Articles | Volume 7, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-7-571-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-7-571-2025
Short communication/technical note
 | 
03 Nov 2025
Short communication/technical note |  | 03 Nov 2025

Technical note: Improved calculation of volume, FT correction, and other derived data for polished zircon (U-Th)/He thermochronology

Barra A. Peak

Cited articles

Cooperdock, E. H. G., Ketcham, R. A., and Stockli, D. F.: Resolving the effects of 2-D versus 3-D grain measurements on apatite (U-Th)g/gHe age data and reproducibility, Geochronology, 1, 17–41, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-1-17-2019, 2019. 
Danišík, M., McInnes, B. I. A., Kirkland, C. L., McDonald, B. J., Evans, N. J., and Becker, T.: Seeing is believing: Visualization of He distribution in zircon and implications for thermal history reconstruction on single crystals, Sci. Adv., 3, 1–9, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02192-6, 2017. 
Dröllner, M., Barham, M., and Kirkland, C. L.: Gaining from loss: Detrital zircon source-normalized α-dose discriminates first- versus multi-cycle grain histories, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 579, 117346, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2021.117346, 2022. 
Farley, K. A.: (U-Th)/He Dating: Techniques, Calibrations, and Applications, Rev. Mineral. Geochem., 47, 819–844, https://doi.org/10.2138/rmg.2002.47.18, 2002. 
Flowers, R. M., Zeitler, P. K., Danišík, M., Reiners, P. W., Gautheron, C., Ketcham, R. A., Metcalf, J. R., Stockli, D. F., Enkelmann, E., and Brown, R. W.: (U-Th)/He chronology: Part 1. Data, uncertainty, and reporting, GSA Bull., 135, 104–136, https://doi.org/10.1130/B36266.1, 2022a. 
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Short summary
Conventional (U-Th)/He thermochronology requires accurate calculation of mineral grain volume, often based on approximations to idealized geometries. However, there are many instances where knowingly altering the geometry by polishing grains for additional in situ data collection is desirable. This contribution provides a new method to calculate volume and other data for polished grains used in zircon (U-Th)/He thermochronology analysis using no-added-cost modifications of existing workflows.
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