Improving consistency in laser ablation geochronology

Workshop on Data Handling in LA-ICP-MS U-Th-Pb Geochronology; San Francisco, California, 12-13 December 2009; The use of uranium-thorium-lead (U-Th-Pb) laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) geochronology involves rapid analysis of U-and Th-rich accessory minerals. It routinely achieves 1-2% precision for U-Th-Pb dates constituting detrital mineral age spectra and for dating igneous and metamorphic events. The speed and low setup and analysis cost of LA-ICP-MS U-Th-Pb geochronology has led to a proliferation of active laboratories. Tens of thousands of analyses are produced per month, but there is little agreement on how to transform these data into accurate U-Th-Pb dates. Recent interlaboratory blind comparisons of zircon samples indicate that resolvable biases exist among laboratories and the sources of bias are not fully understood. Common protocols of data reduction and reporting are essential for scientists to be able to compare and interpret these data accurately.