U–Pb geochronology on detrital zircons from the Neogene sediments of San Carlos Basin in Costa Rica, yielded a wide range of ages, from Paleoproterozoic to Cenozoic. The most representative is the Miocene population, constrained to a maximum depositional age of 6.9 ± 0.2 Ma. It reflects the local volcanic activity of the evolving island arc and late Miocene to Pliocene basin sedimentation. Cenozoic ages vary from ca. 5.8–56.1 Ma and Mesozoic ages from ca. 68.9–243 Ma. Other zircon grains yielded a variety of older ages: Paleozoic (ca. 264.9–536.5 Ma) and Proterozoic (ca. 552–1910 Ma). Such ages previously undiscovered in Costa Rica bring new insights on provenance and indicate multistage zircon recycling from a variety of sources. The presence of pre-Mesozoic detrital zircons indicates the influx of recycled sediments from older units (continental and sedimentary rocks), possibly from exhumed Precambrian and Paleozoic continental terranes or blocks from the north of Central America (Chortís and Patuca) in Guatemala, Honduras, north of Nicaragua, and probably from southern México.

哥斯达黎加圣卡洛斯盆地新近纪沉积物中碎屑锆石的U–Pb年代学，年龄范围很广，从古元古代到新生代。最有代表性的是中新世人口，其最大沉积年龄被限制在6.9±0.2 Ma。它反映了不断演变的岛弧和中新世晚期至上新世盆地沉积的局部火山活动。新生代年龄大约在 5.8-56.1的马生代和中生代。68.9–243马。其他锆石晶粒产生的年龄也不同：古生代（约264.9–536.5 Ma）和元古代（约552-1910 Ma）。以前在哥斯达黎加未发现的这样的年龄为物源提供了新的见解，并表明来自各种来源的多级锆石回收。