Strategies towards robust interpretations of in situ zircon Lu-Hf isotope analyses

The combination of U-Pb and Lu-Hf compositions measured in zircon crystals is a remarkably powerful isotopic couplet that provides measures on both the timing of mineral growth and the radiogenic enrichment of the source from which the zircon grew.The U-Pb age documents the timing of zircon crystallization/recrystallization and Hf isotopes inform on the degree to which the host melt was derived from a radiogenic reservoir(e.g.depleted mantle) versus an unradiogenic reservoir(e.g.ancient continental crust),or some mixture of these sources.The ease of generating large quantities of zircon U-Pb and Lu-Hf data has been in large part facilitated by instrument advances.However,the dramatic increase in time constrained zircon Lu-Hf analyses in the Earth science community has brought to the fore the importance of careful data collection and reduction workflows,onto which robust geological interpretations may be based.In this work,we discuss the fundamentals of Lu-Hf isotopes in zircon,which then allows us to provide a robust,accessible,methodology for the assessment of data quality.Additionally,we discuss some novel techniques for:data visualization—that facilitates better transparency of data interpretation;integration of geographic information—that may reveal spatial trends where temporal trends were only apparent before;and some novel statistical evaluation tools—that may provide more rigorous interand intra-sample comparisons.     

钛同位素地球化学综述

随着分析技术的进步,非传统稳定同位素体系在地球化学、天体化学和生物地球化学等研究领域的应用日益广泛。钛(Ti)是一个非常重要的过渡族金属元素,在地球和其他类地球行星中广泛存在。但是由于Ti是一种难熔的、流体不活动性元素,高温地质过程中Ti同位素分馏很小。人们对Ti同位素体系的地球化学应用的关注相对其他非传统稳定同位非常有限。而近年来,随着化学纯化方案的优化以及双稀释剂方法的改进和仪器质谱性能的提高,Ti同位素组成的高精度测试已经能够实现。天然样品中Ti同位素组成的变化随之得以发现,使得学者们能够利用这一新的稳定同位素体系来解决与高温和低温地球化学相关的问题。很快Ti同位素体系地球化学研究成为当前国际地质学界的前沿研究课题和新的发展方向之一。本文首先在简要介绍Ti元素和Ti同位素体地球化学性质的基础上,介绍了Ti元素化学分离和Ti同位素分析方法。随后笔者总结了已有的不同类型球粒陨石和地球样品的质量相关Ti同位素组成研究结果,对硅酸盐地球的Ti同位素组成做了初步评估。前人对高温地质样品的Ti同位素组成研究初步探明Ti同位素在岩浆演化过程,例如部分熔融和结晶分异等重要地质过程中的分馏行为。笔者在此基础上探讨了结晶分异过程中引起Ti同位素分馏的主要控制因素,指出Ti同位素是潜在的研究岩浆演化过程的新工具。最后笔者探讨了Ti同位素地球化学未来的发展方向,以加速我国在Ti同位素地球化学方面的应用研究。     

Late Neoarchean reworking of the Mesoarchean crustal remnant in northern Liaoning,North China Craton: A U–Pb–Hf–O–Nd perspective

How the earth's crust formed and evolved during the Precambrian times is one of the key questions to decipher the evolution of the early Earth. As one of the few cratons containing well-preserved Eoarchean to Neoarchean basement on Earth, the North China Craton is an ideal natural laboratory to unravel the early crustal evolution. It is controversial whether the Archean tectonothermal events in this area represents reworking or growth of the continental crust. To solve this issue, we have compelled field-based mapping, zircon U–Pb dating by SHRIMP RG and LA–ICP–MS U–Pb, zircon SHRIMP SI oxygen and LA–MC–ICP–MS Hf isotope, and whole-rock Nd–O isotope analyses from the Archean granitoids in northern Liaoning, North China Craton. On the basis of zircon U–Pb isotopic dating and measured geological section investigation, two distinct magmatic suites as enclaves in the Jurassic granites are recognized, viz. a newly discovered 3.0 Ga crustal remnant and a 2.5 Ga granitoid. The Mesoarchean zircons from the 3.0 Ga granodioritic gneisses exhibit heterogeneous Hf isotopic compositions, with the most radiogenic analysis (ε_Hf(t) = +3.8) following the depleted mantle evolution array and the most unradiogenic ε_Hf(t) extending down to −3.4. This implies that both ancient continental crust at least as old as 3.4 Ga and depleted mantle contributed to the magma source of the protoliths of the Mesoarchean gneisses. The ε_Hf(t) values of the Neoarchean zircons from these gneisses overlap the 3.4–3.0 Ga zircon evolution trend, indicating that the ancient crustal materials have been reworked during the late Neoarchean. The Neoarchean zircons from the 2.5 Ga granitoids have a relatively small variation in the Hf isotope and are mainly plotted in the 3.0–2.8 Ga zircon evolution field. However, taking all the ε_Hf(t) values of the Neoarchean zircons into the consideration, we find that the Hf model age of the Neoarchean zircon does not represent the time of crustal growth or reworking but are artifacts of magma mixing. The interaction between the magmas derived from the ancient crustal materials and the depleted mantle is also supported by zircon O isotopic data and Hf–O isotopic modeling of the Neoarchean granitoids. Both Mesoarchean and late Neoarchean tectonothermal events involved synchronous crustal growth and reworking, which may be applicable to other parts of the world.     

铷同位素分析方法及研究进展

Rb作为一个具有中度挥发性、流体活动性、在岩浆过程中呈不相容性的碱金属元素,能为各种地质过程和物质源区提供制约;同时,⁸⁷Rb是放射性母体,Rb-Sr定年体系在确定长时间尺度的地质体年龄方面也有广泛的应用。传统研究认为特定地质年代下Rb同位素比值(⁸⁷Rb/⁸⁵Rb)是一个定值,但随着分离纯化方法的改进和质谱分析精度的提高,高精度Rb同位素组成得以测定,其结果显示,不同地质样品存在明显的Rb同位素组成的差异,意味着地质过程中存在Rb同位素的分馏。Rb同位素分馏能否为示踪Rb的地质过程提供更多有用信息,是否会对传统Rb-Sr定年体系产生影响,这些基础性的问题目前仍然没有答案。要回答这些问题,首先需要了解不同地质储库的Rb同位素组成,发现不同地质过程中的Rb同位素分馏,探讨其发生的控制机制。然而,这方面的研究目前还非常欠缺。文章回顾了近20年来国际上地球科学领域中的Rb同位素已有的研究,包括技术方法、分馏机理等各个方面,在此基础上对其研究前景进行展望,主要包括:(1)总结了Rb同位素组成测定的化学纯化及仪器测量方法,并对其优缺点进行点评,同时指出谨慎的化学前处理方法及质谱测定流程是获得高精度Rb同位素组成结果的基本前提;(2)收集了现有的地外样品Rb同位素组成数据,简述了Rb同位素在宇宙化学中的应用研究成果,指出Rb作为一个中度挥发性元素,对太阳系行星的吸积和演化过程具有重要的指示意义;(3)对Rb同位素在地质过程中潜在广阔的应用前景进行展望,例如完善经典的Rb-Sr定年体系,限定壳幔及地壳内部的分异过程,制约大陆硅酸盐岩风化,以及揭示超大型Rb矿的形成机制。     

Trace-element composition of hydrothermal zircon and the alteration of Hadean zircon from the Jack Hills,Australia

Hydrothermal zircon can be used to date fluid-infiltration events and water/rock interaction. At the Boggy Plain zoned pluton (BPZP), eastern Australia, hydrothermal zircon occurs with hydrothermal scheelite, molybdenite, thorite and rutile in incipiently altered aplite and monzogranite. The hydrothermal zircon is texturally distinct from magmatic zircon in the same rocks, occurring as murky-brown translucent 20–50 μm-thick mantles on magmatic cores and less commonly as individual crystals. The hydrothermal mantles are internally textureless in back-scatter electron and cathodoluminescence images whereas magmatic zircon is oscillatory zoned. The age of the hydrothermal zircon is indistinguishable from magmatic zircon, indicating precipitation from a fluid evolved from the magma during the final stages of crystallization. Despite indistinguishable U-Pb isotopic compositions, the trace-element compositions of the hydrothermal and magmatic zircon are distinct. Hydrothermal zircon is enriched in all measured trace-elements relative to magmatic zircon in the same rock, including V, Ti, Nb, Hf, Sc, Mn, U, Y, Th and the rare-earth elements (REE). Chondrite-normalized REE abundances form two distinct pattern groupings: type-1 (magmatic) patterns increase steeply from La to Lu and have Ce and Eu anomalies—these are patterns typical for unaltered magmatic zircon in continental crust rock types; type-2 (hydrothermal) patterns generally have higher abundances of the REE, flatter light-REE patterns [(Sm/La)_N = 1.5–4.4 vs. 22–110 for magmatic zircon] and smaller Ce anomalies (Ce/Ce* = 1.8–3.5 vs. 32–49 for magmatic zircon). Type-2 patterns have also been described for hydrothermally-altered zircon from the Gabel Hamradom granite, Egypt, and a granitic dyke from the Acasta Gneiss Complex, Canada.Hadean (∼4.5–4.0 Ga) zircon from the Jack Hills, Western Australia, have variable normalized REE patterns. In particular, the oldest piece of Earth—zircon crystal W74/2-36 (dated at 4.4 Ga)—contains both type-1 and type-2 patterns on a 50 μm scale, a phenomenon not yet reported for unaltered magmatic zircon. In the context of documented magmatic and hydrothermal zircon compositions from constrained samples from the BPZP and the literature, the type-2 patterns in crystal W74/2-36 and other Jack Hills Hadean (JHH) zircon are interpreted as hydrothermally-altered magmatic compositions. An alteration scenario, constrained by isotope and trace-element data, as well as α-decay event calculations, involving fluid/zircon cation and oxygen isotope exchange within partially metamict zones and minor dissolution/reprecipitation, may have occurred episodically for some JHH zircon and at ∼4.27 Ga for zircon W74/2-36. Type-2 compositions in JHH zircon are interpreted to represent localized exchange with a light-REE-bearing, high δ¹⁸O (∼6–10‰ or higher) fluid. Thus, a complex explanation involving “permanent” liquid water oceans, large-scale water/rock interaction and plate tectonics in the very early Archean is not necessary as the zircon textures and compositions are simply explained by exchange between partially metamict zircon and a low volume ephemeral fluid.     

铊同位素分析技术及其在地学中的应用

应用多接收电感耦合等离子质谱(MC-ICP-MS)等分析技术进行铊(Tl)同位素分析已成为非传统稳定同位素地球化学研究的重要内容之一.对近年来Tl同位素的实验测试方法及其地质应用的有关研究进展做了详细论述,包括Tl的地球化学行为、Tl同位素分析测试技术、同位素分馏机理、在各地质储库中的组成特征以及Tl同位素的地质应用等多个方面.这些研究表明该分析技术为行星科学、古海洋学、地幔地球化学、岩石成因以及矿床学等领域的研究提供了其他同位素分析方法难以获得的重要信息,充分展示了该分析技术在地球科学和环境科学领域的应用前景.      

Petrogenesis of granitoids from the Lachlan Fold Belt,southeastern Australia: The role of disequilibrium melting

S- and I-type granites from the Lachlan Fold Belt, southeastern Australia, have been investigated to assess the role of disequilibrium melting in their petrogenesis. Differences between the median initial εHf compositions of magmatic zircon populations and the host bulk-rock (ΔεHf^blk-zrc) range from −0.6 to +2.5 ε units, providing evidence for intra-sample (and hence inter-phase) Hf-isotopic heterogeneity. Linear variations on Harker diagrams and O and Hf isotope compositions of magmatic zircon preserved in many I- and S-type granites are inconsistent with assimilation or simple mixing hypotheses. In contrast, isotopic disequilibrium between the melt and a restite assemblage can explain the bulk-rock versus zircon differences observed in these samples.Assuming that magmatic zircon records the melt composition, differences between the bulk-rock εHf and εHf of magmatic zircon (ΔεHf^blk-zrc values) measured for I-type granites (0.4–2.5) can largely be explained by disequilibrium amphibole dehydration melting of meta-igneous protoliths that were either isotopically heterogenous at the time they were formed, or perfectly homogeneous before being aged in the crust for 0.4–1.0 billion years prior to partial melting. The Currowong Suite exhibits petrographic features and preserves geochemical and isotopic compositions that do not lend themselves to simple restite model or magma mixing explanations; however, these observations could be explained by the restite unmixing of magma batches generated from a single source rock if, as modelling has suggested, separate batches contain different melt compositions.By investigating the application of disequilibrium melting to granite genesis, this study demonstrates that isotopic heterogeneity at various sampling scales should actually be expected for the production of granites from a single source, rather than necessitating the involvement of multiple sources and mixing processes. As a result great care should be taken in the interpretation of isotope data from granitic bulk-rocks or their zircons.     

锆石对地球早期地壳演化和构造体制转换的启示

锆石是研究早期地球演化的重要矿物之一,它的U-Pb年龄结合其微量元素以及同位素成分是反演寄主岩石成因乃至地球动力学背景的重要手段.本文从锆石矿物包裹体、微量元素、U-Pb同位素体系、Lu-Hf同位素、O同位素以及Si、Zr和Ti同位素这6个方面综述了近10年来前人取得的主要研究成果,总结了次生矿物包裹体可能产生的方式以...     

Sub-arc mantle heterogeneity in oxygen isotopes: evidence from Permian mafic–ultramafic intrusions in the Central Asian Orogenic Belt

Integrated zircon–olivine O–Hf isotope data have been successfully used to unravel the nature of the source mantle for the early Permian post-collisional mafic–ultramafic intrusive rocks in the southern margin of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt in NW China. Olivine crystals with forsterite (Fo) contents varying from 91 to 87 mol% from the Permian Pobei mafic–ultramafic complex in the region yield highly elevated δ¹⁸O from 6.0 to 7.2‰. These values are much higher than typical mantle values (~?5.3‰) and are apparently at odds with the mantle-like ε_Nd(t) values of whole rocks (4.9–5.4). Magmatic zircon crystals from troctolite and gabbroic rocks show divergent oxygen and hafnium isotopic compositions: mantle-like ε_Hf(t) values from 5.1 to 11.9 and crust-like δ¹⁸O values from 7.6 to 10.1‰. The observed increase of δ¹⁸O values from olivine (an early crystallizing phase) to zircon (a late crystallizing phase) in the mafic–ultramafic rocks is generally consistent with an AFC process. However, this process cannot fully explain the highly elevated δ¹⁸O values (6–7‰) for the most primitive olivine containing Fo as high as mantle olivine (>?90 mol%) and the mantle-like Hf isotope composition of zircon. Mixing calculation indicates that such highly unusual isotope compositions can be explained by the previous source mantle contamination with subducted sediment-derived melts and slab-derived fluids. Our results show that the combination of zircon O–Hf isotopes and olivine oxygen isotopes is more effective than the data of zircon or olivine alone to distinguish the effect of AFC process from source contamination. The results from this study provide a new line of evidence that the sub-arc mantle is not homogeneous in oxygen isotopes.     

铬同位素在高温岩浆过程中的研究进展

铬(Cr)属于氧化还原敏感元素,在岩浆过程中是一种中度相容和轻度亲铁元素。Cr在硅酸盐地球中主要有三种价态:Cr²⁺、Cr³⁺和Cr⁶⁺。Cr存在于不同来源的矿物和岩石中,其氧化还原状态和同位素组成可以为其成因、氧化还原条件和相关成矿历史提供有价值的信息。近年来,铬同位素越来越多地应用到现代环境、古环境、行星的演化以及高温地质过程等领域中,而高温地质过程中储库的铬同位素及其分馏机理研究是其他工作的基础。尤其是随着质谱技术的发展,Cr同位素在高温环境中的分馏机制及行为也引起了更多的关注。本文主要介绍不同储库的Cr同位素组成及高温岩浆过程中Cr同位素研究的最新进展。     

Fe-Cu-Zn-Mo同位素示踪氧化还原过程

非传统稳定同位素（Fe-Cu-Zn-Mo）理论与数据相结合提高了科研工作者对地质体系氧化还原过程的理解。本文对这一相对较新的领域进行了综述,包括与氧化还原过程相关的同位素分馏理论和实验约束、时空尺度下的氧逸度以及同位素示踪氧化还原过程。稳定同位素理论预测,Fe-Cu-Zn-Mo同位素应该对氧化还原状态的变化能够做出响应。结果表明,Fe同位素作为岩浆过程、表生过程、俯冲带流体性质"氧逸度计"应用前景广阔;Cu同位素在岩浆、热液、陆地系统可以很好地示踪氧化还原过程;Zn同位素由于络合过程分馏已经被用在许多不同环境中作为含硫/碳流体迁移的敏感示踪剂;Mo同位素作为古氧逸度计可有效重建古海洋-大气氧化还原状态。     

低18O碱性花岗岩成因讨论——以内蒙巴尔哲碱性花岗岩为例

巴尔哲花岗岩是一个罕见的亏损^18O的碱性花岗岩体，其中的石英、长石、钠闪石、锆石以及全岩的氧同位素含量都是国内碱性花岗岩中最低的。根据其氧同位素资料，结合岩体地质地球化学特征，讨论了该岩体以及我国东部低^18O碱性花岗岩的成因，认为用岩石与大气降水间同位素交换和开放体系下的岩浆去气作用解释该类岩石成因较为合理，但也有缺陷，有待进一步研究。     

Geochemistry and cosmochemistry of potassium stable isotopes

Stable potassium isotopes are one of the emerging non-traditional isotope systems enabled in recent years by the advance of Multi-Collector Inductively-Coupled-Plasma Mass-Spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS). In this review, we first summarize the geochemical and cosmochemical properties of K, its major reservoirs, and the analytical methods of K isotopes. Following this, we review recent literature on K isotope applications in the fields of geochemistry and cosmochemistry. Geochemically, K is a highly incompatible lithophile element, and a highly soluble, biophile element. The isotopic fractionation of K is relatively small during magmatic processes such as partial melting and fractional crystallization, whereas during low-temperature and biological processes fractionation is considerably larger. This resolvable fractionation has made K isotopes promising tracers for a variety of Earth and environmental processes, including chemical weathering, low-temperature alteration of igneous rocks, reverse weathering, and the recycling of sediments into the mantle during subduction. Sorption and interactions of aqueous K with different clay minerals during cation exchange and clay formation are likely to be of fundamental significance in generating much of the K isotope variability seen in samples from the Earth surface and samples carrying recycled surface materials from the deep Earth. The magnitude of this fractionation is process- and mineral-dependent. Comprehensive quantification of pertinent K isotope fractionation factors is currently lacking and urgently needed. Significant fractionation during biological activities, such as plant uptake, demonstrates the potential utility of K isotopes in the study of the nutrient cycle and its relation to the climate and various ecosystems, enabling new and largely unexplored avenues for future research.Of significant importance to the cosmochemistry community, K is a moderately volatile element with large variations in K/U ratio observed among chondrites and planetary materials. As this indicates different degrees of volatile depletion, it has become a fundamental chemical signature of both chondritic and planetary bodies. This volatile depletion has been attributed to various processes such as solar nebula condensation, mixing of volatile-rich and -poor reservoirs, planetary accretional volatilization via impacts, and/or magma ocean degassing. While K isotopes have the potential to distinguish these different processes, the current results are still highly debated. A good correlation between the K isotope compositions of four differentiated bodies (Earth, Mars, Moon, and Vesta) and their masses suggests a ubiquitous volatile depletion mechanism during the formation of the terrestrial planets. It is still unknown whether any of the K isotopic variation among chondrites and differentiated bodies can be attributed to inherited signatures of mass-independent isotopic anomalies.     

镉同位素体系及其在地球科学和环境科学中的应用

镉是典型的亲硫元素,常赋存于各种硫化物矿床中.在环境体系中,镉是微生物所需的营养物质,其元素的循环受生物活动的影响.已有研究表明蒸发/冷凝过程、生物及无机过程都会导致镉同位素发生分馏,因此镉同位素研究在地球科学、环境科学具有独特的应用前景.与此同时,多接收器电感耦合等离子体质谱(MC-ICP-MS)技术的应用成功地实现了地质样品中镉同位素组成的高精度测量,使得镉同位素地球化学研究获得了蓬勃发展.本文基于当前最新研究成果,对镉同位素体系进行了详细综述,重点探讨镉的地球化学行为及同位素分馏机制,镉同位素在各物质储库中的分布特征及其在地球科学、环境科学中的应用,镉同位素测试技术.镉同位素地球化学的研究尚处于起步阶段,深入开展镉同位素分馏机理、完善镉同位素在各物质储库中的分布、建立统一的同位素标准体系的研究,将推动镉同位素在地球科学和环境科学领域的广泛应用.     

Characterisation of Three Sri Lankan Zircon Megacrysts as Potential Reference Materials for Microbeam U-Pb Geochronology and Hf-O-Zr Isotope Measurements

In situ U-Pb geochronology and hafnium, oxygen and zirconium isotope measurements in zircons using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) and ion microprobe techniques can provide essential isotopic data to constrain geological evolutionary histories. Developing reliable zircon reference materials is the cornerstone for in situ zircon chronology and isotopic studies. In this study, the homogeneity of U-Pb ages and Hf-O-Zr isotope ratios in three Sri Lankan zircon megacrysts (SLZA, SLZB and SLZC) were investigated using multiple analytical methods. The obtained U, Th, Pb and Hf mass fractions of the SLZA zircon were 839 ± 56 μg g^-1 (1s), 151 ± 15 μg g^-1 (1s), 198 ± 28 μg g^-1 (1s) and 8635 ± 286 μg g^-1 (1s), respectively. The mass fractions of U, Th, Pb and Hf in the SLZB zircon were 1106 ± 106 μg g^-1 (1s), 331 ± 61 μg g^-1 (1s), 376 ± 57 μg g^-1 (1s) and 9673 ± 976 μg g^-1 (1s), respectively. The U, Th, Pb and Hf mass fractions determined in the SLZC zircon were 551 ± 35 μg g^-1 (1s), 111 ± 8 μg g^-1 (1s), 129 ± 18 μg g^-1 (1s) and 7881 ± 393 μg g^-1 (1s), respectively. The chemical abrasion isotope dilution thermal ionisation mass-spectrometry (CA-ID-TIMS) method yielded a Th-corrected weighted mean ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U age of 556.94 ± 1.29 Ma (95% conf., n = 5) for the SLZA zircon, 552.90 ± 1.29 Ma (95% conf., n = 7) for the SLZB zircon and 560.83 ± 1.29 Ma (95% conf., n = 7) for the SLZC zircon. The obtained Hf isotopic compositions of the SLZA, SLZB and SLZC zircons determined with the solution MC-ICP-MS method were 0.281651 ± 0.000014 (2s, n = 10), 0.281704 ± 0.000008 (2s, n = 10) and 0.281676 ± 0.000006 (2s, n = 10), respectively. The obtained O isotopes of the SLZA and SLZB zircons measured with the laser fluorination method were 12.14 ± 0.56‰ (2s, n = 4) and 11.91 ± 0.30‰ (2s, n = 4), respectively. The Zr isotopes of the SLZA, SLZB and SLZC zircons determined with double spike TIMS analysis yielded mean δ⁹⁴/⁹⁰Zr_SRM3169 values of -0.03 ± 0.06‰ (2s, n = 10), -0.03 ± 0.04‰ (2s, n = 10) and 0.00 ± 0.07‰ (2s, n = 8), respectively. The SLZA zircon can be used as a primary reference or quality control material for microbeam U-Pb, Hf and Zr isotope measurements because of its slight heterogeneity. The U-Pb, Hf and Zr isotopic compositions of the SLZB and SLZC megacrysts were homogeneous. The O isotopic compositions in the SLZA and SLZB zircon were slightly dispersed, indicating that these two megacrysts can only serve as secondary reference materials for microbeam O isotope measurements.     

Magmatic Nature of Mineralizing Fluids in the Solnechnoye Sn Deposit (Russia) Deduced from Isotopic (H,O) Compositions of Tourmaline

In this paper, we present new isotopic (H, O) data of fluids in tourmalines from the large Sn deposit at Solnechnoye (Far East Russia). These data indicate that the deposit formed by fluid‐rock interactions in a hydrothermal system where the mineralizing fluid was mainly magmatic and to a lesser extent meteoric. This is in agreement with a magmatic fluid model. Our interpretation of the new isotopic data is consistent with earlier findings of the studies on fluid‐rock interactions that magmatic fluids form larger Sn deposits than exogenic fluids. We propose that isotopic (H, O) data of fluids in tourmaline, rather than those in quartz, muscovite, or chlorite, support robust interpretation on the nature of mineralizing fluids associated with Sn deposits.     

The source of granitic gneisses and migmatites in the Antarctic Peninsula: a combined U–Pb SHRIMP and laser ablation Hf isotope study of complex zircons

Zircons gneisses and migmatites collected from the Antarctic Peninsula have different core–rim hafnium isotope ratio relationships depending on whether evidence for zircon dissolution is present or absent. Two samples contain inherited zircon that is partially dissolved. In these samples, the ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf rations of the inherited zircon and new magmatic zircon rims are, on average, indistinguishable and consistent with in situ melting. In such cases the hafnium isotopic composition of the melt was probably strongly influenced by the dissolved zircon component at the source. Variation in ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf within the magmatic zircon rims from grain to grain suggests that Hf isotopes were only partially homogenized during melt migration; alternatively, zircon growth may have taken place within small volumes of partial melt. Other samples do not preserve textural evidence for zircon dissolution during melt generation; in these samples the ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf values of the inherited zircon and new magmatic zircon rims are different. The zircon rims apparently suggest a source of less evolved hafnium than that contained within the inherited zircon. Whether this relates to a separate juvenile source or, alternatively, is derived from minerals other than zircon at the source, cannot be resolved. Inherited zircon, irrespective of age, has been strongly influenced by the reworking of a juvenile Late Mesoproterozoic source, suggesting that such crust underlies the Antarctic Peninsula. Our results therefore suggest that Hf isotope analyses provide great potential for future studies investigating the source and processes involved in the generation of crustal melts.     

A new method integrating high-precision U-Pb geochronology with zircon trace element analysis (U-Pb TIMS-TEA)

Increased precision in isotope-dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS) U-Pb geochronology has revealed age complexities in zircon populations that require new tools for understanding how the growth of zircon is related to geologic processes. U and Pb are routinely separated from other elements in dated minerals by ion exchange separation prior to TIMS isotope measurement. We develop a method in which trace elements in the exact same volume of zircon are redissolved and analyzed using solution nebulization inductively coupled plasma sector-field mass spectrometry with matrix-matched external liquid calibration. Using <0.5 ml solution, resulting concentrations are between <1 ppt for elements such as Ti, Nb and Ta and tens of ppb for Zr. By analyzing a series of standard solutions, zircons and procedural blanks, we show that accurate measurements are performed on Zr, Hf, Y, Sc, and the HREE while low-concentration elements can be measured accurately to <5 ppt. We performed combined U-Pb ID-TIMS geochronology with trace element analysis (here called U-Pb TIMS-TEA) on zircons from eight volcanic rocks comprising several volcanic systems and one metamorphic sample. Similar to previous in situ trace element analyses, zircon geochemistry is distinct between different samples and records petrogenetic processes such as fractional crystallization, assimilation and/or magma mixing. Unique from in situ analysis, U-Pb TIMS-TEA can trace geochemical evolution in accessory minerals with adequate age precision to resolve magmatic processes in rocks at least 200 million years old. This provides a means to identify auto-, ante- and xenocrystic zircon and lead to more robust age interpretations in ID-TIMS U-Pb geochronology. One suite of Cretaceous andesitic zircons shows correlations in geochemistry and absolute time that record evolution of a magmatic system over ∼250 ka prior to eruption. Future work will combine U-Pb TIMS-TEA with solution isotopic analysis of Nd, Sr and Hf and will be applied to a host of datable minerals such as monazite, sphene, apatite, rutile, xenotime, and baddeleyite. These combined tools will provide access to an improved understanding of a wide range of igneous and metamorphic processes as a function of time.     

Reworking of Earth's first crust: Constraints from Hf isotopes in Archean zircons from Mt. Narryer,Australia

Discoveries of >4 Ga old zircon grains in the northwest Yilgarn of Western Australia led to the conclusion that evolved crust formed on the Earth within the first few 100 Ma after accretion. Little is known, however, about the fate of the first crust that shaped early Earth's surface. Here we report combined solution and laser-ablation Lu–Hf–U–Pb isotope analyses of early Archean and Hadean detrital zircon grains from different rocks of the Narryer Gneiss Complex (NGC), Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia. The zircons show two distinct groups with separate evolutionary trends in their Hf isotopes. The majority of the zircon grains point to separation from a depleted mantle reservoir at ∼3.8–3.9 Ga. The second Hf isotope trend implies reworking of older Hadean zircon grains. The major trend starting at 3.8–3.9 Ga defined by the Hf isotopes corresponds to a Lu/Hf that is characteristic for felsic crust and consequently, the primary sources for these zircons presumably had a chemical composition characteristic of continental crust. Reworked Hadean crust appears to have evolved with a similar low Lu/Hf, such that the early crust was probably evolved with respect to Lu–Hf distributions. The co-variation of Hf isotopes vs. age in zircon grains from Mt. Narryer and Jack Hills zircon grains implies a similar crustal source for both sediments in a single, major crustal domain. Age spectra and associated Hf isotopes in the zircon grains strongly argue for ongoing magmatic reworking over hundreds of millions of years of the felsic crustal domain in which the zircon grains formed. Late-stage metamorphic zircon grains from the Meeberrie Gneiss unit yield a mean U–Pb age of 3294.5 ± 3.2 Ma with initial Hf isotopes that correspond to the evolutionary trend defined by older NGC zircon grains and overlap with other detrital zircon grains, proving their genetic relationship. This ‘Meeberrie event’ is interpret here as the last reworking event in the precursor domain before final deposition. The continuous magmatic activity in one crustal domain during the Archean is recorded by the U–Pb ages and Hf isotope systematics of zircon grains and implies reworking of existing crust. We suspect that the most likely driving force for such reworking of crustal material is ongoing crustal collision and subduction. A comparison of Hf isotope signatures of zircon grains from other Archean terranes shows that similar trends are recognised within all sampled Archean domains. This implies either a global trend in crustal growth and reworking, or a genetic connection of Archean terranes in close paleo-proximity to each other. Notably, the Archean Acasta gneiss (Canada) shows a similar reworking patterns to the Yilgarn Craton of Hadean samples implying either a common Hadean source or amalgamation at the Hadean–Archean transition.     

同位素填图与深部物质探测(Ⅱ)：揭示地壳三维架构与区域成矿规律

地球深部是大规模成矿作用的“驱动机”、“供应源”和“传输带”。深入揭示深部物质组成与分布、物质循环与能量转换、三维架构与动力过程,对理解成矿作用至关重要。岩浆岩“探针”及区域同位素(如全岩Nd、锆石Hf)填图是探索深部物质组成与演化过程的主要手段,可以探测地壳深部物质组成的三维架构,揭示新生地壳/古老地壳/再造地壳的空间分布与时空演变,从而为提升区域成矿规律认识提供深部物质制约证据,有助于成矿潜力的定量半定量评价及其区域成矿预测。文章重点总结和探讨了岩浆岩全岩Nd同位素和锆石Hf同位素区域填图在解决地壳三维架构与成矿规律方面的应用成果,深入探讨了巨量岩浆岩发育的深部驱动机制及其成矿制约,对比总结了不同类型造山带(如中亚增生造山带、青藏高原碰撞造山带、秦岭复合造山带等)和不同克拉通的地壳深部组成结构与成矿制约特色。研究显示：不论是什么造山带和克拉通,深部年轻地壳分布区制约了铜金、铜镍等矿床的形成分布;古老地壳控制了大型钼矿、铅锌矿、稀有金属等矿产;两者过渡地带常常发育铁矿等。这些研究不仅揭示了区域成矿规律,而且对成矿预测与成矿潜力评价有潜在的应用价值,有可能成为成矿规律研究特别是深部物质探测及成矿背景研究的新方向。