Strategies towards robust interpretations of in situ zircon Lu–Hf isotope analyses

The combination of U–Pb and Lu–Hf compositions measured in zircon crystals is a remarkably powerful isotopic couplet that provides measures on both the timing of mineral growth and the radiogenic enrichment of the source from which the zircon grew. The U–Pb age documents the timing of zircon crystallization/recrystallization and Hf isotopes inform on the degree to which the host melt was derived from a radiogenic reservoir (e.g. depleted mantle)...