U-Pb geochronology at 100ppm age uncertainty

n/

High-resolution stratigraphy and zircon U–Pb geochronology of the Middle Triassic Buchenstein Formation (Dolomites, northern Italy): precession-forcing of hemipelagic carbonate sedimentation and calibration of the Anisian–Ladinian boundary interval

Orbitally forced cyclic variations in sedimentary sequences provide evidence for short-term fluctuations of Earth climate and a tool for high-resolution timescale calibration. We here present stratigraphic and geochronological evidence for precession-forcing in Middle Triassic hemipelagic limestones of the Buchenstein Formation (Dolomites, northern Italy). High-resolution stratigraphy of several correlative sections of the Buchenstein Formation documents a coherent cycle pattern. Isotope dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry zircon U–Pb geochronology of tuffs bracketing the cyclic interval reveals an average cycle duration of 18.5 ± 2.1 kyr, consistent with a shorter climatic precession cycle in the Middle Triassic compared with today. This suggests a predominantly precession-controlled climate in this low-latitude setting of the western Tethys and allows high-precision calibration of the Anisian–Ladinian boundary interval. From integrating cyclostratigraphic and U–Pb geochronological constraints, our best estimate for the age of the Anisian–Ladinian boundary is 241.464 ± 0.064/0.097/0.28 Ma. We also provide precise estimates for lithostratigraphic boundaries, biostratigraphic markers and magnetic reversals within the boundary interval. Stratigraphic intervals with elevated sedimentation rate record a sub-Milankovitch signal that may be equivalent to patterns in adjacent carbonate platforms such as the Latemar platform. The origin of this sub-Milankovitch signal remains unknown but highlights the potential to investigate shorter-term climatic variations in Mesozoic sedimentary sequences

Evaluating the reliability of U–Pb laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) carbonate geochronology: matrix issues and a potential calcite validation reference material

We document that the reliability of carbonate U–Pb dating by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is improved by matching the aspect ratio of the LA single-hole drilling craters and propagating long-term excess variance and systematic uncertainties. We investigated the impact of different matrices and ablation crater geometries using U–Pb isotope analyses of one primary (WC-1) and two secondary reference materials (RMs). Validation RMs (VRMs) include a previously characterised one (ASH-15D) and a new candidate (JT), characterised by ID-TIMS (intercept age: 13.797±0.031 Ma) with excellent agreement to pooled LA-ICP-MS measurements (13.75±0.11 | 0.36 Ma), a U concentration of approx. 1 µg g−1 and 238U∕206Pb ratios from 5 to 460, defining the isochron well. Differences in ablation crater depth to diameter ratios (aspect ratio) introduce an offset due to downhole fractionation and/or matrix effects. This effect can be observed either when the crater size between U–Pb RM and the sample changes or when the ablation rate for the sample is different than for the RM. Observed deviations are up to 20 % of the final intercept age depending on the degree of crater geometry mismatch. The long-term excess uncertainty was calculated to be in the range of 2 % (ASH-15D) to 2.5 % (JT), and we recommend propagating this uncertainty into the uncertainty of the final results. Additionally, a systematic offset to the ID-TIMS age of 2 %–3 % was observed for ASH-15D but not for JT. This offset might be due to different ablation rates of ASH-15D compared to the primary RM or remaining matrix effects, even when the aspect ratios chosen are similar

Evaluating the reliability of U–Pb laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) carbonate geochronology: matrix issues and a potential calcite validation reference material

International audienceWe document that the reliability of carbonate U-Pb dating by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is improved by matching the aspect ratio of the LA single hole drilling craters and propagating of long-term excess uncertainty and systematic uncertainties. We investigated the impact of different matrices and ablation crater geometries using U-Pb isotope analyses of one primary (WC-1) and two secondary reference materials (RMs). Validation RMs (VRM) include a previously characterized (ASH-15D) and a new candidate (JT), characterized by ID-TIMS (intercept age: 13.797 ± 0.031 Ma) with excellent agreement to pooled LA-ICP-MS measurements (13.81 ± 0.11 ¦ 0.30 Ma), U concentration of approx. 1 μg/g and 238U/206Pb ratios from 5 to 460, well defining the isochron. Differences in ablation crater depth to diameter ratios (aspect ratio) introduce an offset due to downhole fractionation and/or matrix effects. This effect can be observed either when the crater size between U-Pb RM and sample changes or when the ablation rate for the sample is different than for the RM. Observed deviations are up to 20 % of the final intercept age depending on the degree of crater geometry mismatch. The long-term excess uncertainty was calculated to be in the range of 2 % (ASH-15D) to 2.5 % (JT), and we recommend propagating this uncertainty into the uncertainty of the final results. Additionally, a systematic offset to the ID-TIMS age of 2–3 % was observed for ASH-15D but not for JT. This offset might be due to different ablation rates of ASH-15D compared to the primary RM or remaining matrix effects, even when chosen aspect ratios are similar

Timing and evolution of Middle Triassic magmatism in the Southern Alps (northern Italy)

Middle Triassic magmatism in the Southern Alps (northern Italy) consists of widespread volcanoclastic deposits, basaltic lava flows and intrusive complexes. Despite their importance in understanding the geodynamic evolution of the westernmost Tethys, the timing of magmatic activity and the links between the different igneous products remain poorly understood. We present a comprehensive high-precision zircon U–Pb geochronology dataset for the major intrusive complexes and several volcanic ash layers and integrate this with a high-resolution stratigraphic framework of Middle Triassic volcano-sedimentary successions. The main interval of Middle Triassic magmatism lasted at least 5.07 ± 0.06 myr. Magmatic activity started with silicic eruptions between 242.653 ± 0.036 and 238.646 ± 0.037 Ma, followed by a <1 myr eruptive interval of voluminous basaltic lava flows. Coeval mafic to intermediate intrusions dated at 238.190 ± 0.055 to 238.075 ± 0.087 Ma may represent feeder and subvolcanic complexes related to the basalt flows. The youngest products are silicic tuffs from latest Ladinian to early Carnian sequences dated at 237.680 ± 0.047 and 237.579 ± 0.042 Ma. Complemented by zircon trace element data, our high-resolution temporal framework places tight constraints on the link between silicic and mafic igneous products in a complex geodynamic setting

Maturation and rejuvenation of a silicic magma reservoir: High-resolution chronology of the Kneeling Nun Tuff

Knowledge of the conditions of magma storage prior to volcanic eruptions is key to their forecasting, yet little is known about how melt compositions, crystallinity and intensive parameters within individual magma reservoirs evolve over time. To address this, we studied the Kneeling Nun Tuff, a voluminous (>900 km3) deposit of an Eocene caldera-forming eruption from the Mogollon–Datil volcanic field in New Mexico, USA. Whole-rock, feldspar and amphibole compositions were combined with zircon trace-element geochemistry and precise isotope dilution-thermal ionisation mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS) U–Pb zircon crystallisation ages to arrive at a detailed, time-resolved record of chemical and physical changes within the voluminous, upper-crustal (∼2.2 kbar) magma reservoir. Chemical compositions and zircon ages from the Kneeling Nun Tuff and from co-magmatic clasts hosted within it reveal prolonged (>1.5 million years) growth and maturation of the magma reservoir that was heterogeneous in terms of temperature, melt composition and crystallinity. This protracted storage at a dominant crystallinity in excess of 50% culminated in a period of ca. 50 ky of increase in recharge heat supply and related homogenisation, decrease in crystallinity to 40–50%, and potential increase in average melt temperature, leading up to eruption at 35.299 ± 0.039 Ma. Sampling of co-magmatic lithic clasts derived from early-cooled domains of the reservoir shows that the long, million year-scale maturation time is shared across all erupted domains of the magmatic system, irrespective of their final cooling history. This study provides key observations from a natural system against which thermal and mechanical models of upper-crustal magma reservoir construction can be validated.ISSN:0012-821XISSN:1385-013

Early Earth zircons formed in residual granitic melts produced by tonalite differentiation

International audienceThe oldest geological materials on Earth are Hadean (>4 Ga) detrital zircon grains. Their chemistry and apparently low Ti-in-zircon temperatures (≤700°C) are considered to be inconsistent with crystallization in a magma of the tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) suite, although these are the dominant Archean (4.0-2.5 Ga old) silicic rocks. Using a new dataset of trace element contents in zircons from Paleoarchean Barberton TTGs (South Africa) and thermodynamic modelling, we show that these zircons have crystallized at near-solidus conditions from a compositionally uniform granitic melt. This melt is residual from the upper crustal crystallization of a less evolved (tonalitic) parent and thereby shows major and trace element compositions different from bulk TTG rocks. A global compilation reveals that most Hadean detrital and Archean TTG-hosted grains share a peculiar zircon trace element signature that is distinct from the chemical trends defined by Phanerozoic zircons. Our model shows that the low Ti contents of early Earth zircons reflect crystallization at higher temperatures (720-800°C) than initially inferred, due to lower modelled TiO2 activity in the melt relative to previous estimates. We therefore propose that near-solidus zircon crystallization from a chemically evolved melt in a TTG-like magmatic environment was the dominant zircon-forming process on the early Earth

Table S2: U–Pb data. High-resolution stratigraphy and zircon U–Pb geochronology of the Middle Triassic Buchenstein Formation (Dolomites, northern Italy): precession-forcing of hemipelagic carbonate sedimentation and calibration of the Anisian–Ladinian boundary interval

Table S2: Isotope dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry U–Pb