1.8 Billion Years of Detrital Zircon Recycling Calibrates a Refractory Part of Earth's Sedimentary Cycle

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 10; no. 12; p. e0144727
• Main Authors: Hadlari, Thomas, Swindles, Graeme T, Galloway, Jennifer M, Bell, Kimberley M, Sulphur, Kyle C, Heaman, Larry M, Beranek, Luke P, Fallas, Karen M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 14-12-2015; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Age; Carboniferous; Cretaceous; Earth; Earth (Planet); Earth science; Erosion; Geochemical cycles; Geologic Sediments - analysis; Geologic Sediments - chemistry; Geological Phenomena; Geological time; Geology; Minerals - chemistry; Natural history; Palynology; Plate tectonics; Probability; Provenance; Recycling; Rocks; Sandstone; Sedimentary basins; Sedimentation; Sediments; Silicates - analysis; Silicates - chemistry; Soil erosion; Strata; Zircon; Zirconium; Zirconium - analysis; Zirconium - chemistry; Canada; Calgary Alberta Canada; Alberta Canada; North America
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0144727

Detrital zircon studies are providing new insights on the evolution of sedimentary basins but the role of sedimentary recycling remains largely undefined. In a broad region of northwestern North America, this contribution traces the pathway of detrital zircon sand grains from Proterozoic sandstones through Phanerozoic strata and argues for multi-stage sedimentary recycling over more than a billion years. As a test of our hypothesis, integrated palynology and detrital zircon provenance provides clear evidence for erosion of Carboniferous strata in the northern Cordillera as a sediment source for Upper Cretaceous strata. Our results help to calibrate Earth's sedimentary cycle by showing that recycling dominates sedimentary provenance for the refractory mineral zircon.