The Lu-Hf and Sm-Nd combined dating system of garnet

<p indent="0mm">Garnet is the most particularly effective research object for studying the evolution of metamorphic rocks. There are several dating systems based on garnets. Over the past four decades, the Lu-Hf and Sm-Nd combined dating system of garnet has gradually become the most reliable method for dating pyrope and almandine widely distributed in the crust. In this paper, we have briefly reviewed the dating foundations and application examples of the Lu-Hf and Sm-Nd systems of garnets, and summarized several possible reasons for age decoupling and coupling. Because the Lu-Hf and Sm-Nd dating systems of garnets have different characteristics, their dating results can both corroborate and complement each other. Thus, the garnet Lu-Hf and Sm-Nd combined dating system can provide evolutionary information that cannot be obtained using a single dating method. In recent years, the coupling or decoupling of Lu-Hf and Sm-Nd ages of garnets from the same rock has effectively constrained the timings of distinct metamorphic stages, offering insights into the evolution of orogenic belts and regional tectonic thermal events that could not be revealed by the single dating systems. Therefore, the combined Lu-Hf and Sm-Nd dating system of garnet has become a powerful tool in the field for studying metamorphic rocks.