Diffusion anisotropy of Ti in zircon and implications for Ti-in-zircon thermometry

Bloch, Elias; Jollands, Michael C.; Tollan, Peter; Plane, Florent; Bouvier, Anne‐Sophie; Hervig, R. L.; Berry, Andrew J.; Zaubitzer, C.; Escrig, Stéphane; Müntener, Othmar; Ibáñez-Mejía, Mauricio; Alleon, Julien; Meibom, A.; Baumgartner, Lukas P.; Marin‐Carbonne, Johanna; Newville, Matthew

doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2021.117317

Cited by 24 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…In the earliest study of Ti-in-zircon applied to UHT rocks 32 , Ti was considered to be immobile, whilst it was further noted that the recorded temperatures were below those expected for UHT rocks; a feature noted in several subsequent studies 33 , 34 . However, the applicability of Ti-in-zircon thermometry to rocks and minerals that have undergone high-grade metamorphism has been widely investigated over the past decade and, although both Pb and Ti have low thermal diffusivity under most crustal conditions 35 , high temperature experimental studies have revealed enhanced diffusion of Ti along open channels parallel to the zircon c-axis, although there was minimal mobility at temperatures < 800 °C 36 . Furthermore, Ti was mobilised along with Pb in the original study where Pb* nanospheres were identified in orthogneisses from the Tula Mountains in Antarctica 20 , hence diffusion has the potential to modify the original Ti-in-zircon temperature in pre-existing igneous zircon.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metallic lead (Pb) nanospheres discovered in Hadean and Eoarchean zircon crystals at Jack Hills

Kusiak

Wirth

Wilde

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

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Here, we report small randomly-distributed crystalline lead (Pb) nanospheres occurring in detrital zircon grains obtained from a weakly metamorphosed Archean conglomerate at Jack Hills, Western Australia, making this the third known global example of this phenomenon. They form in zircon crystals ranging from Hadean (> 4 billion years—Ga) to Eoarchean (> 3.6 Ga) in age, but are absent from Paleoarchean (~ 3.4 Ga) crystals. Unlike previous discoveries of nanospheres in zircon from Precambrian gneisses in Antarctica and India, detrital zircon from Jack Hills shows no evidence of ever undergoing ultra-high temperature (UHT) metamorphism, either before or after deposition, therefore implying that nanospheres can form at temperatures lower than ca. 900 °C. The nanospheres are composed of radiogenic Pb released by the breakdown of uranium (U) and thorium (Th) and are present in zircon irrespective of its U, Th and water contents, its oxygen isotopic composition, and the degree of discordance due to Pb loss or gain. The nanospheres pre-date annealed cracks in the crystals, showing that, once formed, they effectively ‘freeze’ radiogenic Pb in the zircon structure, precluding any further interaction during subsequent geological processes. Both Pb nanoclusters and nanospheres are now reported from Jack Hills, and it appears likely the former is a precursor stage in the formation of the latter. Although the precise mechanism for this transition remains unresolved, a later thermal event is required, but this likely did not reach UHT conditions at Jack Hills.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metallic lead (Pb) nanospheres discovered in Hadean and Eoarchean zircon crystals at Jack Hills

Kusiak

Wirth

Wilde

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

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“…The pressure dependence of this thermometer has been considered negligible, although recent work implies a subtle pressure effect that needs to be considered for highpressure zircon growth especially (Crisp et al, 2023). Temperature estimates from single magmatic rocks often exhibit a large range, implying zircon crystallisation over a protracted temperature range (Ickert et al, 2011), and/or diffusion (Bloch et al, 2022). As such, any detrital zircon estimate has to consider that a single temperature datum may relate to a snapshot of a broader magmatic and cooling history.…”

Section: Robust Trends In Thermometry?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Regional trends and petrologic factors inhibit global interpretations of zircon trace element compositions

Roberts,

Spencer,

Puetz

et al. 2024

Preprint

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The trace element composition of zircon reveals information about the melt that they are derived from, as such, detrital zircon trace element compositions can be used to interrogate melt compositions, and thus the evolution of the continental crust in time and space. Here, we present a global database of detrital zircon compositions and use it to test whether average global trends for five common petrogenetic proxies truly represent secular changes in continental evolution. We demonstrate that the secular trend is broadly comparable across continental regions for Ti-in-zircon temperatures, but for other trace element ratios interrogated, secular trends are highly variable between continental regions. Because trace element ratios result from multiple petrologic variables, we argue that these petrogenetic proxies can be overinterpreted if projected to global geologic processes. In particular, we caution against the interpretation of crustal thickness from trace elements in zircon, and we argue that our results negate current hypotheses concerning secular changes in crustal thickness.

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“…Zircon is an invaluable mineral for understanding igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary environments, as highlighted by the wide utilization of its U-Pb ages, trace elements, and Hf-O-Si-Zr isotopes. Trace element diffusion in zircon that recovers magmatic residence time is making it more versatile (e.g., Bloch et al, 2022;Cherniak, 2021;Cherniak and Watson, 2010;Cherniak et al, 2007;Trail et al, 2016). For example, a Li diffusion profile in zircon from the Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand (Rubin et al, 2017) records a timescale of 22 years between magma injection and eruption, using the Li-in-zircon diffusivity of Trail et al (2016) and a fixed temperature of 700 ± 20 °C.…”

Section: Diffusion In Zirconmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diffuser: A user-friendly program for diffusion chronometry with robust uncertainty estimation

Jollands

et al. 2022

Computers & Geosciences

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Diffusion anisotropy of Ti in zircon and implications for Ti-in-zircon thermometry

Cited by 24 publications

References 56 publications

Metallic lead (Pb) nanospheres discovered in Hadean and Eoarchean zircon crystals at Jack Hills

Metallic lead (Pb) nanospheres discovered in Hadean and Eoarchean zircon crystals at Jack Hills

Regional trends and petrologic factors inhibit global interpretations of zircon trace element compositions

Diffuser: A user-friendly program for diffusion chronometry with robust uncertainty estimation

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