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Chemical constraints on the evolution of Archean continental crustOne of the challenges of Archean geochronology is to find isotopic systems that preserve an indication of a rock's primary age in spite of the effects of later metamorphism. Zircon dating has been used widely with considerable success but not without difficulty, especially in polymetamorphic terrains. Zircons in such cases commonly are found to have lost radiogenic Pb, and despite fractionizing the zircons or abrading them to remove disturbed portions; it often is not possible to define a pattern of Pb loss from which the original age can confidently be inferred. The refinement of techniques to enable extremely small samples, or even single crystals, to be analyzed has contributed greatly to solving the problem but even those techniques cannot resolve the micron scale isotopic heterogeneities within single zircons in which much of their history is recorded. That can only be done by ion microprobe. Progress reports on studies of four Archean rocks, each of which illustrates the power and potential of ion microprobe analysis in solving problems of Archean geochronology are discussed.
Document ID
19850024780
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Weaver, B. L.
(Leicester Univ.)
Tarney, J.
(Leicester Univ.)
Date Acquired
August 12, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1985
Publication Information
Publication: Lunar and Planetary Inst. Workshop on the Early Earth: The Interval from Accretion to the Older Archean
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Exploration
Accession Number
85N33093
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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