The role of geochronology in understanding continental evolution

Abstract

AbstractGeochronology has become one of the most essential tools in reconstructing processes of continental growth and evolution, and in situ dating of minerals has become common practice through the development of high-resolution ion microprobes and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry techniques. Zircon has established itself as the most robust and reliable mineral to record magmatic and metamorphic processes. The combination of mineral ages with Sm–Nd, Lu–Hf and O isotopic systematics constrains magma sources and their evolution, and a picture is emerging that supports the beginning of modern-style plate tectonics in the early Archaean. Major fields for future research in geochronology include the search for very old crustal remnants, the establishment of Precambrian supercontinents, reconstruction of magmatic and tectonic processes in accretionary orogens, verification of ancient high-pressure rocks, and the reconstruction of detailed metamorphic histories by dating minerals in their original textural settings.