ARTICLE IN PRESS

Computers & Geosciences 30 (2004) 21–31

AgeDisplay: an EXCEL workbook to evaluate and display

univariate geochronological data using binned frequency
histograms and probability density distributions$
Keith N. Sircombe*
Department of Geology and Geophysics, Tectonics Special Research Centre, School of Earth and Geographical Sciences, M.004,
University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley WA 6009, Australia
Received 17 January 2003; received in revised form 15 September 2003; accepted 16 September 2003

Abstract

Univariate diagrams such as binned frequency histograms and probability density distributions are often used for the
initial assessment and communication of geochronological data. Both diagram types are estimates of the sample
distribution and both have inherent limitations that are not widely appreciated. Binned frequency histograms are
effective at conveying frequency information, but analytical error is discarded and appearance is vulnerable to bias due
to arbitrary decisions about bin width. A method for assessing the efficiency of bin widths is presented. Probability
density distributions use a variable Gaussian kernel method that accounts for analytical error of individual datum.
While providing standardization of the display, these diagrams are limited by the lack of visually accessible frequency
information. An approach combining elements of both histograms and probability density distributions is proposed.
All methods are applied in an Excel workbook and the procedures for using this are explained.
r 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Geochronology; Data display; Histogram; Probability density distribution

1. Introduction precision and display the geochronological data in

Uranium–lead isotopic data are typically displayed
using either a Wetherill- or Tera-Wasserburg-style
bivariate concordia plot. These concordia plots
convey information about the analytical process: sample
size, accuracy (relationship to concordia and repeat
analyses) and precision (analytical error displayed
as ellipses or equivalent). However, as sample size
increases, concordia diagrams become visually
cluttered, making graphical assessment of modes, ranges
and proportions difficult. Therefore, it is often advanta-
geous to filter the data based on accuracy and/or
$
Code on server at http://www.iamg.org/CDEditor.index.
htm
*Tel.: +61-8-9830-7871; fax: +61-8-9380-7848.
E-mail address: ksircombe@tsrc.uwa.edu.au
(K.N. Sircombe).
terms of univariate absolute ages calculated from an
isotopic ratio.
The most common univariate displays are the binned
frequency histogram and probability density distribu-
tion. The use of such diagrams is most common in
sedimentary provenance studies involving relatively
large sets of age data (e.g. Morton et al., 1996; Pell
et al., 1997; Rainbird et al., 1997; Sircombe, 1999;
Fergusson et al., 2001), but it is also appropriate for the
analysis of metamorphic and/or igneous rocks where the
display of complex age patterns is required (e.g. Harley
and Black, 1997). Although widely used, the limitations
of these displays are often not appreciated and one aim
of this paper is to outline the mathematical basis of these
methods.
This paper builds on previous reviews (e.g. Sircombe,
2000) and includes an EXCEL workbook, AgeDisplay,
that processes a given set of age data.

0098-3004/$ - see front matter r 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.cageo.2003.09.006
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22 K.N. Sircombe / Computers & Geosciences 30 (2004) 21–31

2. Filtering bivariate isotopic data to provide univariate

age data

The display of univariate age data means the visual

information regarding accuracy in a concordia diagram
is lost. Therefore, prior to generating diagrams of age
data, it is usual for the data to be systematically filtered
for accuracy, particularly in sensitive high-resolution ion
microprobe (SHRIMP) studies. Concordance is defined
as the 206Pb/238U value ratioed to the 207Pb/206Pb value
and a typical constraint may be between 95% and
105%. For material younger than B1500 Ma, the Fig. 1. Example of two age estimates of same mean, but
207
Pb-235U ratio and thus the 207Pb-206Pb ratio become different variance, representing age data cut by a histogram bin.
increasingly imprecise due to poorer counting statistics. Depending on analytical error inherent in age data and
In those instances, the concordance constraint and the histogram bin width, bin may only represent a proportion of
age estimate.
accuracy filtering has to be judged on a case-by-case
basis.
Filtering of data raises an important issue for both histogram, the estimate is
binned frequency histograms and probability density
# ¼ nj ; ðxA þ jhpxi oxA þ ðj þ 1ÞhÞ;
fðxÞ ð1Þ
distributions because the process can remove discordant
results that could contain significant geological and
where nj is the number of age data, xi ; within the jth bin,
analytical information. Care should be taken to be clear
ðx0 þ jh; x0 þ ðj þ 1ÞhÞ: The value nj can then be divided
about what sort of age data are being displayed and
by the total count N to provide a relative frequency
why. In some cases, it may be beneficial to include both
histogram.
concordant and discordant results within the age display
While the histogram display is straightforward and
diagram (e.g. Roback and Walker, 1995, Fig. 8; Morton
widely understood, there are two critical limitations in
et al., 1996, Fig. 3) to illustrate that discordant data
applying binned frequency histograms to absolute age
exists and has been considered. These decisions depend
data: discarding age errors and arbitrary bin size. These
on the purpose of data display. At the very minimum,
are discussed below.
the filtering method and the type of data displayed
should be clearly stated.
3.2. Age error limitation

3. Binned frequency histograms The principal limitation with binned frequency

3.1. Mathematical definition
The traditional method for displaying univariate age
data is a binned frequency histogram. Modes, ranges
and proportions displayed in a binned frequency
histogram may relate to the timing, duration and
relative significance of geologic events. Binned frequency
histograms provide an important step in the graphical
analysis and communication of age data, therefore it is
equally important that the analyst be aware of the
definitions and inherent limitations of the method.
With a set of age data, typically measured in Ma,
{x1 ; y; xN }, a histogram is generated by dividing the
age range of interest, anchored at an origin x0 ; into a set
of K equal sized bins each with a bin width h; defined by
the bin limits {x0 þ jh; x0 þ ðj þ 1Þh} for positive integer
values of j up to K (Silverman, 1986; Scott, 1992;
Simonoff and Udina, 1997). An important mathematical
definition regarding histograms, is that a histogram is an
estimate of the distribution of a sample of univariate
data or f ðxÞ: In the simplest case, the frequency
histograms is that the analytical error inherent in any
geochronological analysis is discarded. The sample
distribution seen in the histogram is therefore estimated
on the basis of the absolute age values alone. If an age
data histogram is the principal method for communicat-
ing results, discarding the errors may potentially lead to
misinterpretation. For instance, as shown in Fig. 1, two
analyses have the same age value of 2015 Ma, but one
has an analytical error of 20 Myr and the other 2 Myr
(both at 1 s.e.). If the bin limits are 2000 and 2020 Ma,
assuming a Gaussian distribution for the age estimate,1
only 29.02% of the distribution defined by the first
analysis (2015720 Ma) lies within the bin limits. In
1
For the purposes of discussion here, the distribution
associated with an individual age calculation will be referred
to as the age estimate, and defined as a Gaussian distribution
defined by a mean xi (calculated age) and standard deviation ei
(analytical error). In the strictest sense, not all absolute age
calculations based on U–Pb isotopic measurements are
symmetrical Gaussian distributions. For the sake of discussion
here, it is assumed that most calculations will be based on such
distributions.
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K.N. Sircombe / Computers & Geosciences 30 (2004) 21–31 23

effect, although the mean of the age estimate distribu- bin width of 20 Myr is needed for 50% efficiency and
tion is 2015 Ma and that value lies within the bin limits over 75 Myr for 90% efficiency. Table 1 lists further bin
of 2000 and 2020 Ma, there is a 70.98% probability that widths required for 50% and 90% efficiency levels
the ‘‘true’’ value of the age lies outside the bin limits. In depending upon mean error.
comparison, 99.38% of the age estimate defined by the
second analysis (201572 Ma) lies within the bin limits,
so the bin may be considered representative. However, if 3.3. Bin size limitation
the bin width was the same, but the limits were, for
example, 1996 and 2016 Ma, then even the relatively The illustration of a histogram bin’s efficiency at
more precise second analysis would have 30.85% of its capturing age estimates also highlights the second
age estimate outside the bin limits. limitation of histogram use, i.e. the size and location
The ‘‘efficiency’’ of how well each age estimate is of the bins themselves. A histograms appearance, and
captured by a particular bin can be derived by thus its potential interpretation, is a balance between too
calculating the proportion of the Gaussian distribution much detail with narrow bin widths (undersmoothing)
within the bounds of the bin: and too little detail with wide bin widths (oversmooth-
Z zU ing). In a variety of published cases (Table 2) the choice
1 i 2=2
of bin width ranges from 5 to 100 Myr. Using SHRIMP
Ei ¼ pffiffiffiffiffiffi expx dx; ð2Þ
2p zLi derived data, Morton et al. (1996, p. 917) defined bin
where the bounds of bin j about xi are given by
ðx0 þ jhÞ  xi ðx0 þ ðj þ 1ÞhÞ  xi
zLi ¼ ; zU
i ¼ ; ð3Þ Table 1
ei ei Bin widths (in Myr) required to reach 50% and 90% efficiency
where ei is the standard deviation of each Gaussian in a set of age data with various mean errors based on empirical
distribution. analysis described in text
The mean of the individual efficiency values is defined Mean error (Myr) Bin width required for
as a proxy for the efficiency of a particular bin width at
representing the age data. Fig. 2 illustrates the relation- >50% Efficiency >90% Efficiency
ship between histogram efficiency and bin width for a 1 2 10
variety of age data, both randomly generated with given 2 5 20
mean errors and real data from the Slave Province 5 10 40
(Sircombe et al., 2001). For data with B1 Myr errors 10 15 100
(more typical of thermal ionization mass spectrometry) a 15 20 120
bin width of 10 Myr is sufficient to capture 90% of the 20 30 160
age estimates. For the Dwyer Lake and George Lake 30 45 220
samples, representing typical SHRIMP zircon data, a 50 75 360

Fig. 2. Relationship between bin width and bin width efficiency (mean proportion of age estimates within same bin as age) for a variety
of real and simulated age data with mean errors ranging from 1 to 30 Myr.
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24 K.N. Sircombe / Computers & Geosciences 30 (2004) 21–31

Table 2
Examples of bin width and other details of binned frequency histogram displays from a variety of references

Bin width (Myr) Range (Myr) Bin width as % range Mean error (Myr) Efficiency (E) Reference
a
5 70 7.14 2 70% Davis et al. (1994), Fig. 8B
20 3400 0.588 5a 80% Gehrels and Dickinson (1995), Fig. 6
25 4000 0.625 20b 60% Morton et al. (1996), Fig. 3
33.33 1900 1.75 50c 30% Scott and Gauthier (1996), Fig. 4
100 2800 3.57 3a 98% Roback and Walker (1995), Fig. 8d

Mean error and efficiency (E; explained in text) calculated for a subset of presented data and intended for only for broad indicative
purposes.
a
Thermal ionization mass-spectrometer analyses.
b
SHRIMP analyses.
c
Laser-ablation microprobe inductively coupled mass spectrometer analyses.
d
Roback and Walker (1995) histograms compiled from data in Ross et al. (1991, 1992).

widths of 25 Myr on the basis of the precision of the

(a)
analyses, although no explanation is given of how this
was done.
The subtle variation in appearance and interpretation
for a variety of bin widths is illustrated in Fig. 3.
Although all the histograms show the age distribution is
generally dispersive with two prominent modes (B2950 (b)
and B3150 Ma), the relative prominence of the two
modes change; this could alter interpretations about the
relative importance of these modes.
There are a number of methods for calculating the
optimal bin width based on the data itself. Doane (1985)
proposed a modification of the earlier Sturges (1926) (c)
method:
maxfx1 ; y; xN g  minfx1 ; y; xN g
h# ¼ ; ð4Þ
1 þ log2 N þ Ke
where h# is the estimate of the optimal bin width and N is
the sample size. Ke is the extra classes proposed by (d)
Doane (1985) to account for potential skewness in the
data:
pffiffiffiffiffi !
b1
Ke ¼ log2 1 þ pffiffiffiffiffi ; ð5Þ
s b1
pffiffiffiffiffi (e)
where b1 is a measure of skewness:
pffiffiffiffiffi PN
i¼1 ðxi  xÞ % 3
b1 ¼ h i3=2 ð6Þ
PN
i¼1 ðxi  xÞ %2
pffiffiffiffiffi
and s b1 is defined by the sample size:
sffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
pffiffiffiffiffi 6ðN  2Þ Fig. 3. (a–e) A series of histograms based on the same data
s b1 ¼ : ð7Þ
ðN þ 1ÞðN þ 3Þ (Dwyer Lake quartzite, 207Pb/206Pb ages, 95–105% concordant,
n ¼ 68; Sircombe et al., 2001) illustrating visual and potential
Many statistical packages use this rule, or a modifica- interpretation differences due to changes in bin width.
tion of it, to calculate the default bin width for a set of E=efficiency of bin width at capturing individual age estimates
data (Wand, 1996). Recognizing that Sturges’s rule and as described in text.
modifications may lead to oversmoothing, more recent
formulations include Scott (1979) normal reference rule: where s# is an estimate of the standard deviation;
typically, the minimum of either the sample standard
h# ¼ 3:49 sN
# 1=3 ; ð8Þ deviation or the inter-quartile range (Wand, 1996). For
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K.N. Sircombe / Computers & Geosciences 30 (2004) 21–31
Fig. 4. Example of individual and accumulated age estimates. (a) Individual age estimate with a small error, (b) age estimate with a
large error, (c) accumulated density distribution with six contributing age estimates in two modes. Although it is area beneath the curve
that is important (see text) probability distribution can be read as follows: probability of an age of 255 Ma within distribution is
0.015% or 1.5%.
the Dwyer Lake sample data discussed here, Eqs. (4) and
(8) yields optimal bin widths of 136 and 210 Myr. In
comparison, another example set of detrital zircon age
data (George Lake metagreywacke) yields optimal bin
widths of 36 and 22 Myr respectively. This illustrates
that such optimal binning methods do not necessarily
produce a standard bin width for easy visual comparison
between different sets of data. Critically, because these
calculations assume an underlying Gaussian distribution
in the sample data, they may not be applicable to sets of
data that have non-Gaussian distributions (Scott, 1979,
1992). Detrital zircon analyses are typically widely
dispersed and the optimal bin width calculations may
only be relevant for zircon analyses producing single age
modes.
Finally, the selection of an origin in a binned
histogram display can also significantly alter the
appearance and potential interpretation of the data
(Simonoff and Udina, 1997). This effect should be
minimal for age data because, for the general aesthetic
sense of ‘rounded’ limits proposed by Doane (1985), the
origin should either be 0 Ma or an integer multiple of the
bin width. For example, with a bin width of 25 Myr and
minimum value at 2037 Ma, the histogram origin would
not be 2036 Ma, rather it would be 2000 or 2025 Ma.
Any selection of a less orthodox origin would require
detailed justification in terms of potential instability in
the appearance of the histogram (Simonoff and Udina,
1997).
4. Probability density distributions
4.1. Mathematical definition
A graphical approach that attempts to address the
limitations of binned frequency histograms is the
25
probability density distribution (PDD) diagram (e.g.
Fig. 3; Dodson et al., 1988).2 Technically, the age PDD
is another estimate of the ‘‘true’’ sample distribution.
The PDD produces a density estimate of the sample
distribution using a Gaussian kernel (Silverman, 1986)
that varies with each individual age estimate. The shape
of these age estimates, and thus the kernel, will vary
from a narrow, tall distribution if the error is small
(Fig. 4a), to a wide shallow distribution if the error is
large (Fig. 4b). These individual distributions are
summed together to form the age PDD function, f ðtÞ;
for the sample being examined (e.g. Fig. 4c) using the
following formula:
X
N
1 2 2
f ðtÞ ¼ pffiffiffiffiffiffi expðtxi Þ =2ei ; ð9Þ
i¼1 ei 2p
where xi is the ith age measurement and ei is the ith
analytical error, t is the age and N is the sample size. In
practice, the distribution function can be approximated
by assessing the value of f ðtÞ in fixed increments
(typically 1 Myr) across a range that encompasses the
required data. Because geochronological results are
typically reported to a round Ma value, standard
increments of 1 Myr are recommended as a suitable
estimation for the distribution function. In some cases,
for instance younger ages, the size of these increments
may be reduced further to ensure a smooth appearance.
For the distribution to be a true probability distribution
2
The original probability plots applied to detrital zircon age
data were presented in Dodson et al. (1988) and were the
product of a technique and program (‘‘Nouveau Stats’’)
developed by Dr. P. Zeitler then at the Research School of
Earth Sciences of the Australian National University (I.S.
Williams, written comment). The application of the method to
40
Ar–39Ar data had been demonstrated earlier by Jessberger
et al. (1980).
 ARTICLE IN PRESS
26 K.N. Sircombe / Computers & Geosciences 30 (2004) 21–31
it must be scaled so that the cumulative total sums to
one, i.e. the distribution function Eq. (9) should be
divided by N: This approach also ensures that the
diagram is standardized for comparative purposes. It is
recommended that the probability scale on the y-axis is
retained to allow meaningful comparison between sets of
data. The number of individual analyses contributing to
the distribution should also be clearly indicated on the
diagram.
4.2. PDD application
The age PDD diagram counters the two limitations of
the binned frequency histogram. Firstly, the individual
age errors are used in calculating the PDD and a visual
assessment of the relative precision of the set of data can
be made. Secondly, by standardizing the sample
distribution in increments of 1 Myr, the potential for
altering the appearance of the diagram as bin width
varies is eliminated.
PDD diagrams are good at displaying the modality of
a set of age data, as revealed by the peaks of the
distribution curve. Nevertheless, care must be taken in
drawing geological interpretations of the peaks. Over-
lapping modes may slightly skew the location of
neighboring peaks, and a mode with few datum may
be visually indistinct near a larger mode (the same
limitations of visual interpretation also apply to binned
frequency histograms).
Defining and assessing the significance of modes
within multimodal density distributions is a sophisti-
cated process that is beyond the scope of this paper and
will only be discussed briefly. For the purposes of initial
data analysis, modes in an age PDD can be defined in
terms of the function derivatives as those points where
proportion information. The height of the curve in a
PDD diagram is both a function of quantity and
precision rather than simply quantity, i.e. a precise
analysis will have a tall peak (e.g. Fig. 4a) that may
compare, height-wise, with a peak of accumulated less
precise analyses (e.g. Fig. 4c). Area is not an easily
recognized attribute of a diagram and thus frequency
information may be lost to the observer. For instance in
Fig. 4c, the distribution contains six individual analyses,
three in each mode, but the left-hand peak is higher
suggesting that it is the dominant mode.
4.4. Heterogeneity calculation
The standardized PDD diagram also provides the
basis for calculating the homogeneity/heterogeneity of
the age distribution. A sample strongly dominated by a
single mode would have a low age distribution hetero-
geneity whereas a sample with several modes would have
a relatively higher age distribution heterogeneity.
Heterogeneity can be quantified using the information
function (Shannon and Weaver, 1949; Pelto, 1954):
X
H¼ pi ln pi ; ð10Þ
i
where H is the absolute value of heterogeneity. pi is the
proportion of the ith component within the total, for
instance the probability density value calculated for a
given age when the total distribution is normalized to
one. To obtain a widely comparable value a relative
heterogeneity, Hr ; can be calculated by (Pelto, 1954;
Smosna et al., 1999):

f 0 ðtÞ ¼ 0 and f 00 ðtÞo0 (Scott, 1992). This approach will
identify local maxima (peaks in the PDD), but not
components seen as shoulders on larger peaks. For
objectively deriving modal ages from a set of age data,
the analyst should use a deconvolution methodology,
such as the maximum-likelihood mixture modeling of
Sambridge and Compston (1994). Because of the
mathematical basis of this approach, it avoids any
potential bias in visual inspection alone, although these
calculations often define components that closely match
the prominent peaks seen in the PDD.
4.3. PDD limitation
A major limitation of PDD diagrams is the loss of
frequency information that can be seen in traditional
binned frequency histograms. In the latter, frequency
information is conveyed by the height of the columns,
but this paradigm does not follow for PDD diagrams.
Because PDD diagrams illustrate probability density it is
the area beneath the curve that conveys frequency and
H
Hr ¼ 100 ; ð11Þ
Hmax
where Hmax is the maximum value of H for the data set
if all components occur in equal proportion, thus if n is
the number of components:
Hmax ¼ nðð1=nÞlnð1=nÞÞ: ð12Þ
In sandstone composition applications (e.g. Smosna
et al., 1999), the number of components is typically
around 10 and the value of Hmax would be 2.30. It is
proposed here, that in order to standardize the assess-
ment of detrital zircon age distributions, that the total
possible age range be subdivided into 1 million year
divisions, hence making 4500 divisions and a Hmax
of 8.41.
Based on this premise, Fig. 5 illustrates two distribu-
tions—one strongly unimodal and the other polymo-
dal—and their respective relative heterogeneity values.
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K.N. Sircombe / Computers & Geosciences 30 (2004) 21–31 27

(a)

(b)

Fig. 5. Illustration of relative heterogeneity values. (a) Strongly unimodal sample, (b) polymodal sample.

5. Combined display

The simplest approach to the limitations discussed

above is to overlay a PDD diagram with an equivalent
binned frequency histogram of the same set of age data
(e.g. Fergusson et al., 2001; Nutman, 2001). The overlay
approach can also be extended to include discordant
analyses to allow comparison and validation with the
accepted data (e.g. Sircombe and Stern, 2002; DeGraaff-
Surpless et al., 2002). In practice this is achieved by
combining all data in a PDD and scaling the distribution
relative to the smaller, concordant only, distribution. An
example of this approach is illustrated in Fig. 6 using the
Dwyer Lake quartzite data. Fig. 6. Illustration of a Combined Display of histograms and
PDD diagrams using Dwyer Lake quartzite data (Sircombe
et al., 2001). Darker shaded PDD indicates age distribution of
6. AGEDISPLAY implementation concordance-filtered data at 95–105%. Histogram data also
filtered at this level. Lighter shaded PDD includes all data.
The AgeDisplay workbook contains five worksheets
* Data Entry. for output. The workbook is set up to handle up to 500
* Histogram Efficiency. age estimates and produce histograms and PDD with up
* Regular Histogram. to 5000 points.
* Probability Density Dist.
* Combined display. 6.1. Data entry worksheet

Calculations and chart production are a combination
of automatic and macro-based procedures. User input
cells are indicated by a white background and a yellow
background indicates unalterable cells where the appli-
cation has made calculations. Newly generated charts
will replace previous charts on the same worksheet, and,
after being produced, charts can be altered, if required,
Age data is entered in the Data Entry worksheet as
age, error and concordance (Fig. 7). A spot/analysis
identification is optional. Error must be 1 s.e. The
sample name can be added, and will be as the basis for
chart titles and output filenames. Data is filtered at two
stages. Firstly, the data will be filtered by the con-
cordance value according to the value given in the Filter
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28 K.N. Sircombe / Computers & Geosciences 30 (2004) 21–31
Fig. 7. Screen shot of Data Entry worksheet illustrating areas for entering age data and errors along with automatic calculations.
cell. For instance, entering 90 will exclude all data with
concordance below 90 or above 110 from further
processing. The data is also filtered via the fifth data
column headed Use? Any character entered in this
column will ensure the age data is used in further
calculations—assuming it passes the concordance filter.
This provides a means for the user to concentrate
processing on data of interest without deleting
information.
This worksheet automatically calculates parameters
such as mean age and mean error, along with optimal
bin width as calculated by the Doane (1985) and Scott
(1979) methods (Eqs. (8) and (4) respectively). The
worksheet also contains a button Create Report linked
to a macro that will create a copy of the workbook
without the attached objects, formulae and macros. This
can be used when the user is satisfied with the results of
the analysis and wishes to capture a final version.
6.2. Histogram efficiency
The Histogram Efficiency worksheet contains formu-
lae to automatically calculate the efficiency of a
histogram at capturing the concordant age estimates
provided in the Data Entry worksheet (based on
Eq. (2)). The user enters the origin (Ma) and binwidth
(Myr) of a histogram and the mean efficiency is
automatically calculated. This allows exploration of
various bin widths to find a satisfactory setting for the
data at the user’s discretion.
6.3. Regular histogram
The user can enter three values into the Regular
Histogram worksheet (Fig. 8): origin (Ma, start of the
range displayed on the chart), end (Ma, end of the range
displayed on the chart) and binwidth (Myr). The Create
Histogram button is linked to a macro that uses the user-
input values and the concordant age estimates in the
Data Entry worksheet to produce a binned frequency
histogram chart.
The validity of the user input values are checked prior
to calculation. If any age estimates are either below the
origin or above the end of the user-specified range these
will be flagged immediately below the input cells. It is at
the user’s discretion whether this indicates that the
specified range is not adequate for the data being
charted. The user-input values will also be overwritten
to the Histogram Efficiency worksheet and an efficiency
value calculated.
6.4. Probability Density Dist.
The Probability Density Dist. worksheet produces a
probability density distribution chart based on the
discussion in Section 4 (Fig. 9). The user inputs origin
(Ma), end (Ma) and increment ( Myr). The increment is
typically in 1 Myr steps, but this can be altered if
required. The Create PDD button is linked to a macro
that performs the calculations for the PDD based on
concordant age estimate data and user input (including
concordance and usage filtering) in the Data Entry
worksheet.
The resulting chart is scaled so the total area
under the curve is one, thus representing a true
probability distribution. The number of age estimates
represented in the chart is also added to the chart
title as ‘‘n ¼ ’’ along with indication of concordance
filtering. If any part of the calculated distribution
is beyond the user-specified range, this will be
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K.N. Sircombe / Computers & Geosciences 30 (2004) 21–31 29

Fig. 8. Screen shot of Regular Histogram worksheet illustrating user-input cells for origin, end and bin-width, Create Histogram
button and automatic calculation of histogram efficiency.

Fig. 9. Screen shot of Probability Density Dist. worksheet illustrating user inputs origin, end and increment. Create PDD and Create
DXF buttons also shown.

flagged immediately below the user input cells. It is
at the user’s discretion whether this indicates that
the specified range is not adequate for the data
being charted. The macro also calculates the local
maxima of the distribution following the approach of
Scott (1992) and outputs these results beside the
distribution results.
The worksheet also has a Create DXF button linked
to a macro that produces a rudimentary DXF format file
of the PDD along with simple lines representing the x-
and y-axis based on the scale of the chart. This DXF file
can be imported into a variety of graphing/drawing
packages. Because the PDD is represented as a single
and continuous curve, it can help avoid some of the
problems associated with directly cutting and pasting
the Excel chart.
6.5. Combined display
The Combined Display worksheet produces a display
combining two PDDs of all data and concordance-
filtered data along with a histogram of concordance-
filtered data (Fig. 10). The user inputs origin (Ma), end
(Ma), increment (Myr), bin width (Myr) and level of
concordance filtering (%). The increment is typically in
1 Myr steps, but this can be altered if required. Data is
copied from the Data Entry worksheet, but the user does
have the option of altering the Use? Column as required.
The Create combined diagram button is linked to a
macro that performs the calculations based on user
input and concordant age estimate data in the Data
Entry worksheet. The left y-axis of the combined chart
records the probability value of the PDDs and the right
 ARTICLE IN PRESS
30 K.N. Sircombe / Computers & Geosciences 30 (2004) 21–31
Fig. 10. Screen shot of Combined Display worksheet illustrating user inputs: origin, end, increment and bin width. Create combined
diagram and Create DXF buttons also shown.
y-axis records the frequency value of the histogram. The
title of the chart also records the concordant number of
data in the range against the total number of data
(‘‘n ¼ ’’) and the concordance filter level. The macro
also flags any data beyond the user-specified range.
The worksheet also links to another macro via the
Create DXF button to produce a rudimentary DXF
format file for importing into graphics applications.
Acknowledgements
Portions of this work were developed while supported
by a NSERC Canadian Laboratories Visiting Fellow-
ship at the Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa (1998–
2000). Recent work and updates have been supported by
a University of Western Australia Postdoctoral Fellow-
ship (2001–2002) and Australian Research Council
Discovery Grant DP0208797. P. Cawood and two
anonymous reviewers provided helpful comments.
TSRC Contribution no. 256.
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