page_title: Detrital zircon geochronology
section_title: Detrital zircon data
hierarchical_section_title: Detrital zircon geochronology / Detrital zircon data
caption_attribution_description: English: An example of laser ablation pit on zircon grain, from http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/science-facilities/analytical-imaging/micro-analysis/la-icp-ms/examples/index.html
context_page_description: Detrital zircon geochronology is the science of analyzing the age of zircons deposited within a specific sedimentary unit by examining their inherent radioisotopes, most commonly the uranium–lead ratio. The chemical name of zircon is zirconium silicate and its corresponding chemical formula is Zr SiO₄. Zircon is a common accessory or trace mineral constituent of most granite and felsic igneous rocks. Due to its hardness, durability and chemical inertness, zircon persists in sedimentary deposits and is a common constituent of most sands. Zircons contain trace amounts of uranium and thorium and can be dated using several modern analytical techniques. It has become increasingly popular in geological studies from the 2000s mainly due to the advancement in radiometric dating techniques. Detrital zircon age data can be used to constrain the maximum depositional age, determine provenance, and reconstruct the tectonic setting on a regional scale.
context_section_description: Depending on the detrital zircon study, there should be different variables included for analysis. There are two main types of data, analyzed zircon data (quantifiable data and imagery/descriptive data), and sample (where they extract the zircon grains) data. Details are listed in Table 2.
caption: Fig. 4 – Laser ablation pit (Spot analysis in LA-ICPMS) on a zircon grain
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