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A recent study published in Nature Communications examined the sands washed from the Andes Mountains by the Amazon River to understand the growth of the Andes over time. By analyzing the zircon crystals found within the sand, researchers were able to map out a part of the continent's tectonic history. The study found that the modern Andes emerged around 12 million years ago, with a recorded history of Andean mountain growth spanning the past 180 million years. This research provides important insights into the systems shaping the Earth's surface and fills in gaps in our understanding of geological events. [Extracted from the article]

Paleozoic-Mesozoic basins in Cordilleran terranes of western North America contain detrital zircon U-Pb age distributions that vary over 10-100 Ma in a systematic and predictable manner. A minimum of four detrital zircon age distributions, here termed "detrital zircon facies," are present: (1) Paleoproterozoic and Archean facies, chiefly found in Paleozoic and early Mesozoic accretionary complexes, is defined by late Archean-early Proterozoic (ca. 2.7-2.3 Ga) and late Proterozoic ages (ca. 2.0- 1.6 Ga) with variable quantities of Paleozoic and early Mesozoic ages. (2) Mixed Proterozoic and Phanerozoic facies is found in Early-Late Jurassic basins and is defined by grains spanning ca. 2.0 Ga-160 Ma, derived from eastern-southwestern Laurentian transcontinental sources and enriched by western U.S. and eastern Mexican early Mesozoic plate-margin magmatism. (3) Triassic and Jurassic facies, found in Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous basins, is defined by Late Jurassic ages (peak ca. 155 Ma) with a subordinate proportion of Triassic ages (peak ca. 230 Ma). (4) Jurassic and Early Cretaceous facies is found in late Early-early Late Cretaceous marginal basins and is defined by Jurassic and Early Cretaceous ages (ca. 200-130 and ca. 130-100 Ma). Detrital zircon U-Pb ages from terranes of western North America record stages of basin formation during phases of the supercontinent cycle and reflect second-order variability in the tectonic setting of an active continental plate margin. At this temporal and spatial scale, the integrated evolution of orogenic, erosion, and sedimenttransport systems controls sediment provenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article the author discusses various methods that scientists use to determine the age of the universe, including the age of Earth's solar system. Topics include an overview of how astronomers from the U.S. National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) determined the age of the universe, how radiometric dating is performed, and a method for dating rocks, called uranium-lead dating.

Presents the results of a study that examined sand grains and matched their ages with those of rocks throughout the U.S. and Canada. Application of uranium-lead dating in the study; Origin of the Colorado Plateau; Implications of the results for North American history.

The article discusses research which showed that flood basalt eruptions were the cause of the extinction of the Triassic period. It references a study by Terrence Blackburn et al. published in a 2013 issue of "Science." The remnants of the eruptions lie in the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP), one of the most extensive igneous provinces on Earth. The research team used uranium-lead dating to constrain the timing of the magma pulses to scales of 20,000 to 30,000 years.