Improved zircon fission-track annealing model based on reevaluation of annealing data

The thermal recovery (annealing) of mineral structure modified by the passage of fission fragments has long been studied by the etching technique. In minerals like apatite and zircon, the annealing kinetics are fairly well constrained from the hour to the million-year timescale and have been described by empirical and semi-empirical equations. On the other hand, laboratory experiments, in which ion beams interact with minerals and synthetic ceramics, have shown that there is a threshold temperature beyond which thermal recovery impedes ion-induced amorphization. In this work, it is assumed that this behavior can be extended to the annealing of fission tracks in minerals. It is proposed that there is a threshold temperature, T ₀, beyond which fission tracks are erased within a time t ₀, which is independent of the current state of lattice deformation. This implies that iso-annealing curves should converge to a fanning point in the Arrhenius pseudo-space (ln t vs. 1/T). Based on the proposed hypothesis, and laboratory and geological data, annealing equations are reevaluated. The geological timescale estimations of a model arising from this study are discussed through the calculation of partial annealing zone and closure temperature, and comparison with geological sample constraints found in literature. It is shown that the predictions given by this model are closer to field data on closure temperature and partial annealing zone than predictions given by previous models.     

The effect of long-term low-temperature exposure on apatite fission track stability: A natural annealing experiment in the deep ocean

Since studies on deep-sea cores were carried out in the early 1990s it has been known that ambient temperature may have a marked affect on apatite fission track annealing. Due to sluggish annealing kinetics, this effect cannot be quantified by laboratory annealing experiments. The unknown amount of low-temperature annealing remains one of the main uncertainties for extracting thermal histories from fission track data, particularly for samples which experienced slow cooling in shallow crustal levels. To further elucidate these uncertainties, we studied volcanogenic sediments from five deep-sea drill cores, that were exposed to maximum temperatures between ∼10° and 70 °C over geological time scales of ∼15-120 Ma. Mean track lengths (MTL) and etch pit diameters (Dpar) of all samples were measured, and the chemical composition of each grain analysed for age and track length measurements was determined by electron microprobe analysis. Thermal histories of the sampled sites were independently reconstructed, based on vitrinite reflectance measurements and/or 1D numerical modelling. These reconstructions were used to test the most widely used annealing models for their ability to predict low-temperature annealing. Our results show that long-term exposure to temperatures below the temperature range of the nominal apatite fission track partial annealing zone results in track shortening ranging between 4 and 11%. Both chlorine content and Dpar values explain the downhole annealing patterns equally well. Low chlorine apatite from one drill core revealed a systematic relation between Si-content and Dpar value. The question whether Si-substitution in apatite has direct and systematic effects on annealing properties however, cannot be addressed by our data. For samples, which remained at temperatures <30 °C, and which are low in chlorine, the Laslett et al. [Laslett G., Green P., Duddy I. and Gleadow A. (1987) Thermal annealing of fission tracks in apatite. Chem. Geol. 65, 1-13] annealing model predicts MTL up to 0.6 μm longer than those actually measured, whereas for apatites with intermediate to high chlorine content, which experienced temperatures >30 °C, the predictions of the Laslett et al. (1987) model agree with the measured MTL data within error levels. With few exceptions, predictions by the Ketcham et al. [Ketcham R., Donelick R. and Carlson W. (1999) Variability of apatite fission-track annealing kinetics. III: Extrapolation to geological time scales. Am. Mineral. 84/9, 1235-1255] annealing model are consistent with the measured data for samples which remained at temperatures below ∼30 °C. For samples which experienced maximum temperatures between ∼30 and 70 °C, and which are rich in chlorine, the Ketcham et al. (1999) model overestimates track annealing.     

焉耆盆地磷灰石裂变径迹分析

通过裂变径迹分析，研究沉积盆地的古地温，再造沉积盆地的地热史，是近些年来迅速发展的新的研究领域之一。为了深入焉耆盆地古地温场和地质发展史的研究，在焉耆盆地共测试磷灰石裂变径迹分析样品21块，研究焉耆盆地博湖坳陷的古地温场特征，并确定冷却事件发生的时间，利用磷灰石裂变径迹资料计算出地层剥失厚度，对油气的生成运移时期进行分析。     

Age and Thermal History of the East Ore Section,Bayan,Obo Deposit—A Fission Track Study

Considerable attention has been paid in recent years to the study of geothermal history by using spontaneous fission tracks of 238U recorded in minerals.Apatite and zircon were used for fission track study in this paper because apatitie has been widely used as a natural geothermometer(Wang Shicheng et al., 1994) to reveal the thermal evolution of sedimentary rocks based on its low annealing temperature of fission tracks and zircon is characterized by a closing temperature above 700℃,The samples were collected from ferruginous,siliceous slate wall rock at the upper levels of the orebody and Nb-REE-Fe ores from deep tunnels.The age and thermal evolution of the orebody were discussed in terms of fission track characters and their length variations observed in the coexisting apatite and zircon in the same specimen.     

一种约束盆地低温热历史的裂变径迹技术

裂变径迹(FT)技术是根据矿物中铀裂变产生的辐射损伤特性进行分析的低温热年代技术。随着对FT退火行为和实验退火模型研究的深入,使得这一技术成为约束沉积盆地低温热历史的重要手段。Laslett等、Crowley等和Ketcham等先后提出3个重要的磷灰石FT实验退火模型,其中以Ketcham等的退火模型研究最为深入,它分析了磷灰石类型、时间、温度和化学成分对其径迹退火的影响,使用c轴投射径迹长度和Dpar等参数,形成了描述磷灰石FT多元动力学退火的数学模型。锆石FT与U-Th/He技术、Ro值、地表温度和地层年龄等,均是约束磷灰石FT热历史重建的重要约束条件,HeFTy(2009)是进行低温热历史模拟的主要软件之一。     

磷灰石裂变径迹数据的热史反演及其局限性

应用一种局部优化方法——模拟退火法对磷灰石裂变径迹长度分布及径迹年龄进行热史的反演。反演中采取了Laslet等(1987)的扇型径迹退火模型。通过对理论热史模型及实测资料的反演,结果表明应用磷灰石裂变径迹数据提取热史信息是有效的。但是,由于径迹的退火主要受温度的控制,因此以前记录在径迹中的热史信息有可能被后期高温改造而难以反映。指出磷灰石径迹资料在冷却盆地的应用可以获取较精确的热史信息,而在有复杂演化史的盆地中精度较差。     

Fission tracks in minerals: Annealing kinetics,track structure and age correction

It is shown that the annealing kinetics of fission tracks in apatite can be described by a sum of exponential decay functions. From an analysis of the temperature dependence of this annealing law it is concluded that the etchability of fission tracks is due to extended defects, i.e. systems of dislocation loops. The multiexponential annealing law is also applied to prove that the plateau correction method is basically correct, but rather as a method for determining a lower limit than the “true” fission track age.     

磷灰石裂变径迹热年代学研究的进展与展望

综述了磷灰石裂变径迹热年代学研究在退火模型及模拟方法、造山带及造山后剥露历史、构造热成像及地形演变和成矿作用等方面的一些理论和应用成果,分析了目前在磷灰石裂变径迹退火机理、数据解释和应用等方面研究中存在的主要问题,指出了磷灰石裂变径迹热年代学研究今后会朝着深层次退火机理、新的应用领域、自动化技术和可操作性等方向发展.     

阿齐山—雅满苏地区中-新生代构造隆升裂变径迹 证据:兼论构造活动对核废选址场的意义

构造活动性是核废处置场评价的一项基本判别要素。文中通过对东天山阿齐山—雅满苏地区磷灰石裂变径迹测年及 构造隆升剥蚀过程的模拟来评价核废处置场的构造活动性。结果表明阿齐山—雅满苏地区样品磷灰石裂变径迹年龄集中分 布在81.7~51.4 Ma之间,反映出东天山地区晚白垩世—始新世存在一次明显的构造冷却事件,这与天山地区晚白垩世的抬 升剥露事件相一致。磷灰石裂变径迹长度介于13.60±0.11~14.36±0.10 μm之间,其长度标准差为0.98~1.22 μm,显示该区 磷灰石径迹形成后没有发生过明显的退火作用。根据地温梯度计算得到晚白垩世—始新世东天山阿齐山—雅满苏地区隆升 剥蚀速率为270~580 m/Ma。现有地质资料及热史模拟结果表明,东天山阿齐山—雅满苏地区在晚白垩世—始新世(84~49 Ma)期间经历了强烈的构造隆升—剥露事件,自始新世以后50 Ma以来,地壳处于稳定状态,新生代构造活动不明显,其 活动强度明显有别于天山其他地段。东天山阿齐山—雅满苏地区现在的构造地貌基本继承了晚白垩世的特征,处于构造活 动平稳期,符合核废处置场选址的构造要求。     

Statistical modelling of annealing kinetics of fission tracks in zircon; Reassessment of laboratory experiments

We remodel the annealing kinetics of fission tracks (FTs) in zircon to fit data from 43 laboratory experiments in three earlier publications using spontaneous FT lengths in zircon from the Nisatai Dacite. Heating temperature and time are in the ranges of 350–912 °C and 10^− 3–10⁴ h, respectively. The data sets illustrate a transition in annealing process at a certain temperature zone. In order to express the annealing behavior involving the possible transitional process with improved goodness of fit, two types of models are constructed; the hybrid-linear model that consists of the fanning-linear model at high temperature and the parallel-linear model at low temperature, connected with a transitional temperature zone, and the parallel-curvilinear model that approximates smoothly the transition in the annealing process. The validity of the extrapolation of the model to geological time scale is confirmed by comparison with some deep borehole core data. The length estimates by the hybrid-linear model agree well with the borehole data, whilst the estimates by the parallel-curvilinear model show a significant disagreement with highly annealed borehole samples although this model provides good agreement with the experimental data. For the hybrid-linear model, estimates of the partial annealing zone corresponding to isothermal heating for 10⁶ and 10⁷ years are 281–352 °C and 262–330 °C where the top and bottom of the partial annealing zone are defined by the mean length reduction ratio of 0.4 and 0.8, respectively.     

Fission-track dating of the western border of the Bohemian massif: thermochronology and tectonic implications

 Since 1985, apatite fission-track analysis was applied to more than 70 samples from surface outcrops and shallow boreholes at the western margin of the Bohemian massif. Apatite ages were determined by the grain-population method. Additional information from the frequency distributions of fully confined spontaneous tracks was used for modelling of t–T paths in the low-temperature range (<120 °C). Seven zircon samples were dated by the external detector method. Zircon ages between 283 and 215 Ma indicate unroofing during the Permian molasse stage and the Triassic. Tectonic quiescence and slow subsidence prevailed from the Jurassic until the middle Cretaceous. In the basement area south of Weiden, a Mesozoic partial annealing zone (for apatite fission tracks) is now exposed at the surface. Farther north, the basement was affected by stronger Cretaceous and Palaeogene erosion, which yielded cooling ages between 110 and 49 Ma. This second period of post-Variscan denudation was correlated to reverse faulting along the Franconian Line. Received: 30 June 1996 / Accepted: 24 October 1996     

Apatite (U-Th)/He thermochronometry using a radiation damage accumulation and annealing model

Helium diffusion from apatite is a sensitive function of the volume fraction of radiation damage to the crystal, a quantity that varies over the lifetime of the apatite. Using recently published laboratory data we develop and investigate a new kinetic model, the radiation damage accumulation and annealing model (RDAAM), that adopts the effective fission-track density as a proxy for accumulated radiation damage. This proxy incorporates creation of crystal damage proportional to α-production from U and Th decay, and the elimination of that damage governed by the kinetics of fission-track annealing. The RDAAM is a version of the helium trapping model (HeTM; Shuster D. L., Flowers R. M. and Farley K. A. (2006) The influence of natural radiation damage on helium diffusion kinetics in apatite. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett.249, 148-161), calibrated by helium diffusion data in natural and partially annealed apatites. The chief limitation of the HeTM, now addressed by RDAAM, is its use of He concentration as the radiation damage proxy for circumstances in which radiation damage and He are not accumulated and lost proportionately from the crystal.By incorporating the RDAAM into the HeFTy computer program, we explore its implications for apatite (U-Th)/He thermochronometry. We show how (U-Th)/He dates predicted from the model are sensitive to both effective U concentration (eU) and details of the temperature history. The RDAAM predicts an effective He closure temperature of 62 °C for a 28 ppm eU apatite of 60 μm radius that experienced a 10 °C/Ma monotonic cooling rate; this is 8 °C lower than the 70 °C effective closure temperature predicted using commonly assumed Durango diffusion kinetics. Use of the RDAAM is most important for accurate interpretation of (U-Th)/He data for apatite suites that experienced moderate to slow monotonic cooling (1-0.1 °C/Ma), prolonged residence in the helium partial retention zone, or a duration at temperatures appropriate for radiation damage accumulation followed by reheating and partial helium loss. Under common circumstances the RDAAM predicts (U-Th)/He dates that are older, sometimes much older, than corresponding fission-track dates. Nonlinear positive correlations between apatite (U-Th)/He date and eU in apatites subjected to the same temperature history are a diagnostic signature of the RDAAM for many but not all thermal histories.Observed date-eU correlations in four different localities can be explained with the RDAAM using geologically reasonable thermal histories consistent with independent fission-track datasets. The existence of date-eU correlations not only supports a radiation damage based kinetic model, but can significantly limit the range of acceptable time-temperature paths that account for the data. In contrast, these datasets are inexplicable using the Durango diffusion model. The RDAAM helps reconcile enigmatic data in which apatite (U-Th)/He dates are older than expected using the Durango model when compared with thermal histories based on apatite fission-track data or other geological constraints. It also has the potential to explain at least some cases in which (U-Th)/He dates are actually older than the corresponding fission-track dates.     

Modelling the formation of fission tracks in apatite minerals using molecular dynamics simulations

We introduce a simple method to simulate the “ion explosion spike” mechanism of fission track formation within the framework of classical molecular dynamics. The method is applied to six apatite compositions and the resulting tracks are compared with each other as well as with the damage produced by another mechanism—the “Displacement spike”. In contrast to experimentally observed tracks, the radii of simulated tracks are not dependent on their direction in the crystal. Since the simulations model accurately the elastic response of apatites, this suggests that the experimentally observed difference in track radii for tracks along different crystal directions is not entirely caused by anisotropy in the elasticity of apatite. We suggest that anisotropy in the interactions between the electric fields of fission fragments and the crystal ions is a major factor in the final radii of fission tracks. In fluorapatite, the simulations also reveal the formation of small clusters of fluorite-like material in the core of the fission track, a phenomenon which has yet to be confirmed experimentally.

裂变径迹定年技术在构造演化研究中的应用

裂变径迹技术是一种以磷灰石和锆石等矿物为定年对象的低温热年代学方法,特别适用于研究上地壳岩石冷却剥露的时间和过程。该技术在地学中的应用早期以定年为主,随着对裂变径迹长度分布特征与裂变径迹退火特性的深入研究,这种方法得到更广泛的应用,在此基础上综述了裂变径迹技术在下列构造演化问题中的应用和进展,包括：（1）造山带隆升时代及隆升速率的研究;（2）造山带热演化历史的研究;（3）快速蚀顶或冷却事件的年代确定;（4）盆地反转时代的确认;（5）盆地基底岩系构造热历史的研究;（6）盆山耦合过程的研究。     

裂变径迹技术及其地质应用

裂变径迹技术以样品用量少、封闭温度低以及测年范围广等优势,被广泛应用于地质学研究中。完全退火或部分退火样品可有效记录岩体的冷却-剥露历史,限制构造活动起始时间,探讨上覆岩石的风化剥蚀历史与矿床保存变化之间的关系,定量化矿床隆升剥蚀量,实现找矿预测; 锆石裂变径迹封闭温度对应天然气生成温度区间,可运用于油气勘探研究计算中; 近年来结合元素含量分析的裂变径迹技术还可进行物源分析,LA-ICP-MS技术的引进为测量低U含量矿物的径迹带来了曙光。系统总结了磷灰石与锆石裂变径迹退火特性的研究成果,以及温度、化学成分、结晶各向异性及D_par值等因素对磷灰石径迹退火特性数据解释可能产生的影响,锆石径迹热稳定性的降低主要受制于辐射损伤效应。实验室退火特性研究为了解繁杂的径迹退火化学动力机制提供了重要的理论参考,但在实际的数据解释中需结合地质背景,以获得更为清晰的地质热事件演化研究时间格架。结合径迹测年在矿床、山体隆升剥蚀、盆地热史等研究的典型案例分析,以期为裂变径迹应用的相关研究提供参考。     

锆石裂变径迹(ZFT)年代学:进展与应用

裂变径迹技术是解决各种与时间-温度相关的地质问题的一种低温年代学手段.与磷灰石相比,锆石裂变径迹具有较高的封闭温度和退火区间,有其特定的地质意义和应用.自20世纪90年代以来,开展了大量锆石裂变径迹退火的研究,包括退火特性、径迹测量、退火模型,以及来自露头和钻孔样品的退火研究.首先介绍了锆石裂变径迹的分析程序、测量标准...     

天山、西昆仑山中、新生代幕式活动的磷灰石裂变径迹记录

通过对天山独山子—库车公路、西昆仑山新疆—西藏公路出露的7个花岗岩样品的磷灰石裂变径迹分析，研究了天山、西昆仑山脉低温（＜110℃）热历史。磷灰石裂变径迹年龄范围为（9.6±0.8）～（89.2±2.3）Ma，平均裂变径迹长度变化范围为（7.9±3.7）～（11.6±1.9）μm。磷灰石裂变径迹年龄反映冷却作用时代，地质资料和磷灰石裂变径迹分析数据表明，天山在白垩纪存在一次抬升作用，天山和西昆仑山在中新世发生另一次抬升作用。     

Electrodynamic Disaggregation: Does it Affect Apatite Fission-Track and (U-Th)/He Analyses?

Apatite fission-track and (U-Th)/He analyses require the liberation of intact idiomorphic apatite grains from rock samples. While routinely being carried out by mechanical methods, electrodynamic disaggregation (ED) offers an alternative approach. The high-voltage discharges produced during the ED process create localised temperature peaks (10000 K) along a narrow plasma channel. In apatite, such high temperatures could potentially reduce the length of fission tracks, which start to anneal at temperatures > 60 °C, and could also enhance He diffusion, which becomes significant at 30–40 °C over geological time scales. A comparison of fission-track analyses and (U-Th)/He ages of apatites prepared both by mechanical (jaw crusher, disk mill) and ED processing provides a way of determining whether heating during the latter method has any significant effect. Apatites from three samples of different geological settings (an orthogneiss from Madagascar, the Fish Canyon Tuff, and a muscovite-gneiss from Greece) yielded statistically identical track length distributions compared to samples prepared mechanically. Additionally, (U-Th)/He ages of apatites from a leucogranite from Morocco prepared by both methods were indistinguishable. These first results indicated that during electrodynamic disaggregation apatite crystals were not heated enough to partially anneal the fission tracks or induce significant diffusive loss of He.     

磷灰石裂变径迹退火影响因素研究进展

磷灰石裂变径迹退火是一个繁杂的化学动力学过程,清楚地了解其退火的影响因素对于该技术的应用十分重要.文章概述了磷灰石裂变径迹退火动力学模型的发展史,并结合以往对其退火影响因素的研究,将磷灰石裂变径迹退火影响因素分为自身和外部环境两方面:自身影响因素包括化学成分、晶体结构、径迹长度与半径、径迹与结晶轴的方位关系,其中化学成...     

Regional thermal history of the Lennard shelf,Canning Basin,from apatite fission track analysis: Implications for the formation of Pb‐Zn ore deposits

Zinc mineralization in Devonian carbonates of the Lennard Shelf, northern Canning Basin is similar in many respects to that of the Mississippi Valley‐type including estimated minimum temperatures of sulphide precipitation between 70 and 110°C. Apparent apatite fission track ages for Precambrian granitic basement and for detrital apatites in Devonian carbonates in and near Pb‐Zn mineralization generally range between 260 and 340 Ma, with Precambrian samples tending to have slightly older apatite fission track ages than the Devonian carbonates. These apparent ages are younger than the stratigraphic age of the material analysed, indicating that appreciable annealing of fission tracks in apatite has occurred in post‐Devonian times. Mean horizontal confined track lengths are 12–13 μm for most samples and preclude attaching any ‘event’ significance to the fission track ages. Studies of well sequences (Grevillea 1 and Kennedia 1) indicate a period of rapid uplift in the area during the Late Triassic/Early Jurassic. Assuming a constant geothermal gradient of 30°C/km, approximately 1.5 km of uplift and erosion is estimated. Immediate thermal effects related to Miocene lamproite intrusion into Precambrian basement appear to be restricted to within 200 m of the contact zone.

For outcropping Devonian carbonates, a thermal history is proposed involving burial in the Late Palaeozoic/Early Mesozoic, followed by uplift and cooling from peak temperatures around 70–80°C in mid‐Mesozoic times. With reference to this period of burial, Pb‐Zn occurrences represent thermal anomalies when reported fluid inclusion homogenization temperatures are compared with the estimated peak temperatures. However the possibility of a phase of higher temperatures during the Late Devonian/ Early Carboniferous is suggested by the apatite fission track results, in which case sulphide mineralization may reflect ambient regional temperatures if it formed at that time. The absence of enhanced annealing effects in detrital apatites proximal to Pb‐Zn deposits suggests that either sulphide mineralization preceded or accompanied peak regional temperatures suspected during the Late Devonian/Early Carboniferous, or that the mineralizing episodes were of too short a duration to significantly anneal fission tracks in apatite.