: a tetragonal mineral consisting of a silicate of zirconium and occurring usually in brown or grayish square prisms of adamantine luster or sometimes in transparent forms which are used as gems
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To better understand the impact date, researchers analyzed the crystals of zircon minerals in the Stac Fada Member.
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Patrick Pester, Space.com, 12 May 2025
Assessing these characteristics, the study authors traced the zircons’ origins to Greenland and to time periods between 0.5 billion and 3 billion years ago.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 17 Apr. 2025
While zircons from this time period have not yet been studied, Halverson notes that previous studies of snowball Earth have tracked the presence of iron, neodymium, and osmium in the geologic record.
—Ars Technica, 28 Feb. 2025
For now, the Acasta Gneiss in northwestern Canada holds the age record at 4.03 billion years old, based on easy-to-date zircon crystals embedded in its grains.
—Byrachel Berkowitz, science.org, 6 Feb. 2025
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Patrick Pester, Space.com, 12 May 2025
Assessing these characteristics, the study authors traced the zircons’ origins to Greenland and to time periods between 0.5 billion and 3 billion years ago.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 17 Apr. 2025
While zircons from this time period have not yet been studied, Halverson notes that previous studies of snowball Earth have tracked the presence of iron, neodymium, and osmium in the geologic record.
—Ars Technica, 28 Feb. 2025
For now, the Acasta Gneiss in northwestern Canada holds the age record at 4.03 billion years old, based on easy-to-date zircon crystals embedded in its grains.
—Byrachel Berkowitz, science.org, 6 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for zircon
Cite this Entry
“Zircon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zircon. Accessed 19 May. 2025.
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zircon
noun
zir·con
ˈzər-ˌkän 
-kən
: a mineral that consists of a silicate of zirconium and occurs usually as brown or grayish crystals or sometimes as transparent forms which are used as gems
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