A century of U-Pb geochronology: The long quest towards concordance

Research Article| January 01, 2013 A century of U-Pb geochronology: The long quest towards concordance F. Corfu F. Corfu † Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Postbox 1047, Blindern, N-0316 Oslo, Norway †E-mail: fernando.corfu@geo.uio.no Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar GSA Bulletin (2013) 125 (1-2): 33–47. https://doi.org/10.1130/B30698.1 Article history received: 21 Mar 2012 rev-recd: 07 Jul 2012 accepted: 11 Jul 2012 first online: 08 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share MailTo Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation F. Corfu; A century of U-Pb geochronology: The long quest towards concordance. GSA Bulletin 2013;; 125 (1-2): 33–47. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/B30698.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract The U-Pb system is a prime geochronometer, mainly due to its occurrence as a pair of isotopically distinct but chemically identical decay systems with 235U decaying to 207Pb and 238U to 206Pb, respectively. In addition, U has suitable half-lives and is hosted in some very convenient minerals, such as the widespread and robust mineral zircon. These twin decay systems, running at different speeds, allow an immediate verification of the validity of their ages, which must be concordant to be considered valid, although under favorable circumstances, discordant data can be extrapolated to the correct age. In detail, the degree of discordance can vary greatly, and discordance can have many different causes. The progress in developments of the U-Pb method is both a history of technical discoveries and advances, as well as a history of a long struggle toward concordance, toward an understanding of the causes of discordance, and toward ways to eliminate it. Despite the enormous progress achieved in this field, the problems of U-Pb discordance have not yet been completely resolved and will be one of the main hurdles to overcome in the future. This paper reviews some of the main stages in the evolution of the method, focusing especially on the style, causes, and implications of U-Pb discordance in modern geochronology. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.