Global zircon U-Th-Pb geochronology database

We present here a database of zircon U-Th-Pb geochronology, which samples the global continental crust and spans nearly the entire Earth's history. This database collects ~2,000,000 geochronology records from ~12,000 papers and theses over a period exceeding 50 years and is by far the largest geochronology database to our knowledge. The lithology of the host rock of the zircon samples includes sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks. The source references are from the following literature databases: Elsevier, Cambridge, Geological Society of London, Oxford, Springer, Taylor & Francis, Wiley, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). Here, the zircon data collection contains the following two files: 1) “Database” file houses about two million zircon U-Th-Pb dating records, including four ages (206Pb/238U, 207Pb/235U, 207Pb/206Pb, and 208Pb/232Th ages) and their errors, as well as their sample information, dating method, host rock lithology, sampling location, and reference number; 2) “References” file contains the information of the source references corresponding to zircon geochronology records, including reference number, author, year, and other publication information. For each record in the “Database” file, its reference can be found in the “References” file through the reference number. This collection not only provides us with a comprehensive platform to study zircon chronological data in deep time and space but also makes it possible to explore the underlying geodynamic mechanism and the evolution of the Earth system.