Spot the difference: Zircon disparity tracks crustal evolution

© 2019 Geological Society of America. We present a novel approach to examining the detrital zircon record, using similarity analysis of regionally defined populations to track crust production, preservation, and the efficacy of crustal recycling and homogenization. We compared temporally binned detr...

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Main Authors: Barham, Milo, Kirkland, Chris, Hollis, Julie
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: GEOLOGICAL SOC AMER, INC 2019
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/76473
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author Barham, Milo
Kirkland, Chris
Hollis, Julie
author_facet Barham, Milo
Kirkland, Chris
Hollis, Julie
author_sort Barham, Milo
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description © 2019 Geological Society of America. We present a novel approach to examining the detrital zircon record, using similarity analysis of regionally defined populations to track crust production, preservation, and the efficacy of crustal recycling and homogenization. We compared temporally binned detrital zircon age data from geographically defined regions using Kolmogorov-Smirnov similarity measures, multidimensional scaling, and cluster analysis. This approach tracks disparity in the global detrital zircon record from 4 Ga to the present. Disparity values increase dramatically in the Neoarchean and are interpreted to reflect the emergence and preservation of isolated crustal fragments. Disparity values decrease through the early Paleoproterozoic, associated with the onset of plate tectonics and craton assembly. Oscillating disparity values through the remaining Proterozoic and Phanerozoic correlate ( p = < 0.01) with the supercontinent cycle, where regional detrital zircon populations are more similar during assembly and more distinct during dispersal. This link between the detrital zircon record and the supercontinent cycle necessitates well-coupled crustal recycling mechanisms that operate via both magmatic and sedimentary processes.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-764732020-12-03T03:52:46Z Spot the difference: Zircon disparity tracks crustal evolution Barham, Milo Kirkland, Chris Hollis, Julie Science & Technology Physical Sciences Geology BILLION YEARS EARTH TECTONICS GROWTH RECORD ONSET © 2019 Geological Society of America. We present a novel approach to examining the detrital zircon record, using similarity analysis of regionally defined populations to track crust production, preservation, and the efficacy of crustal recycling and homogenization. We compared temporally binned detrital zircon age data from geographically defined regions using Kolmogorov-Smirnov similarity measures, multidimensional scaling, and cluster analysis. This approach tracks disparity in the global detrital zircon record from 4 Ga to the present. Disparity values increase dramatically in the Neoarchean and are interpreted to reflect the emergence and preservation of isolated crustal fragments. Disparity values decrease through the early Paleoproterozoic, associated with the onset of plate tectonics and craton assembly. Oscillating disparity values through the remaining Proterozoic and Phanerozoic correlate ( p = < 0.01) with the supercontinent cycle, where regional detrital zircon populations are more similar during assembly and more distinct during dispersal. This link between the detrital zircon record and the supercontinent cycle necessitates well-coupled crustal recycling mechanisms that operate via both magmatic and sedimentary processes. 2019 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/76473 10.1130/G45840.1 English http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ GEOLOGICAL SOC AMER, INC fulltext
spellingShingle Science & Technology
Physical Sciences
Geology
BILLION YEARS
EARTH
TECTONICS
GROWTH
RECORD
ONSET
Barham, Milo
Kirkland, Chris
Hollis, Julie
Spot the difference: Zircon disparity tracks crustal evolution
title Spot the difference: Zircon disparity tracks crustal evolution
title_full Spot the difference: Zircon disparity tracks crustal evolution
title_fullStr Spot the difference: Zircon disparity tracks crustal evolution
title_full_unstemmed Spot the difference: Zircon disparity tracks crustal evolution
title_short Spot the difference: Zircon disparity tracks crustal evolution
title_sort spot the difference: zircon disparity tracks crustal evolution
topic Science & Technology
Physical Sciences
Geology
BILLION YEARS
EARTH
TECTONICS
GROWTH
RECORD
ONSET
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/76473