1) basics/ theory

2) Measurement procedures
3) Data reduction, necessary corrections of raw data
4 ) conclusions

Zircon U-Pb dating: comparison of methods

M. Tichomirowa

U
radioaktiv

Pb
radiogen

Rutherford & Soddy: Gesetz des radioaktiven Zerfalls

-dN/dt

=xN

Zerfallskonstante (Wahrscheinlichkeit, mit der

1 Atom in bestimmter Zeit zerfllt
N Anzahl radioaktiver Atome
t - Zeit
N = N0 e t

e Integrationskonstante (2,718..)
N0 = N + D
D = N (e t 1)

Zircon U-Pb dating: comparison of methods

M. Tichomirowa

U/Pb-Datierung

U-Th-Pb-Datierung: 3 Zerfallsreihen
a) 238U 206Pb + 8 + 6-

Isotopengeochemie und Geochronologie

M. Tichomirowa

U/Pb-Datierung

b) 235U 207Pb + 7 + 4-

Isotopengeochemie und Geochronologie

M. Tichomirowa

U/Pb-Datierung

D = N (e t 1)
206Pb

= 238U (et 1)

206Pb

= 206Pbi + 238U (et 1)

bei Pbi = 0

206Pb

206Pb

238U

204Pb

204Pb

204Pb

207Pb

207Pb

235U

204Pb

204Pb

204Pb

208Pb

208Pb

232Th

204Pb

204Pb

204Pb

207Pb

235U

206Pb

238U

(et 1)
(et 1)
(et 1)

(e2t 1)
(e1t 1)
Isotopengeochemie und Geochronologie

206Pb-Alter

207Pb-Alter

208Pb-Alter

207Pb/206Pb-Alter

M. Tichomirowa

U/Pb-Datierung

207Pb/206Pb-Alter

Isotopengeochemie und Geochronologie

M. Tichomirowa

U/Pb-Datierung

t 207-206 > t 207 > t 206 > t 208

Isotopengeochemie und Geochronologie

M. Tichomirowa

U/Pb-Datierung

Diskordia

Isotopengeochemie und Geochronologie

M. Tichomirowa

U/Pb-Datierung

Pb-Verlust vor 1 Milliarde Jahre

Isotopengeochemie und Geochronologie

M. Tichomirowa

Terra-Wasserburg diagram
207Pb/206Pb

Zircon U-Pb dating: comparison of methods

M. Tichomirowa

2) Measurement procedures
1) Conventional U-Pb dating (ID-TIMS)
a) multi-grain dating
b) single grain dating
- choose the best grains

Zircon U-Pb dating: comparison of methods

U/Pb-Datierung

Zirkone des Unteren Graugneises (Innerer Freiberger Gneis)

Isotopengeochemie und Geochronologie

Tichomirowa (2003)

M. Tichomirowa

- Get rid of zircons or zircon domains with a disturbed U-Pb system:

by Annealing and Chemical Abrasion
Annealing: heating at 850oC for 48 h

Tichomirowa et al. (2005)

Zircon U-Pb dating: comparison of methods

- Get rid of zircons or zircon domains with a disturbed U-Pb system:

by Annealing and Chemical Abrasion
Annealing: heating at 850oC for 48 h
Chemical abrasion: leaching with HF + HNO3
washing the surface of zircons by clean acids and water

Zircon U-Pb dating: comparison of methods

Spiking (ET 535, ET 2535)

Dissolution with HF + HNO3 in bombs (48 72 h)
Separate U and Pb from zircons (column chemistry)
Measurement of Pb istope ratios (TIMS)
Measurement of U isotope ratios (TIMS)

M. Tichomirowa

2) U-Pb dating by SHRIMP/SIM

- Prepare polished zircons
- Make CL images
- Measurement on SHRIMP/SIMS

Zircon U-Pb dating: comparison of methods

U/Pb-Datierung

SHRIMP (Sensitive High Resolution Ion MicroProbe)

Isotopengeochemie und Geochronologie

M. Tichomirowa

U/Pb-Datierung

Isotopengeochemie und Geochronologie

M. Tichomirowa

U/Pb-Datierung

Datierung mittels SHRIMP

Isotopengeochemie und Geochronologie

Tichomirowa
M. Tichomirowa
et al (2001)

3) U-Pb dating by LA-ICPMS (laser ablation and inductively coupled

mass spectrometry)
- Prepare polished zircons
- Make CL images
- Measurement (quadrupole or
magnetic sector MS)

Kosler & Sylvester (2003)

4) Evaporation (Kober) method:

207Pb/206Pb

model ages

- Take the best zircons

- Put into Re-filaments
- Measurement on TIMS
with pre-cleaning (pre-heating)

Zircon U-Pb dating: comparison of methods

Dickin (2005)

U/Pb-Datierung

Isotopengeochemie und Geochronologie

M. Tichomirowa

Kosler & Sylvester (2003)

Zircon U-Pb dating: comparison of methods

M. Tichomirowa

3) Data reduction, corrections of raw data

The measured isotope ratios never correspond to those in zircons!
1. Fractionation of Pb and U isotopes during measurement:
mass bias
2. Gain factor between different cups
3. Different measurement conditions for different samples
4. Problem of common Pb correction
5. Problem of Pb loss
6. Problem of inherited ages

Zircon U-Pb dating: comparison of methods

M. Tichomirowa

LA-ICPMS

Kosler & Sylvester (2003)

Zircon U-Pb dating: comparison of methods

M. Tichomirowa

1. Fractionation of Pb and U isotopes during measurement: mass bias

Zircon U-Pb dating: comparison of methods

High precision U-Pb single grain dating (ID-TIMS)

precision: about 0,1%
Ca. 60% of the uncertainty of the U-Pb-dating is due to instrumental fractionation
1) Using Spikes with 4 Pb isotopes:
ET 2535 = 202Pb + 205Pb + 233U + 235U
Internal precision could be limited to about 0.1 %
2) Intercalibation of this spike by EARTHTIME group
3) Very low total blanks (<1pg): important for the correction of common Pb
4) Same calculation programme for all laboratories free from the Internet
5) Chemical Abrasion (annealing) only areas with undisturbed U-Pb System are dated

M. Tichomirowa

Chiaradia et al. (2013)

Zircon U-Pb dating: comparison of methods

M. Tichomirowa

2.

Gain factor between different cups

Correction usually done by gain calibration.

3.

Different measurement conditions for different samples

- Different position of samples
- Changes in working conditions (beam intensity, gas flow, vacuum,)
Impossible to correct, the only control are zircon standard values (outliers).
Greater influence if measurement is done only with one cup (peak jumping)

of

Zircon U-Pb dating: comparison of methods

be anaylsis
al. (1984)

Dickin (2005)

after correction with mean/average fractionation

Ireland & Williams (2003)

Zircon U-Pb dating: comparison of methods

M. Tichomirowa

4.

Common Pb correction

Ratio 206Pb/204Pb
(or 204Pb/206Pb) is indicator
how much common Pb
is obtained during
zircon measurement
Zircon U-Pb dating: comparison of methods

M. Tichomirowa

ID-TIMS U-Pb dating

McLean et al. (2011)

Usual values for 204Pb/206Pb for zircons

Zircon U-Pb dating: comparison of methods

M. Tichomirowa

Dickin (2005)

Zircon U-Pb dating: comparison of methods

M. Tichomirowa

5.

Problem of Pb loss
Diffusion of elements in zircon:
Pb more mobile than Th, U

Cherniak & Watson (2003)

5.

Problem of Pb loss
Consequences in dating diagrams

Tichomirowa et al. (2012)

Zircon U-Pb dating: comparison of methods

6.

Problem of inherited ages

Zircon U-Pb dating: comparison of methods

Tichomirowa et al. (2001)

4) Conclusions

Bowring & Schmitz (2003)

Kosler & Sylvester (2003)

Zircon U-Pb dating: comparison of methods

4) Conclusions

Zircon U-Pb dating: comparison of methods

M. Tichomirowa

Kosler and Sylvester (2003)

Zircon U-Pb dating: comparison of methods

M. Tichomirowa

Thank you for your attention

Zircon U-Pb dating: comparison of methods

M. Tichomirowa

References:
Bowring & Schmitz (2003): High-precision U-Pb zircon geochronology and the stratigraphic record. In: Hanchar & Hoskin (Eds)
Zircon, Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry Vol 53, 305-326.
Cherniak & Watson (2003): Diffusion in zircon. In: Hanchar & Hoskin (Eds) Zircon, Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry
Vol 53, 113-143.
Chiaradia et al. (2013): How accurately can we date the duration of magmatic-hydrothermal events in porphyry systems?
An invited paper. Economic Geology 108, 565-583.
Dickin (2005): Radiogenic isotope geology. Cambridge University press, 492 pp.
Ireland & Williams (2003): Considerations in zircon geochronology by SIMS. In: Hanchar & Hoskin (Eds) Zircon, Reviews in
Mineralogy and Geochemistry Vol 53, 215-241.
Kosler & Sylvester (2003): Present trends and the future in geochronology: laser ablation ICPMS. In: Hanchar & Hoskin (Eds)
Zircon, Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry Vol 53, 243-275
McLean et al. (2011): An algorithm for U-Pb isotope dilution data reduction and uncertainty propagation. Geochemistry,
Geophysics, Geosystems 12, Q0AA18, doi: 10.1029/2010GC003478.
Nasdala et al. (2006): Effects of natural radiation damage on back-scattered electron images of single crystals of minerals.
Am. Mineralogist 91, 1739-1746.
Tichomirowa et al. (2001): Zircon ages of high-grade gneisses in the Eastern Erzgebirge (Central European Variscides) constraints on origin of the rocks and Precambrian to Ordovician magmatic events in the Variscan foldbelt. Lithos 56, 303-332.

Zircon U-Pb dating: comparison of methods

References:
Tichomirowa (2003): Die Gneise des Erzgebirges hochmetamorphe quivalente von neoproterozoisch-frhpalozoischen
Grauwacken und Granitoiden der Cadomiden. Freiberger Forschungshefte C 495, 222 S.
Tichomirowa et al. (2005): Resorption, growth, solid state recrystallisation, and annealing of granulite facies zircon a case
study from the Central Erzgebirge, Bohemian Massif. Lithos 82, 25-50.
Tichomirowa et al. (2012): Inferring protoliths of high-grade metamorphic gneisses of the Erzgebirge using zirconology, geochemistry and comparison with lower-grade rocks from Lusatia (Saxothuringia, Germany). Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. 164,
375-396.

Zircon U-Pb dating: comparison of methods