Investigating the Shallow to Mid-Depth (>100–300 °C) Continental Crust Evolution with (U-Th)/He Thermochronology: A Review

Abstract

Quantifying geological processes has greatly benefited from the development and use of thermochronometric methods over the last fifty years. Among them is the (U-Th)/He dating method, which is based on the production and retention, within a crystal structure, of radiogenic 4He atoms associated with the alpha decay of U, Th and Sm nuclei. While apatite has been the main target of (U-Th)/He studies focusing on exhumation and burial processes in the upper levels of the continental crust (~50–120 °C), the development of (U-Th)/He methods for typical phases of igneous and metamorphic rocks (e.g., zircon and titanite) or mafic and ultramafic rocks (e.g., magnetite) over the last two decades has opened up a myriad of geological applications at higher temperatures (>100–300 °C). Thanks to the understanding of the role of radiation damage in He diffusion and retention for U-Th-poor and rich mineral phases, the application of (U-Th)/He thermochronometry to exhumation processes and continental evolution through deep time is now mainstream. This contribution reviews the (U-Th)/He thermochronometer principle and the influence of radiation damage in modifying the diffusion behavior. It presents applications of (U-Th)/He dating to problems in tectonic and surface processes at shallow to middle crustal depths (>100–300 °C). New and promising applications using a combination of methods will stimulate a research avenue in the future.

Discovery of the Naturally Occurring Pure CaTiO3 Cubic Perovskite from Tazheran Massif

“…However, the chemical compositions and BSE images indicate that Tazh-1 and Tazh-3 are pure without impurity content. (3) High concentrations of U and Th may alpha damage the crystal lattice of some natural perovskite, which also leads to peak widening [24] . And Tazh-3 and Tazh-1 have different U and Th contents (4298 ppm vs. 516 ppm U contents and 4784 ppm vs. 281 ppm Th contents [22] ).…”

The Thermal Evolution of Western Norway Based on Multi‐Sample Models of an Elevation Transect: Implications for the Formation of High‐Elevation Low‐Relief Surfaces on an Elevated Rifted Continental Margin

“…In this study, we use AFT and apatite (U-Th-Sm)/He analysis, giving information about the cooling of a sample through the AFT partial annealing zone (PAZ; temperature range ∼120-60°C; e.g., Gleadow & Duddy, 1981), and the apatite helium partial retention zone (PRZ; temperature range ∼70 to ∼40°C; e.g., Farley & Stockli, 2002), respectively. Details on how these methods work can be found in Malusa and Fitzgerald (2019) and Gautheron et al (2022).…”

“…Details on how these methods work can be found in Malusa and Fitzgerald (2019) and Gautheron et al. (2022).…”

The Long-Term Tectonism of the Longshou Shan in the Southwest Alxa Block—Constrained by (U-Th)/He Thermochronometric Data

“…Incremental adjustments to the model ZHe-eU paths for each sample were made by refining different segments of the thermal history, culminating in best-fit models closely resembling observed data obtained through this methodology. This approach assumes that helium diffusion associated with crystal damage and annealing is the sole controlling factor for ZHe ages [46]. Furthermore, we employed inverse simulations to further refine potential thermal histories.…”