Incorporating 3-D parent nuclide zonation for apatite ^4He/^3He thermochronometry: An example from the Appalachian Mountains

Abstract

The ability to constrain km-scale exhumation with apatite ^4He/^3He thermochronometry is well established and the technique has been applied to a range of tectonic and geomorphic problems. However, multiple sources of uncertainty in specific crystal characteristics limit the applicability of the method, especially when geologic problems require identifying small perturbations in a cooling path. Here we present new ^4He/^3He thermochronometric data from the Appalachian Mountains, which indicate significant parent nuclide zonation in an apatite crystal. Using LA-ICPMS measurements of U and Th in the same crystal, we design a 3-D model of the crystal to explore the effects of intra-crystal variability in radiation damage accumulation. We describe a numerical approach to solve the 3-D production-diffusion equation. Using our numerical model and a previously determined time temperature path for this part of the Appalachians, we find excellent agreement between predicted and observed ^4He/^3He spectra. Our results confirm this time-temperature path and highlight that for complex U and Th zonation patterns, 3-D numerical models are required to infer an accurate time-temperature history. In addition, our results provide independent and novel evidence for a radiation damage control on diffusivity. The ability to exploit intra-crystal differences in 4He diffusivity (i.e., temperature sensitivity) greatly increases the potential to infer complex thermal histories.

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