Trace element chemistry of zircons from oceanic crust: A method for distinguishing detrital zircon provenance

Research Article| July 01, 2007 Trace element chemistry of zircons from oceanic crust: A method for distinguishing detrital zircon provenance C.B. Grimes; C.B. Grimes 1Department of Geology, University of Wyoming, Department 3006, Laramie, Wyoming 82071, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar B.E. John; B.E. John 1Department of Geology, University of Wyoming, Department 3006, Laramie, Wyoming 82071, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar P.B. Kelemen; P.B. Kelemen 2Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, P.O. Box 1000, Palisades, New York 10964, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar F.K. Mazdab; F.K. Mazdab 3United States Geological Survey—Stanford Ion Microprobe Laboratory, 367 Panama Mall, Stanford, California 94305, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar J.L. Wooden; J.L. Wooden 3United States Geological Survey—Stanford Ion Microprobe Laboratory, 367 Panama Mall, Stanford, California 94305, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar M.J. Cheadle; M.J. Cheadle 4Department of Geology, University of Wyoming, Department 3006, Laramie, Wyoming 82071, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar K. Hanghøj; K. Hanghøj 5Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, P.O. Box 1000, Palisades, New York 10964, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar J.J. Schwartz J.J. Schwartz 6Department of Geology, University of Wyoming, Department 3006, Laramie, Wyoming 82071, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information C.B. Grimes 1Department of Geology, University of Wyoming, Department 3006, Laramie, Wyoming 82071, USA B.E. John 1Department of Geology, University of Wyoming, Department 3006, Laramie, Wyoming 82071, USA P.B. Kelemen 2Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, P.O. Box 1000, Palisades, New York 10964, USA F.K. Mazdab 3United States Geological Survey—Stanford Ion Microprobe Laboratory, 367 Panama Mall, Stanford, California 94305, USA J.L. Wooden 3United States Geological Survey—Stanford Ion Microprobe Laboratory, 367 Panama Mall, Stanford, California 94305, USA M.J. Cheadle 4Department of Geology, University of Wyoming, Department 3006, Laramie, Wyoming 82071, USA K. Hanghøj 5Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, P.O. Box 1000, Palisades, New York 10964, USA J.J. Schwartz 6Department of Geology, University of Wyoming, Department 3006, Laramie, Wyoming 82071, USA Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 08 Dec 2006 Revision Received: 23 Feb 2007 Accepted: 02 Mar 2007 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2007) 35 (7): 643–646. https://doi.org/10.1130/G23603A.1 Article history Received: 08 Dec 2006 Revision Received: 23 Feb 2007 Accepted: 02 Mar 2007 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation C.B. Grimes, B.E. John, P.B. Kelemen, F.K. Mazdab, J.L. Wooden, M.J. Cheadle, K. Hanghøj, J.J. Schwartz; Trace element chemistry of zircons from oceanic crust: A method for distinguishing detrital zircon provenance. Geology 2007;; 35 (7): 643–646. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G23603A.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract We present newly acquired trace element compositions for more than 300 zircon grains in 36 gabbros formed at the slow-spreading Mid-Atlantic and Southwest Indian Ridges. Rare earth element patterns for zircon from modern oceanic crust completely overlap with those for zircon crystallized in continental granitoids. However, plots of U versus Yb and U/Yb versus Hf or Y discriminate zircons crystallized in oceanic crust from continental zircon, and provide a relatively robust method for distinguishing zircons from these environments. Approximately 80% of the modern ocean crust zircons are distinct from the field defined by more than 1700 continental zircons from Archean and Phanerozoic samples. These discrimination diagrams provide a new tool for fingerprinting ocean crust zircons derived from reservoirs like that of modern mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) in both modern and ancient detrital zircon populations. Hadean detrital zircons previously reported from the Acasta Gneiss, Canada, and the Narryer Gneiss terrane, Western Australia, plot in the continental granitoid field, supporting hypotheses that at least some Hadean detrital zircons crystallized in continental crust forming magmas and not from a reservoir like modern MORB. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.