally detrital zircons - have variable ages that peak at ca. 100-110 Ma, but their sedimentation age - indicated by the youngest 206Pb/238U ages - is ca. 35-40 Ma. New zircons associated with incipient melting occur as overgrowths around zircon cores and/or as newly grown grains. Morphologies and internal structures suggest that rim growth and formation of new zircons were associated with partial melting. All four samples contain zircons with rims that yield 206Pb/238U ages of 28-25 Ma, indicating that partial melting occurred in Late Oligocene time. δ18O values for zircon rims vary between 8.2 and 12.3‰, significantly higher than expected for mantle inputs (δ18O 6‰) and consistent with equilibrium with surface materials. Zircon rims yield εHf(t) between 2.2 and 12.4 and two-stage Hf model ages of 448-562 Ma, indicating that the region is underlain by Cadomian-Caledonian crust. According to the Hf-O isotopic values, the main mechanism forming zircon rims was dissolution of pre-existing detrital zircons with reprecipitation of new zircon shortly thereafter. Oligocene ages indicate that partial melting accompanied core complex formation in the Zanjan-Takab region. Extension, melting, and core complex formation in south-central Iran are Eocene in age, but younger ages of Oligocene-Miocene in NW Iran and Turkey indicate that extension was distributed throughout the region during Cenozoic time.

Saturated fat (image)

MedlinePlus

... saturated fats. Vegetable sources of saturated fat include coconut and palm oils. When looking at a food ... saturated fats. Vegetable sources of saturated fat include coconut and palm oils. When looking at a food ...

Detrital zircon evidence for progressive underthrusting in Franciscan metagraywackes, west-central California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Snow, C.A.; Wakabayashi, J.; Ernst, W.G.; Wooden, J.L.

2010-01-01

We present new U/Pb ages for detrital zircons separated from six quartzose metagraywackes collected from different Franciscan Complex imbricate nappes around San Francisco Bay. All six rocks contain a broad spread of Late Jurassic-Cretaceous grains originating from the Klamath-Sierra Nevada volcanic-plutonic arc. Units young structurally downward, consistent with models of progressive underplating and offscraping within a subduction complex. The youngest specimen is from the structurally lowest San Bruno Mountain sheet; at 52 Ma, it evidently was deposited during the Eocene. None of the other metagraywackes yielded zircon ages younger than 83 Ma. Zircons from both El Cerrito units are dominated by ca. 100-160 Ma grains; the upper El Cerrito also contains several grains in the 1200-1800 Ma interval. These samples are nearly identical to 97 Ma metasedimentary rock from the Hunters Point shear zone. Zircon ages from this m??lange block exhibit a broad distribution, ranging from 97 to 200 Ma, with only a single pre-Mesozoic age. The Albany Hill specimen has a distribution of pre-Mesozoic grains from 1300 to 1800 Ma, generally similar to that of the upper El Cerrito sheet; however, it contains zircons as young as 83 Ma, suggesting that it is significantly younger than the upper El Cerrito unit. The Skaggs Spring Schist is the oldest studied unit; its youngest analyzed grains were ca. 144 Ma, and it is the only investigated specimen to display a significant Paleozoic detrital component. Sedimentation and subduction-accretion of this tract of the trench complex took place along the continental margin during Early to early-Late Cretaceous time, and perhaps into Eocene time. Franciscan and Great Valley deposition attests to erosion of an Andean arc that was active over the entire span from ca. 145 to 80 Ma, with an associated accretionary prism built by progressive underthrusting. We use these new data to demonstrate that the eastern Franciscan Complex in the northern and

Oxalate co-precipitation synthesis of calcium zirconate and calcium titanate powders.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hernandez-Sanchez, Bernadette A.; Tuttle, Bruce Andrew

2009-06-01

Fine powders of calcium zirconate (CaZrO{sub 3}, CZ) and calcium titanate (CaTiO{sub 3}, CT) were synthesized using a nonaqueous oxalate co-precipitation route from Ca(NO{sub 3}){sub 2}{center_dot}4 H{sub 2}O and group(IV) n-butoxides (Ti(OBu{sup n}){sub 4} or Zr(OBu{sup n}){sub 4}). Several reaction conditions and batch sizes (2-35 g) were explored to determine their influence on final particle size, morphology, and phase. Characterization of the as-prepared oxalate precursors, oven dried oxalate precursors (60-90 C), and calcined powders (635-900 C) were analyzed with TGA/DTA, XRD, TEM, and SEM. Densification and sintering studies on pressed CZ pellets at 1375 and 1400 C were also performed.more » Through the developed oxalate co-precipitation route, densification temperatures for CZ were lowered by 125 C from the 1500 C firing temperature required for conventional mixed oxide powders. Low field electrical tests of the CZ pellets indicated excellent dielectric properties with dielectric constants of {approx}30 and a dissipation factor of 0.0004 were measured at 1 kHz.« less

Using random forests to explore the effects of site attributes and soil properties on near-saturated and saturated hydraulic conductivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jorda, Helena; Koestel, John; Jarvis, Nicholas

2014-05-01

Knowledge of the near-saturated and saturated hydraulic conductivity of soil is fundamental for understanding important processes like groundwater contamination risks or runoff and soil erosion. Hydraulic conductivities are however difficult and time-consuming to determine by direct measurements, especially at the field scale or larger. So far, pedotransfer functions do not offer an especially reliable alternative since published approaches exhibit poor prediction performances. In our study we aimed at building pedotransfer functions by growing random forests (a statistical learning approach) on 486 datasets from the meta-database on tension-disk infiltrometer measurements collected from peer-reviewed literature and recently presented by Jarvis et al. (2013, Influence of soil, land use and climatic factors on the hydraulic conductivity of soil. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 17(12), 5185-5195). When some data from a specific source publication were allowed to enter the training set whereas others were used for validation, the results of a 10-fold cross-validation showed reasonable coefficients of determination of 0.53 for hydraulic conductivity at 10 cm tension, K10, and 0.41 for saturated conductivity, Ks. The estimated average annual temperature and precipitation at the site were the most important predictors for K10, while bulk density and estimated average annual temperature were most important for Ks prediction. The soil organic carbon content and the diameter of the disk infiltrometer were also important for the prediction of both K10 and Ks. However, coefficients of determination were around zero when all datasets of a specific source publication were excluded from the training set and exclusively used for validation. This may indicate experimenter bias, or that better predictors have to be found or that a larger dataset has to be used to infer meaningful pedotransfer functions for saturated and near-saturated hydraulic conductivities. More research is in progress

Factors influencing spatial variability in nitrogen processing in nitrogen-saturated soils

Treesearch

Frank S. Gilliam; Charles C. Somerville; Nikki L. Lyttle; Mary Beth Adams

2001-01-01

Nitrogen (N) saturation is an environmental concern for forests in the eastern U.S. Although several watersheds of the Fernow Experimental Forest (FEF), West Virginia exhibit symptoms of N saturation, many watersheds display a high degree of spatial variability in soil N processing. This study examined the effects of temperature on net N mineralization and...

Thermomagmatic evolution of Mesoproterozoic crust in the Blue Ridge of SW Virginia and NW North Carolina: Evidence from U-Pb geochronology and zircon geothermometry

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tollo, Richard P.; Aleinikoff, John N.; Wooden, Joseph L.; Mazdab, Frank K.; Southworth, Scott; Fanning, Mark C.

2010-01-01

New geologic mapping, petrology, and U-Pb geochronology indicate that Mesoproterozoic crust near Mount Rogers consists of felsic to mafic meta-igneous rocks emplaced over 260 m.y. The oldest rocks are compositionally diverse and migmatitic, whereas younger granitoids are porphyritic to porphyroclastic. Cathodoluminescence imaging indicates that zircon from four representative units preserves textural evidence of multiple episodes of growth, including domains of igneous, metamorphic, and inherited origin. Sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) trace-element analyses indicate that metamorphic zircon is characterized by lower Th/U, higher Yb/Gd, and lower overall rare earth element (REE) concentrations than igneous zircon. SHRIMP U-Pb isotopic analyses of zircon define three episodes of magmatism: 1327 ± 7 Ma, 1180–1155 Ma, and 1061 ± 5 Ma. Crustal recycling is recorded by inherited igneous cores of 1.33–1.29 Ga age in 1161 ± 7 Ma meta-monzogranite. Overlapping ages of igneous and metamorphic crystallization indicate that plutons of ca. 1170 and 1060 Ma age were emplaced during episodes of regional heating. Local development of hornblende + plagioclase + quartz ± clinopyroxene indicates that prograde metamorphism at 1170–1145 Ma and 1060–1020 Ma reached upper-amphibolite-facies conditions, with temperatures estimated using Ti-in-zircon geothermometry at ~740 ± 40 °C during both episodes. The chemical composition of 1327 ± 7 Ma orthogranofels from migmatite preserves the first evidence of arc-generated rocks in the Blue Ridge, indicating a subduction-related environment that may have been comparable to similar-age systems in inliers of the Northern Appalachians and the Composite Arc belt of Canada. Granitic magmatism at 1180–1155 Ma and ca. 1060 Ma near Mount Rogers was contemporaneous with anorthosite-mangerite-charnockite-granite (AMCG) plutonism in the Northern Appalachian inliers and Canadian Grenville Province. Metamorphism at ca. 1160

Dissolved oxygen saturation controls PAH biodegradation in freshwater estuary sediments.

PubMed

Boyd, T J; Montgomery, M T; Steele, J K; Pohlman, J W; Reatherford, S R; Spargo, B J; Smith, D C

2005-02-01

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are common contaminants in terrestrial and aquatic environments and can represent a significant constituent of the carbon pool in coastal sediments. We report here the results of an 18-month seasonal study of PAH biodegradation and heterotrophic bacterial production and their controlling biogeochemical factors from 186 sediment samples taken in a tidally influenced freshwater estuary. For each sampling event, measurements were averaged from 25-45 stations covering approximately 250 km(2). There was a clear relationship between bacterial production and ambient temperature, but none between production and bottom water dissolved oxygen (DO) % saturation or PAH concentrations. In contrast with other studies, we found no effect of temperature on the biodegradation of naphthalene, phenanthrene, or fluoranthene. PAH mineralization correlated with bottom water DO saturation above 70% (r(2) > 0.99). These results suggest that the proportional utilization of PAH carbon to natural organic carbon is as much as three orders of magnitude higher during cooler months, when water temperatures are lower and DO % saturation is higher. Infusion of cooler, well-oxygenated water to the water column overlying contaminated sediments during the summer months may stimulate PAH metabolism preferentially over non-PAH organic matter.

Age of the Lava Creek supereruption and magma chamber assembly at Yellowstone based on 40Ar/39Ar and U-Pb dating of sanidine and zircon crystals

USGS Publications Warehouse

Matthews, Naomi E.; Vazquez, Jorge A.; Calvert, Andrew T.

2015-01-01

The last supereruption from the Yellowstone Plateau formed Yellowstone caldera and ejected the >1000 km3 of rhyolite that composes the Lava Creek Tuff. Tephra from the Lava Creek eruption is a key Quaternary chronostratigraphic marker, in particular for dating the deposition of mid Pleistocene glacial and pluvial deposits in western North America. To resolve the timing of eruption and crystallization history for the Lava Creek magma, we performed (1) 40Ar/39Ar dating of single sanidine crystals to delimit eruption age and (2) ion microprobe U-Pb and trace-element analyses of the crystal faces and interiors of single zircons to date the interval of zircon crystallization and characterize magmatic evolution. Sanidines from the two informal members composing Lava Creek Tuff yield a preferred 40Ar/39Ar isochron date of 631.3 ± 4.3 ka. Crystal faces on zircons from both members yield a weighted mean 206Pb/238U date of 626.5 ± 5.8 ka, and have trace element concentrations that vary with the eruptive stratigraphy. Zircon interiors yield a mean 206Pb/238U date of 659.8 ± 5.5 ka, and reveal reverse and/or oscillatory zoning of trace element concentrations, with many crystals containing high U concentration cores that likely grew from highly evolved melt. The occurrence of distal Lava Creek tephra in stratigraphic sequences marking the Marine Isotope Stage 16–15 transition supports the apparent eruption age of ∼631 ka. The combined results reveal that Lava Creek zircons record episodic heating, renewed crystallization, and an overall up-temperature evolution for Yellowstone's subvolcanic reservoir in the 103−104 year interval before eruption.

In situ location and U-Pb dating of small zircon grains in igneous rocks using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-quadrupole mass spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sack, Patrick J.; Berry, Ron F.; Meffre, Sebastien; Falloon, Trevor J.; Gemmell, J. Bruce; Friedman, Richard M.

2011-05-01

A new U-Pb zircon dating protocol for small (10-50 μm) zircons has been developed using an automated searching method to locate zircon grains in a polished rock mount. The scanning electron microscope-energy-dispersive X ray spectrum-based automated searching method can routinely find in situ zircon grains larger than 5 μm across. A selection of these grains was ablated using a 10 μm laser spot and analyzed in an inductively coupled plasma-quadrupole mass spectrometer (ICP-QMS). The technique has lower precision (˜6% uncertainty at 95% confidence on individual spot analyses) than typical laser ablation ICP-MS (˜2%), secondary ion mass spectrometry (<1%), and isotope dilution-thermal ionization mass spectrometry (˜0.4%) methods. However, it is accurate and has been used successfully on fine-grained lithologies, including mafic rocks from island arcs, ocean basins, and ophiolites, which have traditionally been considered devoid of dateable zircons. This technique is particularly well suited for medium- to fine-grained mafic volcanic rocks where zircon separation is challenging and can also be used to date rocks where only small amounts of sample are available (clasts, xenoliths, dredge rocks). The most significant problem with dating small in situ zircon grains is Pb loss. In our study, many of the small zircons analyzed have high U contents, and the isotopic compositions of these grains are consistent with Pb loss resulting from internal α radiation damage. This problem is not significant in very young rocks and can be minimized in older rocks by avoiding high-U zircon grains.

Zircon Supported Copper Catalysts for the Steam Reforming of Methanol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Widiastri, M.; Fendy, Marsih, I. N.

2008-03-01

Steam reforming of methanol (SRM) is known as one of the most favorable catalytic processes for producing hydrogen. Current research on zirconia, ZrO2 supported copper catalyst revealed that CuO/ZrO2 as an active catalyst for the SRM. Zircon, ZrSiO4 is available from the by-product of tin mining. In the work presented here, the catalytic properties of CuO/ZrSiO4 with various copper oxide compositions ranging from 2.70% (catalyst I), 4.12% (catalyst II), and 7.12%-mass (catalyst III), synthesized by an incipient wetness impregnation technique, were investigated to methanol conversion, selectivity towards CO formation, and effect of ZnO addition (7.83%CuO/8.01%ZnO/ZrSiO4 = catalyst V). The catalytic activity was obtained using a fixed bed reactor and the zircon supported catalyst activity was compared to those of CuO/ZnO/Al2O3 catalyst (catalyst IV) and commercial Kujang LTSC catalyst. An X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) analysis was done to identify the abundant phases of the catalysts. The catalysts topography and particle diameter were measured with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and composition of the catalysts was measured by SEM-EDX, scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive using X-ray analysis. The results of this research provide information on the possibility of using zircon (ZrSiO4) as solid support for SRM catalysts.

Process-Property Relationship for Air Plasma-Sprayed Gadolinium Zirconate Coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dwivedi, Gopal; Tan, Yang; Viswanathan, Vaishak; Sampath, Sanjay

2015-02-01

The continuous need of elevating operating temperature of gas turbine engines has introduced several challenges with the current state-of-the-art yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ)-based thermal barrier coatings (TBCs), requiring examination of new TBC material with high temperature phase stability, lower thermal conductivity, and resistance to environmental ash particles. Gadolinium zirconate (Gd2Zr2O7) (GDZ) has been shown to meet many of these requirements, and has, in fact, been successfully implemented in to engine components. However, several fundamental issues related to the process-ability, toughness, and microstructural differences for GDZ when compared to equivalent YSZ coating. This study seeks to critically address the process-structure-property correlations for plasma-sprayed GDZ coating subjected to controlled parametric exploration. Use of in-flight diagnostics coupled with in situ and ex situ coating property monitoring allows examination and comparison of the process-property interplay and the resultant differences between the two TBC compositions. The results indicate that it is feasible to retain material chemistry and fabricate relevant microstructures of interest with GDZ with concomitant performance advantages such as low conductivity, mechanical compliance, sintering resistance, and suppression of environmentally induced damage from ash particles. This study provides a framework for optimal design and manufacturing of emergent multi-layer and multi-material TBCs.

Correlating rates of magmatic arc unroofing and sedimentation using detrital zircon U/Pb and (U-Th)/He thermochronology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fosdick, J. C.

2017-12-01

Double and triple dating of minerals using multiple geo-thermochronometers has revolutionized efforts to evaluate complex thermotectonic histories of orogens, isolate unique sedimentary sources, and quantify basin burial reheating. A persisting challenge is to distinguish volcanic sources from rapidly exhumed sources, with the simplistic premise that coincident cooling dates among high- to low-temperature thermochronometers are diagnostic of volcanic sources. Coupled zircon U/Pb and (U-Th)/He geo-thermochronometry from the Miocene Bermejo foreland basin in the southern Central Andes reveals a high temporal resolution of unroofing signatures of the Choiyoi Group, a Permian-Triassic silicic volcanic and plutonic complex, and the Pennsylvanian-Permian Colangüil batholith. Both units are important sediment sources within the High Andes for the Cenozoic east-flowing sediment routing systems. Results show fluvial sourcing of Colangüil detrital zircons with progressively greater partial loss of He (<8% to 12-23% fractional loss from 9.5 Ma to 6 Ma), as indicated by upsection younging of zircon He dates for a given U/Pb age cluster. These findings suggest erosion of increasingly deeper levels of the Colangüil arc during late Miocene development of the High Andes. This progression of higher He loss and thus younger He dates during sedimentation for a given U/Pb age cluster is analogous to the magmatic arc unroofing trend revealed by undissected to dissected arc provenance fields in sandstone petrography. Multi-method thermochronometry of detrital minerals may reveal an added level of information regarding rates of cooling, unroofing, and thermal evolution of magmatic systems as preserved in the detrital record.

Investigation of Primary Dew-Point Saturator Efficiency in Two Different Thermal Environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zvizdic, D.; Heinonen, M.; Sestan, D.

2015-08-01

The aim of this paper is to describe the evaluation process of the performance of the low-range saturator (LRS), when exposed to two different thermal environments. The examined saturator was designed, built, and tested at MIKES (Centre for Metrology and Accreditation, Finland), and then transported to the Laboratory for Process Measurement (LPM) in Croatia, where it was implemented in a new dew-point calibration system. The saturator works on a single-pressure-single-pass generation principle in the dew/frost-point temperature range between and . The purpose of the various tests performed at MIKES was to examine the efficiency and non-ideality of the saturator. As a test bath facility in Croatia differs from the one used in Finland, the same tests were repeated at LPM, and the effects of different thermal conditions on saturator performance were examined. Thermometers, pressure gauges, an air preparation system, and water for filling the saturator at LPM were also different than those used at MIKES. Results obtained by both laboratories indicate that the efficiency of the examined saturator was not affected either by the thermal conditions under which it was tested or by equipment used for the tests. Both laboratories concluded that LRS is efficient enough for a primary realization of the dew/frost-point temperature scale in the range from to , with flow rates between and . It is also shown that a considerable difference of the pre-saturator efficiency, indicated by two laboratories, did not have influence to the overall performance of the saturator. The results of the research are presented in graphical and tabular forms. This paper also gives a brief description of the design and operation principle of the investigated low-range saturator.

Detrital zircon U-Pb Geochronology of the Boleo Formation of Santa RosalÍa Basin, Baja California Sur, México

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henry, M.; Alvarez Ortega, K. G.; Banes, A.; Holm-Denoma, C.; Busby, C.; Niemi, T.

2017-12-01

The Santa Rosalía Basin (SRB) is a rift basin related to the opening of the Gulf of California. The Boleo Formation is the oldest and dominant sedimentary fill of the SRB, with a poorly constrained age. We carried out a U-Pb detrital zircon (DZ) study of the Boleo Formation to constrain its maximum depositional age. The Boleo Formation has a basal limestone-gypsum section, overlain by an up to 250 m thick clastic sequence, with coarsening upward cycles of mudstone, sandstone, and conglomerate. Cu-Zn-Co-Mn stratiform ore deposits ("mantos") cap the conglomerate in each cycle, numbered 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 (from top to bottom of section1). Sandstone samples were collected for U-Pb detrital zircon geochronology from four stratigraphic levels beneath a manto, including one each below mantos 1, 3 and 4, as well as two localities beneath manto 2. Additionally, one sample was collected above the gypsum. The sandstones are lithic feldspathic wackes derived from erosion of andesitic arc volcanic rocks, which generally lack zircon, so large DZ samples were collected. A field Wilfley table was constructed from local materials as a first step to concentrate heavy minerals, from 88 kg/sample to 16 kg/sample. The field-processed samples were further concentrated in the lab using standard zircon separation methods. Yields were excellent, 1,000 zircons per sample. We analyzed 315 zircons per sample by LA-ICPMS, using the Arizona LaserChron Center. DZ ages from the Boleo Formation range dominantly from Late Miocene through Early Cretaceous, with minor Paleozoic and Precambrian ages. However, the maximum depositional age of the formation is constrained by 40 Ar/39 Ar age of 9.42 +/- 0.29 Ma on underlying volcanic rocks2. Only 5 to 22 zircons per sample are less than 10 Ma, and of those, all stratigraphic levels are dominated mostly by 9 Ma zircons, except for the stratigraphically highest sample. Zircons from this form a coherent group of 3 with a TuffZirc age of 6.04 +/- 0.02 (75

Characteristics of zircons from volcanic ash-derived tonsteins in Late Permian coal fields of eastern Yunnan, China

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zhou, Y.; Ren, Y.; Tang, D.; Bohor, B.

1994-01-01

Kaolinitic tonsteins of altered synsedimentary volcanic ash-fall origin are well developed in the Late Permian coal-bearing formations of eastern Yunnan Province. Because of their unique origin, wide lateral extent, relatively constant thickness and sharp contacts with enclosing strata, great importance has been attached to these isochronous petrographic markers. In order to compare tonsteins with co-existing, non-cineritic claystones and characterize the individuality of tonsteins from different horizons for coal bed correlation, a semi-quantitative method was developed that is based on statistical analyses of the concentration and morphology of zircons and their spatial distribution patterns. This zircon-based analytical method also serves as a means for reconstructing volcanic ash-fall dispersal patterns. The results demonstrate that zircons from claystones of two different origins (i.e., tonstein and non-cineritic claystone) differ greatly in their relative abundances, crystal morphologies and spatial distribution patterns. Tonsteins from the same area but from different horizons are characterized by their own unique statistical patterns in terms of zircon concentration values and morphologic parameters (crystal length, width and the ratio of these values), thus facilitating stratigraphic correlation. Zircons from the same tonstein horizon also show continuous variation in these statistical patterns as a function of areal distribution, making it possible to identify the main path and direction in which the volcanic source materials were transported by prevailing winds. ?? 1994.

Hydrothermal synthesis of doped lanthanum zirconate nanomaterials and the effect of V–Ge substitution on their structural, electrical and dielectric properties

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Farid, Muhammad Asim; Asghar, Muhammad Adnan; Ashiq, Muhammad Naeem, E-mail: naeemashiqqau@yahoo.com

2014-11-15

Graphical abstract: Variation of dielectric constant with frequency for all the synthesized materials. - Highlights: • Hydrothermal method has been successfully employed to synthesize the zirconates. • XRD confirmed the formation of required phase. • Increased electrical resistivity makes these materials useful for microwave devices. • Dielectric parameters of zirconates decrease with increasing frequency. • Dielectric constant decreases with increasing substituents concentration. - Abstract: A hydrothermal method was successfully employed for the synthesis of a series of vanadium and germanium co-doped pyrochlore lanthanum zirconates with composition La{sub 2−x}V{sub x}Zr{sub 2−y}Ge{sub y}O{sub 7} (where x, y = 0.0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75more » and 1.0). The XRD and FTIR analyses confirmed the formation of single phase except vanadium and germanium substituted samples and the crystallite sizes are in the range of 7–31 nm for V{sup 3+}–Ge{sup 4+} substituted samples. The theoretical compositions are confirmed by the ED-XRF studies. The room temperature electrical resistivity increase with the substituents concentration which suggests that the synthesized materials can be used for microwave devices as such devices required highly resistive materials. Dielectric properties were measured in the frequency range of 6 kHz to 1 MHz. The dielectric parameters decrease with increase in frequency. The DC resistivity data is in good agreement with the dielectric data.« less

Effects of Hypothermic Cardiopulmonary Bypass on Internal Jugular Bulb Venous Oxygen Saturation, Cerebral Oxygen Saturation, and Bispectral Index in Pediatric Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery: A Prospective Study

PubMed Central

Hu, Zhiyong; Xu, Lili; Zhu, Zhirui; Seal, Robert; McQuillan, Patrick M.

2016-01-01

Abstract The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) on cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO2), internal jugular bulb venous oxygen saturation (SjvO2), mixed venous oxygen saturation (SvO2), and bispectral index (BIS) used to monitor cerebral oxygen balance in pediatric patients. Sixty American Society of Anesthesiologists Class II-III patients aged 1 to 4 years old with congenital heart disease scheduled for elective cardiac surgery were included in this study. Temperature, BIS, rSO2, mean arterial pressure, central venous pressure, cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP), and hematocrit were recorded. Internal jugular bulb venous oxygen saturation and SvO2 were obtained from blood gas analysis at the time points: after induction of anesthesia (T0), beginning of CPB (T1), ascending aortic occlusion (T2), 20 minutes after initiating CPB (T3), coronary reperfusion (T4), separation from CPB (T5), and at the end of operation (T6). The effect of hypothermia or changes in CPP on rSO2, SjvO2, SvO2, and BIS were analyzed. Compared with postinduction baseline values, rSO2 significantly decreased at all-time points: onset of extracorporeal circulation, ascending aortic occlusion, 20 minutes after CPB initiation, coronary reperfusion, and separation from CPB (P < 0.05). Compared with measurements made following induction of anesthesia, SjvO2 significantly increased with initiation of CPB, ascending aortic occlusion, 20 minutes after initiating CPB, coronary reperfusion, and separation from CPB (P < 0.05). Compared with induction of anesthesia, BIS significantly decreased with the onset of CPB, aortic cross clamping, 20 minutes after initiating CPB, and coronary reperfusion (P < 0.05). Bispectral index increased following separation from CPB. There was no significant change in SvO2 during cardiopulmonary bypass (P > 0.05). Correlation analysis demonstrated that rSO2 was positively related to CPP (r = 0.687, P�

Gamma-rays attenuation of zircons from Cambodia and South Africa at different energies: A new technique for identifying the origin of gemstone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Limkitjaroenporn, P.; Kaewkhao, J.

2014-10-01

In this work, the gamma-rays interaction properties of zircons from Cambodia and South Africa have been studied. The densities of Cambodian and South African's zircons are 4.6716±0.0040 g/cm3 and 4.5505±0.0018 g/cm3, respectively. The mass attenuation coefficient and the effective atomic number of gemstones were measured with the gamma-ray in energies range 223-662 keV using the Compton scattering technique. The mass attenuation coefficients of both zircons decreased with the increasing of gamma-rays energies. The different mass attenuation coefficients between the two zircons observed at gamma-ray energies below 400 keV are attributed to the differences in the photoelectric interaction. The effective atomic number of zircons was decreased with the increasing of gamma-ray energies and showed totally different values between the Cambodia and South Africa sources. The origins of the two zircons could be successfully identified by the method based on gamma-rays interaction with matter with advantage of being a non-destructive testing.

U-Xe Degassing Ages of Terrestrial and Lunar Impact Zircons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crow, C. A.; Crowther, S. A.; Gilmour, J. D.; Busemann, H.; Moser, D. E.; McKeegan, K. D.

2015-07-01

We present U-Xe degassing ages for individual zircons from Apollo 14 samples and the terrestrial impact structure at Vrederfort, South Africa. Preliminary results suggest the degassing ages are consistent with or younger than their 207Pb-206Pb ages.

Detrital zircon geochronology support for Baja-BC hypothesis or Why zircons in the Nanaimo Basin, British Columbia are not from the Rocky Mountains.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guest, B.; Matthews, W.; Hubbard, S. M.; Coutts, D. S.; Bain, H.

2016-12-01

The development of Cordilleran orogen of western North American is disputed despite a century of study. Paleomagnetic observations require large-scale dextral displacement of crustal fragments along the western margin of North America, from low latitudes to moderate latitudes during the Cretaceous-Paleogene. A lack of corroborating geological evidence for large-scale displacements has prevented the widespread integration of paleomagnetic data into contemporary tectonic models for the margin. Here we investigate the Cretaceous paleogeographic position of the Baja-BC block, a crustal fragment consisting of the Alexander and Wrangel terranes, using detrital zircons from the Nanaimo Basin of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. We compare 4310 detrital zircon U/Pb analyses from 16 samples to potential source areas in western North America to test hypothesized northern and southern paleogeographic positions. Our detrital zircon data suggest that sediment in the Nanaimo Basin derives from the Mojave-Sonoran Region of southwestern North America, supporting a southerly late Cretaceous paleogeographic position. We present a speculative Cretaceous to Paleogene paleogeographic reconstruction for the southwestern United States and northern Mexico that accommodates the presence, and northward transport, of the Baja-BC block. We propose that the Western Coast Mountains Batholith and the Nanaimo Basin represent the missing segment of the Mesozoic magmatic arc and associated forearc regions, between the Sierra Nevada and Peninsular Ranges Batholiths. This segment was translated northward following capture by the Kula plate. As such, we reconcile the paleomagnetic data for the Baja-BC block with the geology of the southwestern United States. Our model, albeit speculative, is compatible with the large-scale tectonic and magmatic processes that affected western North America in the Late Cretaceous and Paleogene.

From opening to subduction of an oceanic domain constrained by LA-ICP-MS U-Pb zircon dating (Variscan belt, Southern Armorican Massif, France)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paquette, J.-L.; Ballèvre, M.; Peucat, J.-J.; Cornen, G.

2017-12-01

In the Variscan belt of Western Europe, the lifetime and evolution of the oceanic domain is poorly constrained by sparse, outdated and unreliable multigrain ID-TIMS U-Pb zircon dating. In this article, we present a complete in situ LA-ICP-MS dataset of about 300 U-Pb zircon analyses obtained on most of the ophiolitic and eclogitic outcrops of Southern Brittany, comprising new dating of previously published zircon populations and newly discovered rock samples. In situ dating and cathodo-luminescence imaging of each zircon grain yields new absolute time-constraints on the evolution of the Galicia-Moldanubian Ocean. The new results confirm that the opening of this oceanic domain is well defined at about 490 Ma. In contrast, the generally-quoted 400-410 Ma-age for the high-pressure event related to the subduction of the oceanic crust is definitely not recorded in the zircons of the eclogites. In light of these new data, we propose that the obduction of oceanic rocks occurred at about 370-380 Ma while the high-pressure event is recorded at 355 Ma in only a few zircon grains of some eclogite samples. Additionally, this large scale dating project demonstrates that the zircons from eclogites do not systematically recrystallise during the high pressure event and consequently their U-Pb systems do not record that metamorphism systematically. These zircons rather preserve the isotopic memory of the magmatic crystallization of their igneous protolith. Another example of an eclogite sample from the French Massif Central illustrates the frequent mistake in the interpretation of the ages of the early hydrothermal alteration of zircons in the oceanic crust versus partial or complete recrystallization during eclogite facies metamorphism.

Interaction of the Siberian craton and Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) recorded by detrital zircons from Transbaikalia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Powerman, V.; Shatsillo, A.; Chumakov, N.; Kapitonov, I.; Hourigan, J. K.

2015-12-01

The goal of this study is to pinpoint the beginning of interaction of two gigantic crustal structures: the Siberian Craton and the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB). We hypothesize that the beginning of convergence should be recorded in the Neoproterozoic passive margin strata of Siberian Craton by the first appearance of extraregional Neoproterozoic zircons. In order to test this hypothesis, we have acquired U-Pb zircon age distributions from twelve Neoproterozoic clastic rocks from the Baikal-Patom margin of Siberia and one sample from the volcaniclastic Padrinsky Group that was deposited atop accreted CAOB crust. Stratigraphically lower strata from the Siberian margin yield Archean - Paleoproterozoic detrital zircon ages, which are similar to, and probably derived from the Siberian Precambrian craton. A few extra-regional Mesoproterozoic grains are also present. The provenance shift happens in the upper portion of the section and is marked by a strong influx of extra-regional Neoproterozoic sediments. The youngest grains of 610 Ma constrain the sedimentation age and confine the timing of interaction between CAOB and Siberia in this region. Neoproterozoic zircons also dominate the overlying sedimentary unit, suggesting the continuance of the convergence. The coeval volcanoclastic unit on the CAOB side has a similar U-Pb detrital age distribution, strengthening the provenance link. Analysis of the local tectonics suggests that the beginning of accretion might have started even before the first appearance of Neoproterozoic zircon: during the development of a regional unconformity, capped by 635 Ma (?) "Snowball Earth" tillites of Dzhemkukan Fm. The absence of Neoproterozoic zircons in Dzhemkukan Fm. is probably explained by a thin-skinned tectonics that did not result in massive orogenesis . Our data are in good correlation with other Neoproterozoic sedimentary basins of southern Siberian Craton, including Cisbaikalia and Bodaibo Synclinorium.

Depositional ages of clastic metasediments from Samos and Syros, Greece: results of a detrital zircon study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Löwen, Kersten; Bröcker, Michael; Berndt, Jasper

2015-01-01

Siliciclastic metasediments from the islands of Samos and Syros, Cycladic blueschist unit, Greece, were studied to determine maximum sedimentation ages. Four samples from the Ampelos unit on Samos yielded age distribution spectra that range from ~320 Ma to ~3.2 Ga with a dominance of Cambrian-Neoproterozoic zircons (500-1,100 Ma). The youngest well-constrained age groups cluster at 500-550 Ma. Our results allow to link the Samos metasediments with occurrences showing similar age distribution patterns elsewhere in the eastern Mediterranean region (Greece, Turkey, Libya, Israel and Jordan) that record the influx of `Pan-African' detritus. The lack of post-500-Ma zircons in the Samos samples is in marked contrast to the data from Syros that indicates Triassic to Cretaceous depositional ages. The samples from Syros were collected from the matrix of a meta-ophiolitic mélange that is exposed near the top of the metamorphic succession as well as from outcrops representing the basal part of the underlying marble-schist sequence. The zircon populations from Syros were mainly supplied by Mesozoic sources dominated by Triassic protolith ages. Subordinate is the importance of pre-Triassic zircons, but this may reflect bias induced by the research strategy. Sediment accumulation continued until Late Cretaceous time, but the overall contribution of Jurassic to Cretaceous detritus is more limited. Zircon populations are dominated by grains with small degree of rounding suggesting relatively short sediment transportation. Available observations are in accordance with a model suggesting deposition close to the magmatic source rocks.

Preliminary study on multi-element profile mapping of crustal and mantle zircons by using Synchrotron Radiation X-ray Fluorescence (SR-XRF)