article · Geological Society of America Bulletin
Uranium-lead geochronology using isotope dilution thermal ionisation mass spectrometry, known as ID-TIMS, provides exceptional accuracy for dating deep geological time, especially when analysing high-uranium minerals such as zircon. Ongoing analytical advances allow this technique to routinely reach better than 0.1 per cent precision and accuracy across diverse geological ages and settings. To ensure published records retain long-term value, recommendations are provided for reporting geochronological data and accompanying metadata in line with accepted data management principles. Because determining final age estimates relies on how individual dates are analysed, strategies for rigorous data interpretation are also detailed. These practices are designed as a guide for geoscientists, analytical facilities, and academic journal editors, improving the transparency, reliability, and longevity of published dating records.
Determining precise dates for rocks and minerals is critical for reconstructing Earth history and geological processes. Standardising how isotopic data and metadata are reported ensures that complex laboratory results remain reliable, comparable, and fully transparent, allowing future researchers to re-evaluate and trust published geological timescales.
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Abstract U-Pb geochronology by isotope dilution–thermal ionization mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS) has the potential to be the most precise and accurate of the deep time chronometers, especially when applied to high-U minerals such as zircon. Continued analytical improvements have made this technique capable of regularly achieving better than 0.1% precision and accuracy of dates from commonly occurring high-U minerals across a wide range of geological ages and settings. To help maximize the long-term utility of published results, we present and discuss some recommendations for reporting ID-TIMS U-Pb geochronological data and associated metadata in accordance with accepted principles of data management. Further, given that the accuracy of reported ages typically depends on the interpretation applied to a set of individual dates, we discuss strategies for data interpretation. We anticipate that this paper will serve as an instructive guide for geologists who are publishing ID-TIMS U-Pb data, for laboratories generating the data, the wider geoscience community who use such data, and also editors of journals who wish to be informed about community standards. Combined, our recommendations should increase the utility, veracity, versatility, and “half-life” of ID-TIMS U-Pb geochronological data.
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DOI: 10.1130/b37321.1
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