The National Science Foundation awarded a $260,565 Project Grant to the University of Arizona for research titled "Improved Geochronology-Based Sediment Provenance Analysis through Physico-Mechanical Characterization of Zircon Transport." The award was made under the Geosciences program (CFDA 47.050) to strengthen understanding of integrated Earth system processes.
Under the grant, researchers will quantify the effects that physical characteristics like grain size, morphology, and radiation damage have on systematically biasing detrital zircon age spectra during sediment transport. The project will collect robust age and physical property data on zircon fractionation during fluvial transport, and apply statistical methods to quantify the influence of these characteristics. The insights aim to allow earth scientists to perform more geologically informed comparisons between samples, enhancing the accuracy of tectonic reconstructions, quantitative provenance models, and sediment pathway analyses derived from detrital zircon uranium-lead dating data. Students will receive training, and a new course for undergraduates will be developed. Any codes or methods will be made available to other researchers.
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