A relational database of global U–Pb ages

Abstract

Enhanced understanding of how sampling techniques affect estimates of the global U–Pb age-distribution have, in turn, constrained U–Pb database design. Recent studies indicate that each continent has a unique age-distribution, as determined by zircon ages dated by the U–Pb isotope method. Likewise, broad regions within a continent also exhibit diverse age-distributions. To achieve a reliable estimate of the global distribution, the heterogenous composition of the continental crust requires sampling as many regions as feasibly possible. To attain this goal, and to provide a method for calculating age histograms, the records from a recent global U–Pb compilation are supplemented with 281,631 new records. These additions increase the database size to 700,598 records. In addition, the data are now restructured and made available as a relational database. After filtering the records by the six age-models included with the database, the results reveal two problems that might generally be unrecognized. First, an abrupt switch in the best-age at any given point (such as 1000 Ma) from 206Pb/238U ages to 207Pb/206Pb ages artificially depresses the age-distribution at the cutoff point. Second, rejecting analyses based on either absolute discordance or the magnitude of 2σ precision errors artificially depresses the age-distribution between 900 Ma and 2000 Ma. The results indicate that, when estimating the global U–Pb age-distribution, the methods for determining best-age and for rejecting records both require some attention. Possible solutions include using either an Accuracy Model or a Precision Model for estimating best-age, and then including all U–Pb records in the estimate, rather than rejecting any of them.