: 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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The only way that the uranium-lead ratio can be compatible with the hafnium in the zircons, Whitehouse argued, is if the zircons that settled in the silt had crystallized around 2.8 billion years ago, constraining the organic carbon to being no older than that.
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Howard Lee, ArsTechnica, 11 Aug. 2025
The gold standard and easiest way to date very old rock formations is with a very tough mineral known as a zircon.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 27 June 2025
The team first crushes the rocks into fine grains and separates out the zircons using dense liquids and magnetic fields.
—Ella Jeffries, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 May 2025
To better understand the impact date, researchers analyzed the crystals of zircon minerals in the Stac Fada Member.
—Patrick Pester, Space.com, 12 May 2025
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Howard Lee, ArsTechnica, 11 Aug. 2025
The gold standard and easiest way to date very old rock formations is with a very tough mineral known as a zircon.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 27 June 2025
The team first crushes the rocks into fine grains and separates out the zircons using dense liquids and magnetic fields.
—Ella Jeffries, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 May 2025
To better understand the impact date, researchers analyzed the crystals of zircon minerals in the Stac Fada Member.
—Patrick Pester, Space.com, 12 May 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 3 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
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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