Interaction Between Mineralogy and Radioactive Breakdown
During the alpha decay steps, the zircon crystal experiences radiation damage, associated with each alpha decay. This damage is most concentrated around the parent isotope (U and Th), expelling the daughter isotope (Pb) from its original position in the zircon lattice. In areas with a high concentration of the parent isotope, damage to the crystal lattice is quite extensive, and will often interconnect to form a network of radiation damaged areas. Fission tracks and micro-cracks within the crystal will further extend this radiation damage network. These inevitably act as conduits deep within the crystal, thereby providing a method of transport to facilitate the leaching of Pb isotopes from the zircon crystal.
Read more about this topic: Uranium-lead Dating
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