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

Roberts, Nick M.W.; Spencer, Christopher J.; Puetz, Stephen; Keller, C. Brenhin; Tapster, Simon. 2024 Regional trends and petrologic factors inhibit global interpretations of zircon trace element compositions. Geoscience Frontiers, 15 (5), 101852. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2024.101852

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2024.101852

Abstract/Summary

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.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2024.101852
ISSN:	16749871
Date made live:	23 May 2024 14:12 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/537473

Item Type:

Publication - Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2024.101852

ISSN:

16749871

Date made live:

23 May 2024 14:12 +0 (UTC)

URI:

https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/537473