An Acid-Based Method for Highly Effective Baddeleyite Separation from Gram-Sized Mafic Rocks

• DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c06264
• Publication Date: 2022-01-24T14:32:00Z
• Authors: Qian Guo; Qiu-Li Li; Zhu-Yin Chu; Xiao-Xiao Ling; Shun Guo; Ding-Shuai Xue; Qing-Zhu Yin
• Keywords: Baddeleyite

Dating mafic igneous rocks (silica-undersaturated) is difficult for the lack of suitable minerals such as zircons (ZrSiO4) commonly found in sialic granites. In this regard, baddeleyite (ZrO2) has been long recognized most important mineral to serve a geochronometer dating silica-undersaturated rocks. However, separating due its small grain size, typical tabular morphology, and low abundance samples. The standard water-based separation technique requires kilogram-sized samples usually very recovery rate. study, new method based on different solubilities within HF + HCl HNO3 reagents was developed achieve high baddeleyite. With ∼19 g diabase powder, recovers 150-160 grains 10-100 μm length 4-50 width, an order magnitude improvement over method, which typically 11-12 similarly sized out sample. Subsequent secondary ion mass spectrometry U-Pb analyses demonstrate that recovered by keep system closed, indicating no Pb loss during acid treatment. Thus, enables efficient from gram-sized anticipated greatly contribute geochronological study silica-unsaturated