Detrital zircon record and tectonic setting

P.A. Cawood1,2, C.J. Hawkesworth1 and B. Dhuime1,3

1
Department of Earth Sciences, University of St Andrews, North Street, St Andrews KY16 9AL, UK
2
School of Earth and Environment, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
3
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Queens Road, Bristol BS8 1RJ, UK

ABSTRACT variable input of zircon into the sedimentary record. Large volumes of
Detrital zircon spectra reflect the tectonic setting of the basin magma are generated in convergent plate margin settings, yet rocks from
in which they are deposited. Convergent plate margins are charac- this setting have relatively poor preservation potential in the geological
terized by a large proportion of zircon ages close to the depositional record (Scholl and von Huene, 2009). Magma volumes generated in col-
age of the sediment, whereas sediments in collisional, extensional and lisional settings are low and dominated by granite derived from partial
intracratonic settings contain greater proportions with older ages melting of the pre-existing crust (Hawkesworth et al., 2010). The envelop-
that reflect the history of the underlying basement. These differences ing supercontinent provides preferential protection to the collision gener-
can be resolved by plotting the distribution of the difference between ated magmatic rocks resulting in their enhanced preservation potential in
the measured crystallization ages (CA) of individual zircon grains the geological record. Magma volumes associated with the extensional
present in the sediment and the depositional age (DA) of the sedi- phase of supercontinent breakup are variable (White, 1992), but this
ment. Application of this approach to successions where the original phase is dominated by mafic magmatism (Storey, 1995) and it is therefore
nature of the basin and/or the link to source are no longer preserved unlikely to result in large volumes of zircons. Rocks in extensional set-
constrains the tectonic setting in which the sediment was deposited. tings are also relatively sensitive to erosion, resulting in poor preservation
potential. Thus, the record of magmatic ages is likely to be dominated
INTRODUCTION by periods when supercontinents assembled, not because this is a major
Detrital zircons are a minor constituent of clastic sedimentary rocks, phase of crust generation but because it provides a setting for the selective
yet their physiochemical resilience and high concentrations of certain preservation of the magmatic rocks generated (Hawkesworth et al., 2009).
key trace elements means that they have become an important phase in Hence basins draining a hinterland with a protracted geological history
sedimentary provenance analysis and in crustal evolution studies (e.g., will display an episodic detrital zircon record that reflects this preserva-
Cawood et al., 2007b; Hawkesworth et al., 2010). Large numbers of in tion-induced supercontinent cycle bias.
situ, high precision analyses of both igneous and detrital zircons are now
available, and a striking feature of the zircon record is that it clusters into ZIRCON FERTILITY AND SEDIMENT FLUX
peaks of crystallization ages (Condie et al., 2009). Compilations of crys- The proportion and age spectrum of zircons available in the source
tallization ages for detrital and igneous zircons show remarkably similar region for incorporation into basinal strata and the efficiency of erosion
patterns of peaks and troughs, although with some variation in the rela- and transport processes influence detrital zircon age spectra. Zircons
tive amplitude of the peaks (Condie et al., 2009). This coincidence sug- typically crystallize from magmas with greater than 60% SiO2, although
gests that the sedimentary record is a valid representation of the magmatic they are found in lower silica magmas in lesser abundance. The flux of
record (Hawkesworth et al., 2010). sediment from source to depositional basin reflects the influence of, and
We establish that detrital zircon spectra have distinctive age distribu- feedback between, relief, climate and tectonic setting. High runoff in
tion patterns that reflect the tectonic setting of the basin in which they are zones undergoing crustal thickening and uplift will result in rapid exhu-
deposited. These patterns are principally controlled by (i) the volumes of mation, erosion and high sediment flux. For instance, the Yellow, Ama-
magma generated in each tectonic setting and their preservation poten- zon and Brahmaputra rivers are the top three sediment producing rivers in
tial, (ii) the ease with which magmatic and detrital zircons of various ages the world whereas rivers draining low relief arid environments have low
and origins become incorporated into the sedimentary record, and (iii) the sediment flux (Summerfield and Hulton, 1994). In the geological record,
record of old zircons incorporated into the sediment. These in turn provide remnants of high sediment flux events are preserved as thick and extensive
a framework that can be used to constrain the tectonic setting of sedimen- sedimentary deposits. For example, the late Mesoproterozoic, “Grenville”
tary packages. This approach distinguishes between three tectonic settings and the late Neoproterozoic, “Pan-African” orogens, associated with final
(i.e., convergent, collisional, and extensional), and it is most sensitive when assembly of Rodinia and Gondwana respectively, produced huge volumes
the depositional age of the sediment investigated is well constrained. Basin of sedimentary detritus that were dispersed by systems of braided rivers
setting will evolve with tectonic regime; for example, arc-continent or (Rainbird et al., 2012; Squire et al., 2006). In addition, the high zircon
continent-continent collision will result in the evolution of convergent and fertility of syn-collisional orogenic plutons (Moecher and Samson, 2006)
extensional basins into collisional foreland basins. Hence the three settings may further result in the selective enhancement of zircons associated with
distinguished herein are end-members, and the zircon age patterns associ- these events in the preserved sedimentary record.
ated with each show a spectrum of distributions that merge and overlap
rather than define discrete fields. Discriminant plots developed for igneous LINKING BASIN TYPE, TECTONIC SETTING, SEDIMENT
rock geochemistry (e.g., Pearce and Cann, 1973) or sediment framework INFILL, AND THE ZIRCON RECORD
modes (e.g., Dickinson and Suczek, 1979) often have diffuse boundaries or The type and size of the sedimentary basin, the scale of the hinter-
overlap between fields, but remain important approaches in understanding land, and the presence and extent of synsedimentary igneous activity are
and constraining tectonic setting. Equally important, exceptions to simple a response to tectonic setting. Basins lying along plate margins (e.g., rift
end-member classifications can provide insight into subtleties of tectonic basins, arc-flanking basins, foreland basins) are characterized by syn-
process, such as outlined below for Avalonia in eastern North America. depositional tectonic activity resulting in spatial and temporal variations in
the nature and size of the hinterland and, hence, in sediment provenance.
MAGMA PRODUCTION AND PRESERVATION POTENTIAL Such basins will be characterized by rapid lateral changes in lithofacies,
Depending on the tectonic setting, the volumes of magma generated incorporation of detritus from uplifted nearby sources, and a restricted
and preserved are very different (Hawkesworth et al., 2009), resulting in distributary province. Synsedimentary magmatic activity is likely in such

GEOLOGY, October 2012; v. 40; no. 10; p. 875–878; Data Repository item 2012249 | doi:10.1130/G32945.1 | Published online 22 August 2012
GEOLOGY | October
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settings and hence the youngest detrital zircon grains may approximate the tinental collision, such as foreland basins. Sediment derived from such
time of sediment accumulation (Figs. 1A and 1B) (Dickinson and Geh- settings can extend significant distance from the actual site of ocean clo-
rels, 2009). In contrast, basins situated in intraplate (trailing-edge) settings sure (Rainbird et al., 2012). Extensional settings incorporate rift and post-
(e.g., passive margins) are tectonically stable. These basins are generally rift passive margin basins as well intracratonic basins.
characterized by spatial continuity of sedimentary lithofacies and are fed The overall range of zircon ages in the different samples (and set-
by a large distributive province at least in part of subdued relief. Synsedi- tings) is broadly similar, but there are significant differences between set-
mentary igneous activity is generally lacking from such basins, and hence tings in the proportion of ages associated with youngest and much older
the youngest detrital zircon grains will provide a maximum depositional magmatic events. Convergent margin basins have a high proportion of
age that may be tens or hundreds of millions of years older than the time of detrital zircons (generally greater than 50%) with ages close to the age of
sediment accumulation (Figs. 1E and 1F) (Cawood and Nemchin, 2001; the sediment (Fig. 2A). Some forearc and trench basins have unimodal
Cawood et al., 2007a). detrital zircon spectra with an age close to the deposition age of the strata
The presence or absence of zircon grains with ages approximating whereas back arc basins have increasing input of older detritus from the
the time of accumulation of the host sediment likely reflects the proxim- adjoining craton (Fig. 2A). Basins formed during continental collision
ity of the basin to a plate margin. The overall spread of ages is a function (e.g., foreland basins) generally contain only minor amounts of zircons
of the nature of the source and the area of the distributive province, with with ages approximating the depositional age of the sediment, but contain
large hinterlands more likely to provide a variety of source ages. Older a significant proportion of grains (50% to 10%) with ages within 150 Ma
source regions provide an episodic, rather than a continuous, age distribu- of the host sediment (Fig. 2B). This pattern reflects the variable amount of
tion (Hawkesworth et al., 2009). zircon detritus from syn-collisional magmatism and the pre-existing mag-
The interplay between tectonics, basin type and sediment infill means matic arc associated with ocean closure as well as a swath of older ages
that the detrital zircon record is the summation of two major variables: reflecting units caught in the orogenic welt and in the cratonic foreland.
(1) the presence or absence of synsedimentary magmatic activity, and (2) Extensional basins are dominated by detrital zircon ages that are much
the overall spread and proportion of different ages recorded. The impact older than the time of sediment accumulation (Fig. 2C) with less than 5%
of these variables can be represented graphically by plotting the distribu- of grains having ages within 150 Ma of the depositional age. Zircon ages
tion of the difference between the measured crystallization age (CA) for close to the depositional age likely reflect rift-related magmatic activity,
a detrital zircon grain and the depositional age (DA) of the succession in but this forms only a minor component of the age spectra due to its largely
which it occurs. mafic composition and resultant low zircon yield.
Detrital zircon age data plotted with respect to sediment depositional
age from a spectrum of basin types are illustrated in Figure 2 and can be IMPLICATIONS
grouped into three main tectonic settings: (A) convergent, (B) collisional Where the link of source to sink is no longer preserved, detrital
and (C) extensional. Convergent settings include basins lying within a zircon age patterns can aid in resolving the original basin setting. Fig-
supra-subduction zone setting, extending from the trench to the back arc ure 3 shows the general fields for convergent, collisional, and extensional
basin. Collisional settings incorporate basins formed during and after con- basins determined from the data presented in Figure 2, along with plots for

A: Trench & forearc basin C: Foreland basin E: Passive margin Figure 1. Detrital zircon age
(S California) (Appalachians) (W Australia) spectra for convergent (A and
B), collisional (C and D) and
extensional (E and F) basins.
Sources of data are available
in the Data Repository (see
footnote 1). Red vertical arrow
shows age of sediment depo-
sition. Schematic cross sec-
tion shows simplified tectonic
setting of basins. Arc flanking
B: Backarc basin D: Foreland basin F: Rift basin basins at convergent plate mar-
(Terra Australis) (Cordillera) (Perth Basin) gins are dominated by detritus
with ages that approximate the
depositional age of the samples
with the component of detritus
from older sources increasing
for those settings that receive
input from adjoining cratons
(e.g., back-arc basins). Fore-
land basin samples include
detritus with ages close to the
0 1.0 2.0 3.0 0 1.0 2.0 3.0 0 1.0 2.0 3.0 Ga depositional age of the sample,
reflecting input from syn-col-
lisional as well as convergent
Convergent Collisional Extensional plate magmatism, along with
C significant input from older
A B A D C E F sources in some samples. Ba-
sins lying along extensional
and trailing edge settings (rift
basin and passive margins)
generally lack a component of
syn-depositional magmatic ac-
tivity and are dominated by in-
put from older sources.

876 www.gsapubs.org | October 2012 | GEOLOGY

 100 Figure 2. Variation of the difference between the measured crystal-
Trench (volc.) lization age for a detrital zircon grain and the depositional age of
Intra-arc the succession in which it occurs, plotted as cumulative proportion
Forearc 2 curves, as a function of three main tectonic settings: convergent set-
ting (A), collisional setting (B), and extensional setting (C). A: Fore-
Forearc 1 arc 1 and 2 data are from the southern California (United States)
margin* and the Great Valley (California) forearc basin, respectively;
Trench (Qtz-rich) Trench (volc.) and Trench (Qtz-rich) curves from the Tablelands
Complex (Terra Australis Orogen, Australia), from volcanogenic and
Backarc quartz-rich sandstones data, respectively; Intra-arc data from the
50 Macquarie Arc (Terra Australis Orogen); and backarc data from the
Terra Australis Orogen*. B: Foreland data from five different loca-
tions (curves F-land 1–5), with F-land 1 from the Cordilleran Oro-
gen*; F-land 2 from the Appalachian Orogen (United States)*; F-land
3 and 4 from the Grenville Orogen (Canada, Scotland and United
States) (Torridonian and Middle Run Formations, respectively); and
F-land 5 from the Himalayas. C: Rift 1 and 2 curves are from the Cale-
donian Orogen (Scotland) and the Perth Basin (Australia)* data, re-
A: Convergent settings spectively; passive margin data from the eastern margin of Lauren-
0 tia (Pass. margin 1 curve), and from eastern and western Australia*
100 (Pass. margin 2 and 3 curves, respectively); intra cratonic basin data
from the Edmund and Collier groups in the Bangemall Supergroup
F-land 4 F-land 2
in western Australia (Intrcrat. bas curves 1 and 2, respectively). Data
Cumulative proportion (%)

references are given in the Data Repository (see footnote 1). Sam-
F-land 3 ples marked with an asterisk are samples shown in Figure 1.

F-land 5

50 100 Isua

A
F-land 1
Cumulative proportion (%)

Mt Isa

B
Moine
B: Collisional settings CA - DA >100
0
100 50 CA - DA <100
C A
Pass. margin 2
Pass.
margin Step 2 (30%)
3 Jack Hills
Step 2
B (Archean)
CA - DA <150

Intracrat. Rift 2 Rift 1 CA - DA >150

bas. 1 Step 1 (5%)
Intracrat. C
50 0
bas. 2
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000

Pass. margin 1
Crystallization age - deposition age (Ma)
Figure 3. Summary plot of the general fields for convergent (A: red
field), collisional (B: blue field) and extensional basins (C: green field),
determined from the data presented in Figure 2. From the variations
C: Extensional settings observed between the different fields, a model that enables prediction
of the tectonic setting of sedimentary packages of unknown origin is
0 proposed based on differences between the crystallization and depo-
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 sitional ages (CA – DA) of the zircons. Extensional (including intracra-
tonic) settings have CA – DA greater than 150 Ma in the youngest 5%
Crystallization age - deposition age (Ma) of the zircons (step 1), and all convergent settings have CA – DA less
than 100 Ma in the youngest 30% of zircons (step 2). Solid and dashed
lines show patterns of CA – DA for a series of structurally disrupted
and metamorphosed Precambrian sedimentary successions (i.e.,
structurally disrupted and/or metamorphosed sedimentary successions. Isua, Mt Isa, Jack Hills, and Moine successions; data references are
At Isua, Eoarchean volcaniclastic rocks have a nearly unimodal detrital given in the Data Repository [see footnote 1]).
zircon population similar to the depositional age and consistent with a
convergent plate margin setting (Nutman et al., 2009). The Paleoprotero-
zoic Mt. Isa basin is also dominated by detrital zircons ages close to the the North Atlantic range from failed rift and intracratonic basin to foreland
depositional age (CA – DA < 100 Ma at 30% of the zircon population, basin and active margin basin with extensive input from syncollisional
Fig. 3), consistent with models arguing for a back arc basin setting and detritus (Cawood et al., 2010). The detrital zircon record clearly indicates
against an intra-cratonic or passive margin setting (reviewed in Cawood a syncollisional setting (CA – DA < 150 Ma at 5% and CA – DA > 100 Ma
and Korsch, 2008). Proposed depositional settings for the end Mesopro- at 30% of the zircon populations, Fig. 3). Microcontinental fragments are
terozoic to early Neoproterozoic Moine (and Krummedal) succession in common constituents of orogenic belts that are structurally removed from

GEOLOGY | October 2012 | www.gsapubs.org 877

their source. For example, Avalonia is a fragment of a Neoproterozoic Cawood, P.A., Nemchin, A.A., Strachan, R.A., Prave, A.R., and Krabbendam, M.,
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS mals on Earth?: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 250, p. 116–133,
We thank the University of St Andrews for funding support. Comments and doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2006.07.032.
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anonymous reviewers are gratefully acknowledged. ries from Gondwanaland: Nature, v. 377, p. 301–308, doi:10.1038/377301a0.
Summerfield, M.A., and Hulton, N.J., 1994, Natural controls of fluvial denuda-
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1
GSA Data Repository item 2012249, Table DR1 (source of data used for each of the tectonostratigraphic basin types plotted in Figures 1–3), is available online at
www.geosociety.org/pubs/ft2012.htm, or on request from [email protected] or Documents Secretary, GSA, P.O. Box 9140, Boulder, CO 80301, USA.

878 www.gsapubs.org | October 2012 | GEOLOGY