29 Undergraduate Research, Part II (Posters)

Session showcases undergraduate research. Topics include geoscience-related fields (e.g., resources, hydrology, oceanography, climate, environmental science, geospatial, informatics, health, policy, & education). Undergraduate student/s must be the lead author/s presenters with faculty mentor/s as co-author/s. This session welcomes both poster and oral presentation submissions.

Tuesday, 10 March 2026
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
RCC, Lower Level Hall

Evaluating radiation damage in zircon using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD)

Paper number: 29-33
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 9:00 AM – 9:00 AM

Authors

Abstract

Zircon U/Th-He thermochronology is a radiometric dating method using helium accumulation from alpha ejection from the radiogenic decay of uranium and thorium in zircons. Radiation damage in zircon crystals from alpha damage have the potential to impact the U/Th-He dates of the individual grains. Current assessments of radiation damage rely on visual notes of color (metamiction) and effective uranium values (eU) as a proxy for radiation damage. Here we show electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) results from five natural zircon grains pre- and post-annealing of alpha damage using MTEX and grain kernel average misorientation (GKAM) maps. This study lays the groundwork to relate the level of disorder in the crystal lattice structure from alpha damage to an eU value for each grain and has the potential to add a deeper understanding of radiation damage in zircon for use in the U/Th-He system.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 58, No. 1

doi: 10.1130/abs/2026SE-411551

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