davies.joshua [at] uqam.ca
I am a geochemist that specializes in the use of U-Pb geochronology to understand how the earth and its biosphere have evolved over time. I am particularly interested in developing new methods for generating highly precise and accurate ages and then applying these age constraints to a range of geological problems. I have recently been interested in understanding the causes of mass extinctions and determining the link between these biotic crisis and the eruption and emplacement of large igneous provinces. This link can only be determined through understanding the precise and absolute chronology of the events in geological time. Associated with this problem is the inherent difficulty in dating mafic igneous rocks which are the most important component of large igneous provinces.
I’m also interested in developing precise chronologies of events in the stratigraphic record to help understand the evolution of the near surface environment. The events I’m interested in range from cyclic sedimentary variations in Paleoproterozoic rocks which we can use to understand the climate on earth billions of years ago, to understanding changes that lead to the development of snowball earth. The approaches we take to understand these events inevitably involves radiochronologic techniques, but more and more frequently we are combining these with cyclostratigraphy and Bayesian modelling to improve our understanding of the geological record.
My research is both lab based and field based. In the lab, my group uses ultra clean environments and the EARTHTIME spikes to separate U and Pb from minute minerals and measure their isotopic compositions at high precision and generate precise and accurate ages. We also use lasers and ICP-MS mass spectrometers to quickly collect age and isotope (usually U-Pb + Hf) data from a range of minerals. We are also particularly keen on developing new analytical techniques. The field work we conduct is often in remote locations on all corners of the planet, and the samples we collect and questions we investigate allow a large range of collaborations with numerous international groups.
Dai, X., Davies, J. H., Yuan, Z., Brayard, A., Ovtcharova, M., Xu, G. et al., 2023. A Mesozoic fossil lagerstätte from 250.8 million years ago shows a modern-type marine ecosystem. Science 379(6632), 567-572.
Rocha, B. C., Gaynor, S. P., Janasi, V. A., Davies, J. H., Florisbal, L. M., Waichel, B. L., Schaltegger, U., 2023. New U-Pb baddeleyite ID-TIMS ages from the intrusive high-Ti-Sr rocks of the Southern Paraná LIP, Brazil: Implications for correlations with environmental disturbances during the Early Cretaceous. Results in Geochemistry 10, 100023.
Senger, M. H., Davies, J. H. F. L., Ovtcharova, M., Beukes, N., Gumsley, A. et al., 2023. Improving the chronostratigraphic framework of the Transvaal Supergroup (South Africa) through in-situ and high-precision U-Pb geochronology. Precambrian Research 392, 107070.
Buryak, S. D., Reyes, A. V., Jensen, B. J., Davies, J. H., Westgate, J. A., DuFrane, S. A. et al., 2022. Laser-ablation ICP-MS zircon U-Pb ages for key Pliocene-Pleistocene tephra beds in unglaciated Yukon and Alaska. Quaternary Geochronology 73, 101398.
Halverson, G.P., Shen, C., Davies, J.H.F.L., Wu, L., 2022. A Bayesian Approach to Inferring Depositional Ages Applied to a Late Tonian Reference Section in Svalbard. Frontiers in Earth Science 10, 798739.
Lantink, M. L., Davies, J. H., Ovtcharova, M., Hilgen, F. J., 2022. Milankovitch cycles in banded iron formations constrain the Earth–Moon system 2.46 billion years ago. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 119(40), e2117146119.
Papapavlou, K., Moukhsil, A., Poirier, A., Davies, J., 2022. The Pre-Grenvillian assembly of the southeastern Laurentian margin through the U–Pb–Hf detrital zircon record of Mesoproterozoic supracrustal sequences (Central Grenville Province, Quebec, Canada). Geological Magazine 159(2), 199-211.
Shen, C., Schmitz, M., Johnson, P., Davies, J.H., Halverson, G.P., 2022. U-Pb geochronology and cyclostratigraphy of the middle Ediacaran upper Jibalah Group, eastern Arabian Shield. Precambrian Research 375, 106674.
Curry, A., Gaynor, S.P., Davies, J.H.F.L., Ovtcharova, M., Simpson, G., Caricchi, L., 2021. Timescales and thermal evolution of large silicic magma reservoirs during an ignimbrite flare-up: perspectives from zircon. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 176(12), 103.
Davies, J.H.F.L., Marzoli, A., Bertrand, H., Youbi, N., Ernesto, M., Greber, N.D., Ackerson, M., Simpson, G., Bouvier, A.S., Baumgartner, L., Pettke, T., 2021. Zircon petrochronology in large igneous provinces reveals upper crustal contamination processes: new U–Pb ages, Hf and O isotopes, and trace elements from the Central Atlantic magmatic province (CAMP). Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 176(1), 1-24.
Heerwagen, E., Davies, J.H., Schmidt, S.T., Ulianov, A., Martini, R., 2021. The paleoposition of the Antimonio depositional system (Sonora, Mexico): New insights from nonparametric and multivariate analysis of detrital zircon data. Journal of South American Earth Sciences 105, 102913.
Lindström, S., Callegaro, S., Davies, J., Tegner, C., van de Schootbrugge, B., Pedersen, G.K., Youbi, N., Sanei, H., Marzoli, A., 2021. Tracing volcanic emissions from the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province in the sedimentary record. Earth-Science Reviews 212, 103444.
Reimink, J.R., Davies, J.H., Ielpi, A., 2021. Global zircon analysis records a gradual rise of continental crust throughout the Neoarchean. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 554, 116654.
Schaltegger, U., Ovtcharova, M., Gaynor, S.P., Schoene, B., Wotzlaw, J.F., Davies, J.H., Farina, F., Greber, N., Szymanowski, D., Chelle-Michou, C., 2021. Long-term repeatability and interlaboratory reproducibility of high-precision ID-TIMS U-Pb geochronology. Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry 36, 1466-1477.
Domeier, M., Font, E., Youbi, N., Davies, J., Nemkin, S., Van der Voo, R., Perrot, M., Benabbou, M., Boumehdi, M.A., Torsvik, T.H., 2021. On the Early Permian shape of Pangea from paleomagnetism at its core. Gondwana Research 90, 171-198.
Greber, N.D., Davies, J.H., Gaynor, S., Jourdan, F., Bertrand, H., Schaltegger, U., 2020. New high precision U-Pb ages and Hf isotope data from the Karoo large igneous province; implications for pulsed magmatism and early Toarcian environmental perturbations. Results in Geochemistry 1, 100005.
Pohlner, J.E., Schmitt, A.K., Chamberlain, K.R., Davies, J.H., Hildenbrand, A., Austermann, G., 2020. Multimethod U–Pb baddeleyite dating: insights from the Spread Eagle Intrusive Complex and Cape St. Mary's sills, Newfoundland, Canada. Geochronology 2(2), 187-208.
Reimink, J.R., Davies, J.H., Bauer, A.M., Chacko, T., 2020. A comparison between zircons from the Acasta Gneiss Complex and the Jack Hills region. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 531, 115975.
Rocha, B.C., Davies, J.H., Janasi, V.A., Schaltegger, U., Nardy, A.J., Greber, N.D., Lucchetti, A.C.F., Polo, L.A., 2020. Rapid eruption of silicic magmas from the Paraná magmatic province (Brazil) did not trigger the Valanginian event. Geology 48(12), 1174–1178.
Lantink, M.L., Davies, J.H.F.L., Mason, P.R.D., Schaltegger, U., Hilgen, F.J., 2019. Climate control on banded iron formations linked to orbital eccentricity. Nature Geoscience 12(5), 369-374.
Widmann, P., Davies, J.H.F.L., Schaltegger, U., 2019. Calibrating chemical abrasion: Its effects on zircon crystal structure, chemical composition and U–Pb age. Chemical Geology 511, 1-10.
Percival, L.M.E., Davies, J.H.F.L., Schaltegger, U., De Vleeschouwer, D., Da Silva, A.-C., Föllmi, K.B., 2018. Precisely dating the Frasnian-Famennian boundary: Implications for the cause of the Late Devonian mass extinction. Scientific Reports 8(1), art. no. 9578.
Davies, J.H.F.L., Sheldrake, T.E., Reimink, J.R., Wotzlaw, J.-F., Moeck, C., Finlay, A., 2018. Investigating Complex Isochron Data Using Mixture Models. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems 19(10), 4035-4047.
Farina, F., Dini, A., Ovtcharova, M., Davies, J.H.F.L., Greber, N.D., Bouvier, A.-S., Baumgartner, L., Ulianov, A., Schaltegger, U., 2018. Zircon petrochronology reveals the timescale and mechanism of anatectic magma formation. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 495, 213-223.
Schaltegger, U., Davies, J.H.F.L., 2018. Petrochronology of zircon and baddeleyite in igneous rocks: Reconstructing magmatic processes at high temporal resolution. Petrochronology: Methods and Applications, 297-328.
Davies, J.H.F.L., Stern, R.A., Heaman, L.M., Moser, D.E., Walton, E.L., Vennemann, T., 2018. Evaluating baddeleyite oxygen isotope analysis by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). Chemical Geology 479, 113-122.
Callegaro, S., Marzoli, A., Bertrand, H., Blichert-Toft, J., Reisberg, L., Cavazzini, G., Jourdan, F., Davies, J.H.F.L., Parisio, L., Bouchet, R., Paul, A., Schaltegger, U., Chiaradia, M., 2017. Geochemical constraints provided by the Freetown Layered Complex (Sierra Leone) on the origin of high-ti tholeiitic CAMP magmas. Journal of Petrology 58(9), 1811-1840.
Davies, J.H.F.L., Marzoli, A., Bertrand, H., Youbi, N., Ernesto, M., Schaltegger, U., 2017. End-Triassic mass extinction started by intrusive CAMP activity. Nature Communications 8, art. no. 15596.
Marzoli, A., Davies, J.H.F.L., Youbi, N., Merle, R., Dal Corso, J., Dunkley, D.J., Fioretti, A.M., Bellieni, G., Medina, F., Wotzlaw, J.-F., McHone, G., Font, E., Bensalah, M.K., 2017. Proterozoic to Mesozoic evolution of North-West Africa and Peri-Gondwana microplates: Detrital zircon ages from Morocco and Canada. Lithos 278-281, 229-239.
Reimink, J.R., Davies, J.H.F.L., Chacko, T., Stern, R.A., Heaman, L.M., Sarkar, C., Schaltegger, U., Creaser, R.A., Pearson, D.G., 2016. No evidence for Hadean continental crust within Earth's oldest evolved rock unit. Nature Geoscience 9(10), 777-780.
D'Abzac, F.-X., Davies, J.H.F.L., Wotzlaw, J.-F., Schaltegger, U., 2016. Hf isotope analysis of small zircon and baddeleyite grains by conventional Multi Collector-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry. Chemical Geology 433, 12-23.
Reimink, J.R., Davies, J.H.F.L., Waldron, J.W.F., Rojas, X., 2016. Dealing with discordance: A novel approach for analysing U–Pb detrital zircon datasets. Journal of the Geological Society 173(4), 577-585.
Davies, J.H.F.L., Stern, R.A., Heaman, L.M., Rojas, X., Walton, E.L., 2015. Resolving oxygen isotopic disturbance in zircon: A case study from the low δ18O Scourie dikes, NW Scotland. American Mineralogist 100(8-9), 1952-1966.
Davies, J.H.F.L., Heaman, L.M., 2014. New U-Pb baddeleyite and zircon ages for the Scourie dyke swarm: A long-lived large igneous province with implications for the Paleoproterozoic evolution of NW Scotland. Precambrian Research 249, 180-198.
Davies, J.H.F.L., Wotzlaw, J.-F., Wolfe, A.P., Heaman, L.M., 2014. Assessing the age of the Late Cretaceous Danek Bonebed with U–Pb geochronology. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 51(11), 982-986.
Hughes, H.S.R., McDonald, I., Goodenough, K.M., Ciborowski, T.J.R., Kerr, A.C., Davies, J.H.F.L., Selby, D., 2014. Enriched lithospheric mantle keel below the Scottish margin of the North Atlantic Craton: Evidence from the Palaeoproterozoic Scourie Dyke Swarm and mantle xenoliths. Precambrian Research 250, 97-126.
Codirection : A. Marzoli, U. Padua
Sujet de recherche : The cause of the Carnian Pluvial Event, insight from high precision U-Pb geochronology and chemostratigraphy.
Département des sciences de la Terre et de l'atmosphère, Université du Québec à Montréal
Sujet de recherche : Géochronologie des bassins sédimentaires du paléoprotérozoïque en Australie et en Afrique du Sud afin de comprendre les corrélations entre ces bassins et l'activité magmatique dans leur région
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, McGill
Codirection : Galen Halverson
Sujet de recherche : The late Paleoproterozoic to early Mesoproterozoic Birindudu Basin (Northern Territory, Australia): Correlations with the McArthur Basin and Tectonic Implications for the development of intracratonic basins.
Département des sciences de la Terre et de l'atmosphère, Université du Québec à Montréal
Codirection : S. De Souza, UQAM
Sujet de recherche : Géologie et genèse du gisement aurifère rhyacien de Dorlin dans le contexte du Bouclier Guianais, Guyane Française.
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, McGill
Codirection : Anthony Williams-Jones
Département des sciences de la Terre et de l'atmosphère, Université du Québec à Montréal
Codirection : Alain Tremblay; Galen Halverson
Sujet de recherche : Développement de la datation U-Pb du ciment carbonaté dans les failles et application de la technique pour comprendre l'histoire structurale de la plate-forme du Saint-Laurent
Département des sciences de la Terre et de l'atmosphère, Université du Québec à Montréal
Codirection : Alain Tremblay
Sujet de recherche : Géochronologie des bentonites de la plate-forme St-Laurent dans la région de Montréal : corrélations stratigraphiques et implications géotechniques et tectoniques.
Département des sciences de la Terre et de l'atmosphère, Université du Québec à Montréal
Codirection : Alain Tremblay
Sujet de recherche : Stratigraphie et caractérisation pétrographique et géochimique des K-bentonites de la région de Montréal.
Codirection : U. Schaltegger, U. Geneva
Sujet de recherche : Dating the great oxidation event in South Africa.
Département des sciences de la Terre et de l'atmosphère, Université du Québec à Montréal
Codirection : Stéphane De Souza
Sujet de recherche : Provenance sédimentaire et contexte paléogéographique et paléotectonique du Groupe de Oak Hill dans les Appalaches du sud du Québec
Département des sciences de la Terre et de l'atmosphère, Université du Québec à Montréal
Codirection : Galen Halverson
Sujet de recherche : Improving chronology of the Pre-Sturtian isotope excursions using Bayesian modelling and improved maximum depositional ages.