Articles | Volume 7, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-7-591-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-7-591-2025
Short communication/technical note
 | 
04 Dec 2025
Short communication/technical note |  | 04 Dec 2025

Technical note: Investigation into the relationship between zircon structural damage and Pb mobility using chemical abrasion, SIMS, Raman spectroscopy, and atom probe tomography

Charles W. Magee Jr., Lutz Nasdala, Renelle Dubosq, Baptiste Gault, and Simon Bodorkos

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Cited articles

Ávila, J. N., Holden, P., Ireland, T. R., Lanc, P., Schram, N., Latimore, A., Foster, J. J., Williams, I. S., Loiselle, L., and Fu, B.: High-precision oxygen isotope measurements of zircon reference materials with the SHRIMP-SI, Geostand. Geoanal. Res., 44, 85–102, https://doi.org/10.1111/ggr.12298, 2020. 
Black, L., Kamo, S. L., Allen, C. M., Davis, D. W., Aleinikoff, J. N., Valley, J. W., Mundil, R., Campbell, I. H., Korsch, R. J., Williams, I. S., and Foudoulis, C.: Improved 206Pb/238U microprobe geochronology by the monitoring of a trace element-related matrix effect; SHRIMP, ID-TIMS, ELA-ICP-MS and oxygen isotope documentation for a series of zircon standards, Chem. Geol., 205, 115–140, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2004.01.003 , 2004. 
Bodorkos, S., Stern, R. A., Kamo, S. L., Corfu, F., and Hickman, A. H.: OG1: A natural reference material for quantifying SIMS instrumental mass fractionation (IMF) of Pb isotopes during zircon dating, Eos Trans. AGU, 90, Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract V33B-2044, 2009. 
Chakoumakos, B. C., Murakami, T., Lumpkin, G. R., and Ewing, R. C.: Alpha-decay-induced fracturing in zircon: The transition from the crystalline to the metamict state, Science, 236, 1556–1559, 1987. 
Dawson, P., Hargreave, M. M., and Wilkinson, G. F.: The vibrational spectrum of zircon (ZrSiO4), J. Phys. C, 4, 240–256, 1971. 
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Short summary
Chemical abrasion (CA) is a two-step method for reducing Pb loss where zircon is annealed then partially dissolved. We use secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) to find closed- and open-system zircon domains in zircon that has been chemically abraded, annealed only, or untreated. Raman mapping identifies lattice damage in SIMS spots. Atom probe tomography (APT) results from both the discordant spots and the concordant ones are all homogeneous and identical. Thus, APT cannot distinguish discordant and concordant zircon.
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