DOI: 10.58024/agua6e7b32b9
title: Central Asia thermochronology compilation

description: A compilation of geosample metadata, apatite, zircon and titanite fission-track data, apatite and zircon (U-Th)/He data, as well as best-fit and maximum and minimum 95% confidence interval time-temperature paths from thermal history models from 372 surface rock samples from across Central Asia.  

Thermochronology data included in the compilation were sourced from publications (see linked references) which included inverse time-temperature reconstructions that passed three criteria: (1) that the underlying thermochronology (meta-)data and inverse thermal history model parameters and results were reported following published international data reporting best practices (Kohn et al., 2024) and in enough detail to extract the requisite information needed for the numerical 4D analysis described below, (2) that the reported underlying thermochronology ages were reproduced by other independent studies, and (3) that the published thermal history models were shown to reproduce the observed data indicating statistical robustness.

To ensure a high-quality dataset with sufficiently detailed (meta-)data, the compilation only includes data from peer-reviewed publications which report secondary standard results for objective assessment of data accuracy, and single-grain results consistent with best-practice reporting standards of Kohn et al. (2024) and Boone et al. (2023). Published inversely modelled best-fit and upper and lower 95% confidence interval time-temperature paths produced by QTQt and HeFTy modelling software were digitised using WebPlotDigitizer. Where available in supplementary information from data sources, model reliability metrics including goodness of fit (HeFTy) and age, length and kinetic parameter model residuals (QTQt) were also recorded. In addition to data quality requirements described above, models were only included in this compilation when modelling conditions were reported, including software, data types used, and rationale for applied constraints were reported, to prevent inclusion of thermochronologically or geologically unsupported time-temperature histories. 

Instances of large discrepancies in reported thermochronology ages have been noted in different parts of Central Asia (see Discussions in Gillespie et al., 2019 and He et al., 2022), where certain studies report anomalous apatite fission-track ages that are significantly younger and incompatible with those reported by the majority of studies from the same areas and, in some cases, are even younger than ages from the lower-temperature apatite (U-Th)/He system reported in the same basement blocks. In these cases, the studies which reported suspect data were therefore omitted from the compilation.

In line with published international thermal history modelling data reporting best practices (Flowers et al., 2015, 2016; Gallagher, 2016), only published time-temperature simulations from Central Asia were included that were shown to reproduce the underlying thermochronology data either via visual observed versus predicted plots of numerical goodness of fit values. 


Cooling rates stored in the Nixon et al. (2025) data compilation were calculated by taking the slope of best-fit time-temperature paths from published thermal history models on a per million year basis. Only periods of cooling recorded by thermal history models, as a proxy for exhumation, were considered. Rare phases of reheating in published thermal history models from the study area were instead considered as recording 0 °C/Ma of cooling during the corresponding time periods. Extracted thermal histories for any given sample extend only as far back as the period of time constrained by their underlying thermochronology data, with cooling rates for earlier periods recorded in the database as NaN and ignored during analysis.

This compilation underpins the integrated plate tectonic, geodynamic and paleoclimate modelling study of Boone et al. (2025):

Boone, S., Glorie, S., Zahirovic, S., Nixon, A., Meeuws, F., and Kohlmann, F. (2025). Deciphering Mantle, Tectonic and Climactic Controls of Exhumation (in review).

A preprint of this work can be found here, DOI: 10.22541/au.174111208.84464085/v1