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In situ calcite U−Pb geochronology by high-sensitivity single-collector LA-SF-ICP-MS

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Abstract

U−Pb geochronology of calcite using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is an emerging method, with potential applications to a vast array of geological problems. Due to the low levels of U and Pb in calcite, measurement using higher-sensitivity instruments, such as sector field (SF) ICP-MS, have advantages over more commonly used quadrupole (Q) ICP-MS instruments. Using a Thermo Element XR ICP-MS, we demonstrate that the Jet+X cone combination with the N2 enhancement technique provides the best sensitivity for measuring U and Pb isotopes. This higher sensitivity improves the precision of calcite U−Pb isotope measurements, and permits dating at high spatial resolutions (<110 µm) and for samples containing low contents of 238U (<1 µg g−1) and/or 207Pb (i.e., young samples <10 Ma). Using a spot size of 85 µm with a low fluence (∼2.0 J cm−2), the laser-induced elemental fractionation of 206Pb/238U in the NIST SRM 614, ARM-3 and WC-1 reference materials are insignificant (<2.2%). Adopting the optimized instrument parameters, we analysed four commonly-used calcite U−Pb reference materials (WC-1, Duff Brown Tank, JT, and ASH-15). The results match well with published isotope dilution data, demonstrating the reliability of our technique. ARM-3, an andesitic glass, is shown to be an appropriate reference material for both 207Pb/206Pb calibration and instrument optimization because of its moderate contents of U (∼3.75 µg g−1) and Pb (∼12.7 µg g−1). We further demonstrate that the image-guided approach using LA-ICP-MS elemental mapping is an efficient tool in obtaining robust ages.

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Acknowledgements

Perach NURIEL, Victor POLYAK and Marcel GUILLONG are acknowledged for providing the ASH-15, Duff Brown Tank, and JT RMs, respectively. Hongxia MA is thanked for sample preparation. Liangliang ZHANG is thanked for the providing of LA-MC-ICP-MS data. This work was co-supported by the National Key R&amp;D Program of China (Grant No. 2018YFA0702602), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41903024, 41525012), and the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. 2022066).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China

    Shitou Wu, Yueheng Yang, Ming Yang, Hao Wang, Zhongwu Lan, Bohang Xie, Lei Xu, Chao Huang, Liewen Xie, Jinhui Yang & Fuyuan Wu

  2. Innovation Academy for Earth Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China

    Shitou Wu, Yueheng Yang, Ming Yang, Hao Wang, Zhongwu Lan, Bohang Xie, Lei Xu, Chao Huang, Liewen Xie, Jinhui Yang & Fuyuan Wu

  3. Geochronology and Tracers Facility, British Geological Survey, Environmental Science Centre, Nottingham, NG12 5GG, UK

    Nick M. W. Roberts

  4. Key Laboratory of Deep Geology and Resources, Sinopec, Beijing, 102206, China

    Tianyi Li

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  1. Shitou Wu
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  2. Yueheng Yang
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Correspondence to Yueheng Yang.

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Wu, S., Yang, Y., Roberts, N.M.W. et al. In situ calcite U−Pb geochronology by high-sensitivity single-collector LA-SF-ICP-MS. Sci. China Earth Sci. 65, 1146–1160 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-021-9907-1

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