Abstract Multidimensional scaling (MDS) has become an important tool in detrital zircon geochronology for discriminating and comparing multiple samples, especially where large datasets are concerned. However, the non-parametric test statistics used in MDS (e.g., Kolmogorov–Smirnov [K-S] or Kuiper) to calculate differences between detrital zircon samples are sensitive to differences in grain age uncertainty, for example, when comparing compilations of U-Pb data produced via different analytical techniques. We illustrate the effect of different age uncertainties on comparison metrics and MDS analysis using synthetic populations. Additionally, we introduce two methods that reduce these limitations: an error resampling MDS (ERM) technique and bootstrap resampling with Procrustes rotation (BoPR) technique. These new resampling techniques reduce limitations associated with MDS. We demonstrate the utility of these new tools by comparing detrital zircon samples from the Mesoproterozoic Roper Group of Northern Australia with nearby potential source regions. Mitigating the limitations of MDS, and the underlying statistics by employing resampling techniques makes MDSa more potent means of addressing source to sink relationships in detrital zircon studies.

中文翻译：

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重采样（碎屑）锆石年龄分布以获得精确的多维缩放解决方案

摘要 多维标度（MDS）已成为碎屑锆石年代学中区分和比较多个样本的重要工具，尤其是在涉及大型数据集的情况下。然而，在 MDS（例如，Kolmogorov-Smirnov [KS] 或 Kuiper）中用于计算碎屑锆石样品之间差异的非参数检验统计对晶粒年龄不确定性的差异很敏感，例如，在比较 U-Pb 数据的汇编时通过不同的分析技术产生。我们使用合成人群说明了不同年龄不确定性对比较指标和 MDS 分析的影响。此外，我们介绍了两种减少这些限制的方法：错误重采样 MDS (ERM) 技术和使用 Procrustes 旋转 (BoPR) 技术的引导重采样。这些新的重采样技术减少了与 MDS 相关的限制。我们通过比较来自澳大利亚北部中元古代 Roper 群的碎屑锆石样品与附近的潜在源区，证明了这些新工具的实用性。通过采用重采样技术减轻 MDS 的局限性和基础统计数据，使 MDSa 成为解决碎屑锆石研究中源汇关系的更有效手段。