Local Singularity Spectrum: An Innovative Graphical Approach for Analyzing Detrital Zircon Geochronology Data in Provenance Analysis

Abstract

Detrital zircon geochronology plays a crucial role in provenance analysis, serving as one of the fundamental strategies. The age spectrum of detrital zircons collected from the sedimentary unit of interest is often compared or correlated with that of potential source terranes. However, biases in the age data can arise due to factors related to detrital sampling, analysis techniques, and nonlinear geological mechanisms. The current study reviewed two sets of detrital zircon datasets established in 2011 and 2021 to discuss the origins of the Tibetan Plateau. These datasets collected from different media effectively demonstrate a progressive understanding of provenance affinity among the main terranes on the Tibetan Plateau. This highlights issues regarding weak and unclear temporal connections identified through analyzing the age spectrum for provenance analysis. Within this context, a local singularity analysis approach is currently employed to address issues associated with unclear and weak provenance information by characterizing local variations in nonlinear behaviors and enhancing detection sensitivity towards subtle anomalies. This new graphical approach effectively quantifies temporal variations in detrital zircon age populations and enhances identification of weak provenance information that may not be readily apparent on conventional age spectra.