A new method for estimating parent rock trace element concentrations from zircon

Abstract

Zircon/bulk rock REE partition coefficients from natural samples correlate with REE concentration in zircon. The correlation is the strongest for the LREE and diminishes with decreasing ionic radius. The relationship between partition coefficient and REE concentration in zircon can be modeled as a power law and the coefficient (α) and exponent (β) terms for each of the REE are empirically determined using new and previously published data. A series of independent tests show that using variable partition coefficients based on the reported α and β terms commonly results in more accurate estimates of bulk rock REE concentrations than average partition coefficients, particularly for the LREE that have previously been difficult to constrain. These results provide a way to account for highly variable REE concentrations in zircon, which may be controlled by numerous processes such as surface enrichment, complex substitution mechanisms, or accidental sampling of sub-microscopic inclusions. The proposed method for estimating bulk rock REE concentrations is especially well-suited to detrital zircon investigations where there is no information available on the parent rock composition.

Long‐Term Geochemical and Geodynamic Segmentation of the Paleo‐Pacific Margin of Gondwana: Insight From the Antarctic and Adjacent Sectors

“…The zircon trace element data reported here is the first of its kind for Early Jurassic and Permian strata of the Transantarctic Mountains and provides insight into the geochemical evolution of the arc. The utility of detrital zircon trace element geochemistry is in relating the concentrations and ratios of key trace elements to a particular source rock type (Belousova et al, ), a tectonomagmatic setting (Grimes et al, ), and/or the concentration and/or ratio of various trace elements in the source rock (Chapman et al, ). These techniques have been met with some skepticism, partially due to the difficulty in determining reliable zircon/bulk rock trace element partition coefficients (Chapman et al, ; Hoskin & Ireland, ).…”

“…The utility of detrital zircon trace element geochemistry is in relating the concentrations and ratios of key trace elements to a particular source rock type (Belousova et al, ), a tectonomagmatic setting (Grimes et al, ), and/or the concentration and/or ratio of various trace elements in the source rock (Chapman et al, ). These techniques have been met with some skepticism, partially due to the difficulty in determining reliable zircon/bulk rock trace element partition coefficients (Chapman et al, ; Hoskin & Ireland, ). Nevertheless, application of the techniques from Grimes et al () and Chapman et al () indicate that zircon from the cTAM fall on the magmatic arc array and have light rare earth element enrichment, typical of magmatic arcs (Figure S2), supporting our assertion that the source region(s) for the CTAM zircon is located in the arc outboard of the paleo‐Pacific margin.…”

“…These techniques have been met with some skepticism, partially due to the difficulty in determining reliable zircon/bulk rock trace element partition coefficients (Chapman et al, ; Hoskin & Ireland, ). Nevertheless, application of the techniques from Grimes et al () and Chapman et al () indicate that zircon from the cTAM fall on the magmatic arc array and have light rare earth element enrichment, typical of magmatic arcs (Figure S2), supporting our assertion that the source region(s) for the CTAM zircon is located in the arc outboard of the paleo‐Pacific margin.…”

Trace element homogeneity from micron- to atomic scale: Implication for the suitability of the zircon GJ-1 as a trace element reference material

“…In recent years, the usefulness of zircon trace element data has been rigorously tested and developed into a tool used in igneous source rock determination Grimes et al, 2007;Grimes et al, 2015;Chapman et al, 2016) as well as petrogenetic modelling . In addition, trace element ratios become increasingly important.…”

Provenance discrimination between Atasta and Alvarado beach sands, western Gulf of Mexico, Mexico: Constraints from detrital zircon chemistry and U–Pb geochronology

“…In contrast, based on the digital images and U–Pb isotopic data of 819 zircons, Markwitz and Kirkland () observed an insignificant correlation between shape descriptors of magmatic zircons and the composition of their host rocks, and they concluded that hydraulic sorting did not have a significant effect in shape and size. On the other hand, numerous studies addressed an insignificant correlation between zircon ages and grain size distribution (Cawood, Sircombe, Nemchin, & Freeman, ; Chapman, Gehrels, Ducea, Giesler, & Pullen, ; Link, Fanning, & Beranek, ). Furthermore, the abundance of trace and rare earth elements in zircons is potentially useful to discriminate among various source terranes (Belousova, Griffin, O'Reilly, & Fisher, ).…”