Articles | Volume 7, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-7-409-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-7-409-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
04 Sep 2025
Research article |
| 04 Sep 2025
| 04 Sep 2025
Interlaboratory reproducibility of ID-TIMS U–Pb geochronology evaluated with a pre-spiked natural zircon solution
Dawid Szymanowski
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute of Geochemistry and Petrology, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
Jörn-Frederik Wotzlaw
Institute of Geochemistry and Petrology, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
Maria Ovtcharova
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Geneva, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
Blair Schoene
Department of Geosciences, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA
Urs Schaltegger
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Geneva, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
Mark D. Schmitz
Department of Geosciences, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA
Ryan B. Ickert
Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA
Cyril Chelle-Michou
Institute of Geochemistry and Petrology, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
Kevin R. Chamberlain
Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071, USA
James L. Crowley
Department of Geosciences, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA
Joshua H. F. L. Davies
Département des Sciences de la Terre et de l'Atmosphère/Geotop, Université du Québec à Montréal, Québec H2X 3Y7, Canada
Michael P. Eddy
Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA
Sean P. Gaynor
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Geneva, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
Department of Geosciences, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA
Alexandra Käßner
Institut für Mineralogie, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, 09599 Freiberg, Germany
Michael T. Mohr
Department of Geosciences, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725, USA
André N. Paul
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Geneva, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
Jahandar Ramezani
Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
Simon Tapster
Geochronology and Tracers Facility, British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham, NG12 5GG, United Kingdom
Marion Tichomirowa
Institut für Mineralogie, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, 09599 Freiberg, Germany
Albrecht von Quadt
Institute of Geochemistry and Petrology, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
Corey J. Wall
Pacific Centre for Isotopic and Geochemical Research, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
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Short summary
We present the first community-wide evaluation of the reproducibility of U–Pb zircon geochronology by isotope dilution thermal ionisation mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS). Eleven labs analysed aliquots of the same, homogenised, pre-spiked solution of natural zircon, which removed geological bias inherent to using heterogeneous natural zircon grain populations. We discuss remaining sources of inter-lab bias and propose areas of improvement to analytical procedures.
We present the first community-wide evaluation of the reproducibility of U–Pb zircon...
