Global compilations of zircon geochemistry have been used as evidence for changes in plate tectonic styles and surface environments. In particular, zircon δ18O has been used as a proxy for global sediment subduction and incorporation into igneous melts. However, research employing such compilations commonly ignores geologic and geographic context. We analyze a newly georeferenced zircon δ18O database from 1000 Ma to present. The compilation shows positive and negative isotopic excursions, both of which have been interpreted in the context of global phenomena. Sensitivity testing demonstrates that these excursions are the product of regional tectonic environments. Specifically, low Tonian–Cryogenian δ18O, previously interpreted as a climate signal of snowball Earth glacial meltwater, is isolated to ultra-high-pressure rocks of the Dabie Sulu orogen in central Asia, ophiolites in Egypt, and juvenile arc development in Madagascar, predating Cryogenian glaciation. Positive anomalies in the Ediacaran–Cambrian and Devonian, previously interpreted to record snowball Earth erosion and the rise of land plants, are the result of upper-plate, supracrustal sources of Gondwana. A Neogene anomaly is the result of volcanic rocks associated with Yellowstone and Iceland. Sampling bias in zircon geochemical compilations is analogous to that of Lagerstätten (sites of exquisite fossil preservation) and the “monograph effect” (large contributions from individual researchers) in paleontology, which both result in artifacts of over-representation. Long-term zircon δ18O trends broadly track the generation of collisional granites and continental arcs through time, recording the melting of sediments and sedimentary rocks in individual orogens, and not variations in sediment subduction globally.

中文翻译：

---

锆石地球化学记录了全球沉积物俯冲吗？

全球锆石地球化学汇编已被用作板块构造样式和地表环境变化的证据。特别是，锆石 δ18O 已被用作全球沉积物俯冲和并入火成熔体的代表。然而，采用此类汇编的研究通常忽略地质和地理背景。我们分析了从 1000 Ma 至今的新地理参考锆石 δ18O 数据库。该汇编显示了正向和负向同位素偏移，这两种偏移均已在全球现象的背景下进行了解释。敏感性测试表明这些偏移是区域构造环境的产物。具体来说，低托尼阶-成冰阶 δ18O 先前被解释为雪球地球冰川融水的气候信号，它被隔离于中亚大别苏鲁造山带的超高压岩石、埃及的蛇绿岩和马达加斯加的幼年弧发育中，早于成冰期冰川作用。埃迪卡拉纪-寒武纪和泥盆纪的正异常，以前被解释为记录了滚雪球般的地球侵蚀和陆地植物的兴起，是冈瓦纳大陆上板块、表壳源的结果。新近纪异常是与黄石和冰岛有关的火山岩的结果。锆石地球化学汇编中的采样偏差类似于 Lagerstätten（精致的化石保存地点）和古生物学中的“专着效应”（个别研究人员的巨大贡献），这两者都会导致过度代表性的文物。长期锆石δ18O趋势广泛追踪了碰撞花岗岩和大陆弧随时间的生成，记录了单个造山带中沉积物和沉积岩的熔化，而不是全球沉积物俯冲的变化。