1. The isotopic composition of detrital sediments can be used to infer the average composition of their source region.
2. Hydrodynamic sorting of heavy mineral assemblages with contrasting isotopic compositions can affect the Ti and Zr isotope composition of detrital sediments.
3. The EMS sediments show negligible Zr isotope variation, but a small but resolvable systematic difference in Ti isotope composition between Sahara and Nile provenance components.
The article is generally reliable and trustworthy, as it provides evidence for its claims and presents both sides of the argument equally. The authors provide a thorough overview of the effects of hydrodynamic sorting on Ti and Zr isotope systematics in detrital marine sediments from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (EMS). They present data from a suite of samples that demonstrate clear evidence for hydrodynamic sorting, as well as a small but resolvable systematic difference in Ti isotope composition between Sahara and Nile provenance components. The authors also discuss potential implications for crustal evolution models that use Ti isotopes as a proxy for the proportion of felsic crust, noting that large-scale hydrodynamic sorting can cause a decrease in TiO2/Al2O3 and shift its Ti isotope composition to heavier compositions.
The article does not appear to have any major biases or unsupported claims, though there are some points that could be explored further. For example, while the authors note that kinetic Zr isotope fractionation might be common in igneous rocks, they do not explore this further or provide evidence to support this claim. Additionally, while they discuss potential implications for crustal evolution models using Ti isotopes as a proxy for felsic crust, they do not explore other potential applications or implications of their findings.
In conclusion, this article is generally reliable and trustworthy due to its thorough overview of the effects of hydrodynamic sorting on Ti and Zr isotope systematics in detrital marine sediments from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (EMS). While there are some points that could be explored further, overall it does not appear to have any major biases or unsupported claims.