Erasure of Zircon Rims by Sediment Transport After Two Orogenic Cycles
Published in Geology, 2025
Abstract: Zircon rims preserve critical records of crustal processes, yet their preservation during surface transport remains poorly understood. This study quantifies zircon rim loss in the Brahmaputra River source-to-sink system (Himalayan-Tibetan orogen to Bengal Fan, ~7,000 m vertical relief). Results show a ~50% median reduction in zircon rim thickness during sediment transport, indicating that information recorded in zircon rims can be erased after two orogenic and associated sedimentary cycles. Global detrital zircon core–rim age data analyzed via Monte Carlo weighted bootstrap resampling corroborate that older rims are preferentially removed through repeated sediment recycling. These findings demonstrate that crustal information recorded in zircon is lost not only during deep crustal recycling (e.g., lithospheric delamination, subduction erosion, sediment subduction) but also during surface sediment transport.
Recommended citation: Liu, X. M., Liu, L., Zhu, D. C., Cawood, P. A., Blum, M. D., Zhang, L. L., Wang, Y., Lu, Y., Wang, Q., Chang, Y. X., & Stockli, D. F. (2025). Erasure of zircon rims by sediment transport after two orogenic cycles. Geology, 53(11), 988–992.
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