Timescales of Mineral Systems

Zircon

Timescales of Mineral Systems Group

The Timescales of Mineral Systems Research Group seeks to address the timing of mineral-forming events through application of innovative geochronology and isotope geology. This team brings together the technical know-how and many years of experience in using isotope geology to address industry pertinent geological questions.

Meet the team

Zircon

Our techniques

  • U/Pb geochronology (zircon, monazite, titanite, rutile, apatite and more)
  • Lu/Hf isotope geochemistry (zircon)
  • Pb/Pb isotope geochemistry (K-feldspar, whole-rock, sulphides)
  • In situ Rb/Sr geochronology (biotite, muscovite, feldspar)
  • Sm/Nd and Rb/Sr isotope geochemistry (whole-rock and mineral)
  • Trace elements (all minerals)
  • S isotope geochemistry (in-situ and whole-rock)
  • Ar/Ar geochronology (sericite, volcanics, mica, feldspar, tourmaline and more)
  • Re/Os geochronology (sulphides, molybdenite, black shale)
  • (U–Th)/He thermochronology (apatite, zircon, iron ore).
Heat map of the Albany Fraser Orogen
Animation of Hf isotopic signature in zircon grains across South Western Australia over nearly two thousand million years. Those areas highlighted in red indicate new mantle input, consistent with extension on the margin of the ancient Yilgarn Craton and development of an ocean on its eastern side.

Our applications

  • Direct and indirect dating of hydrothermal mineralization events
  • Timing of igneous crystallization
  • Dating deformation and thermal histories of metamorphic rocks
  • Sedimentary provenance and basin evolution
  • Fingerprinting mineralization and revealing ore deposit evolution
  • Production of interpretive reports based on diverse isotopic datasets to address your geological question

Our programs & software

  • U-Pb Unmixer: an application to extract meaningful U-Pb ages from mixed analyses following some verifiable assumptions
    • Olierook, H. K. H., Kirkland, C. L., Barham, M., Daggitt, M. L., Hollis, J., & Hartnady, M. (2021). Extracting meaningful U-Pb ages from core–rim mixtures. Gondwana Research, 92, 102-112. IF: 6.302 doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gr.2020.12.021