First cycle or polycyclic? Combining apatite and zircon detrital U-Pb geochronology and geochemistry to assess sediment recycling and effects of weathering

Emily S. Finzel; Stuart N. Thomson; David M. Pearson; L. Kenneth Horkley; Kacey Garber; Cole Gardner

doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2024.119131

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First cycle or polycyclic? Combining apatite and zircon detrital U-Pb geochronology and geochemistry to assess sediment recycling and effects of weathering

Journal article

Peer reviewed

First cycle or polycyclic? Combining apatite and zircon detrital U-Pb geochronology and geochemistry to assess sediment recycling and effects of weathering

Emily S. Finzel, Stuart N. Thomson, David M. Pearson, L. Kenneth Horkley, Kacey Garber and Cole Gardner

Earth and planetary science letters, Vol.650, 119131

01/2025

DOI: 10.1016/j.epsl.2024.119131

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Abstract

•Combined U-Pb dating of detrital zircon and apatite from the same sandstone•Detrital apatite U-Pb dating and geochemistry provides source age and lithology•Multi-method approach from the same sandstone reveals sedimentary recycling Even with the advent of multiple new geochronologic provenance techniques in recent decades, almost all provenance studies are still hampered by a fundamental limitation: recycling of older strata is often a significant concern but cannot be adequately addressed using current techniques. Detrital zircon is the dominant mineral used in provenance studies, but zircons are robust and almost always represent both first-cycle and polycyclic sediment contributions in a sandstone. To overcome these issues, we implement two relatively novel applications of detrital geochronology – U-Pb geochronology and trace and rare earth element geochemistry of detrital apatite – to take a multi-method approach of analyzing both mineral phases from the same sandstone. Our results indicate that zircon and apatite detrital age distributions from the same sandstone that are nearly identical, paired with apatite TREE geochemistry denoting an igneous source, are a key diagnostic indicator of sediment derived from shallowly-emplaced (<∼500°C) or extrusive igneous rocks. Detrital age distributions that are similar but offset from one another such that the apatite peaks are younger than the zircon peaks and also young up-section, paired with apatite TREE geochemistry denoting an igneous source, implies exhumation of a deep igneous source through the apatite U-Pb closure temperature. The combination of detrital zircon and apatite U-Pb geochronology and TREE geochemistry also permits detection of recycled versus first-cycle components from metamorphic basement terranes. This study signifies a significant advance in provenance research by demonstrating the facility of combining detrital apatite and zircon U-Pb geochronology and geochemistry to decipher first-cycle versus polycyclic sediment from various types of igneous and metamorphic rocks. Our results show this methodology has potential applications and implications for all types of sedimentary systems, paleogeographic reconstructions, provenance interpretations, and tectonic reconstructions.

apatite

detrital

Provenance

TREE

U-Pb geochronology

zircon

Details

Title: Subtitle: First cycle or polycyclic? Combining apatite and zircon detrital U-Pb geochronology and geochemistry to assess sediment recycling and effects of weathering
Creators: Emily S. Finzel - Earth & Environmental Sciences Department, 115 Trowbridge Hall, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
Stuart N. Thomson - University of Arizona
David M. Pearson - Department of Geosciences, 921 S. 8th Ave, Pocatello, ID 83209-8072
L. Kenneth Horkley - MATFab Facility, 205 N. Madison Street, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
Kacey Garber - University of Iowa
Cole Gardner - University of Iowa
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Earth and planetary science letters, Vol.650, 119131
Publisher: Elsevier B.V
DOI: 10.1016/j.epsl.2024.119131
ISSN: 0012-821X
eISSN: 1385-013X
Grant note: NSF-EAR: 1338583, 1727504 University of Arizona LaserChron Center
We thank Devon Orme and an anonymous reviewer for their critical reviews that greatly improved the manuscript. Funding for this project was provided by NSF-EAR 1727504 (Finzel) and NSF-EAR 1728563 (Pearson). NSF-EAR 1338583 provides support to the University of Arizona LaserChron Center. EF thanks Adam Skibbe and Tom Foster for help with the ArcGIS method to geochemically classify the data. We thank Jenna Kaempfer for collecting the basement samples. Dr. Justin Rosenblume assisted with field work, sample collection/processing, and data acquisition.
Language: English
Date published: 01/2025
Academic Unit: Earth and Environmental Sciences
Record Identifier: 9984752656602771

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