Zircon U-Pb dating is the most commonly used method for isotopic geochronology. However, it has been a difficult issue when relating zircon U-Pb ages to metamorphic conditions in complex metamorphic rocks. Much progress has been made in the past decade with respect to the genesis of zircon and its constraints on interpretation of U-Pb age. Three methods have been proposed to link zircon U-Pb age to metamorphic conditions: (i) internal structure; (ii) trace element feature; (iii) mineral inclusion composition. Magmatic zircon shows typical oscillatory zoning and/or sector zoning, whereas metamorphic zircon has internal structures such as no zoned, weakly zoned, cloudy zoned, sector zoned, planar zoned, and patched zoned ones. Zircons formed in different geological environments generally have characteristic internal structures. Magmatic zircons from different rock types have variable trace element abundances, with a general trend of increasing trace element abundances in zircons from ultramafic through mafic to granitic rocks. Zircons formed under different metamorphic conditions have different trace element characteristics that can be used to relate their formation to metamorphic conditions. It is an effective way to relate zircon growth to certain P-T conditions by studying the trace element partitioning between coexisting metamorphic zircon and garnet in high-grade metamorphic rocks containing both zircon and garnet. Primary mineral inclusions in zircon can also provide unambiguous constraints on its formation conditions. Therefore, interpretation of zircon U-Pb ages can be constrained by its internal structure, trace element composition, mineral inclusion and so on.

Genesis of zircon and its constraints on interpretation of U-Pb age

Stable isotope geochemistry of ultrahigh pressure metamorphic rocks from the Dabie–Sulu orogen in China: implications for geodynamics and fluid regime

Tectonic evolution of a composite collision orogen: An overview on the Qinling–Tongbai–Hong'an–Dabie–Sulu orogenic belt in central China

Zircon U-Pb and oxygen isotope evidence for a large-scale 18O depletion event in igneous rocks during the Neoproterozoic

Zircon U-Pb age, Hf and O isotope constraints on protolith origin of ultrahigh-pressure eclogite and gneiss in the Dabie orogen

Mineral inclusions in zircon from gneisses in the ultrahigh‐pressure (UHP) zone of the Dabie Mountains, China, are studied by using laser Raman spectrophotometry. We identified numerous mineral inclusions including coesite, quartz, clinopyroxene, phengite, barite, anhydrite, and feldspar. Coesite is found to occur as zircon‐hosted inclusions in all types of gneisses, indicating that these gneisses had shared the ultrahigh‐pressure metamorphic history with the UHP eclogite blocks that reside in them. The occurrence of barite and anhydrite probably implies the existence of \documentclass{aastex} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{bm} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{pifont} \usepackage{stmaryrd} \usepackage{textcomp} \usepackage{portland,xspace} \usepackage{amsmath,amsxtra} \usepackage[OT2,OT1]{fontenc} \newcommand\cyr{ \renewcommand\rmdefault{wncyr} \renewcommand\sfdefault{wncyss} \renewcommand\encodingdefault{OT2} \normalfont \selectfont} \DeclareTextFontC...

https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/320796

Shegnori Maruyama

Papers

Mineral Inclusions in Zircon from Gneisses in the Ultrahigh‐Pressure Zone of the Dabie Mountains, China