Accurate Hf isotope determinations of complex zircons using the “laser ablation split stream” method

Abstract

The “laser ablation split stream” (LASS) technique is a powerful tool for mineral‐scale isotope analyses and in particular, for concurrent determination of age and Hf isotope composition of zircon. Because LASS utilizes two independent mass spectrometers, a large range of masses can be measured during a single ablation, and thus, the same sample volume can be analyzed for multiple geochemical systems. This paper describes a simple analytical setup using a laser ablation system coupled to a single‐collector (for U‐Pb age determination) and a multicollector (for Hf isotope analyses) inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (MC‐ICPMS). The ability of the LASS for concurrent Hf + age technique to extract meaningful Hf isotope compositions in isotopically zoned zircon is demonstrated using zircons from two Proterozoic gneisses from northern Idaho, USA. These samples illustrate the potential problems associated with inadvertently sampling multiple age and Hf components in zircons, as well as the potential of LASS to recover meaningful Hf isotope compositions. We suggest that such inadvertent sampling of differing age and Hf components can be a significant cause of excess scatter in Hf isotope analyses and demonstrate that the LASS approach offers a robust solution to these issues. The veracity of the approach is demonstrated by accurate analyses of 10 reference zircons with well‐characterized age and Hf isotopic composition, using laser spot diameters of 30 and 40 µm. In order to expand the database of high‐precision Lu‐Hf isotope analyses of reference zircons, we present 27 new isotope dilution‐MC‐ICPMS Lu‐Hf isotope measurements of five U‐Pb zircon standards: FC1, Temora, R33, QGNG, and 91500.