What it is
Mafic and felsic igneous zircons from Puetz et al. 2026, 0–1000 Ma at 1 Myr steps. A sample is drawn from its crystallisation age all the way to the present, bright for the first 5 Myr and faint after, so the map accumulates as you scrub.
Contents
- SamplesColoured by rock type. 14,167 of 24,519 fall in range.
- Bright and faintAge drives colour, not visibility. A zircon does not stop existing.
- BoundariesReconstructed ridges, trenches and transforms, out to 1000 Ma.
- HistogramThe compilation's age distribution.
Controls
- Drag to rotate, scroll to zoom.
- Scrub or press play.
- Hover a sample for detail, click to pin.
Lesson sketches
The peaks in the zircon record
- Find the three strongest peaks in the histogram.
- Set the time to each and describe where the bright samples concentrate.
- Check whether those sit on convergent margins, orogens, or neither.
- Do the same for a trough.
Are the peaks magma production, or what survived to be sampled?
Why zircon
- Start at 1000 Ma and scrub forward. Watch the faint archive build.
- Point out that every faint dot is a crystal that still exists.
- Contrast with detrital zircons, where samples vanish outside their window.
What would this map look like for a mineral that weathers easily?