U-Pb zircon geochronology by LAICPMS combined with thermal annealing: Achievements in precision and accuracy on dating standard and unknown samples

摘要

U-Pb zircon dating by LAICPMS is one of the most popular geochronological techniques, however it still suffers from some accuracy and precision problems. These are mostly due to the slight differences in behavior between zircons, and differential coupling with the laser radiation, probably the result from crystal damage induced by the radioactive decay of U and Th. These result in difficult-to-predict and even irreproducible matrix effects, impinging on the precision and accuracy of the technique.