Melting of the Earth's lithospheric mantle inferred from protactinium-thorium-uranium isotopic data

The processes responsible for the generation of partial melt in the Earth's lithospheric mantle and the movement of this melt to the Earth's surface remain enigmatic, owing to the perceived difficulties in generating large-degree partial melts at depth and in transporting small-degree melts through a static lithosphere. Here we present a method of placing constraints on melting in the lithospheric mantle using 231Pa-235U data obtained from continental basalts in the southwestern United States and Mexico. Combined with 230Th-238U data, the 231Pa-235U data allow us to constrain the source mineralogy and thus the depth of melting of these basalts. Our analysis indicates that it is possible to transport small melt fractions--of the order of 0.1%--through the lithosphere, as might result from the coalescence of melt by compaction owing to melting-induced deformation. The large observed 231Pa excesses require that the timescale of melt generation and transport within the lithosphere is small compared to the half-life of 231Pa (approximately 32.7 kyr). The 231Pa-230Th data also constrain the thorium and uranium distribution coefficients for clinopyroxene in the source regions of these basalts to be within 2% of one another, indicating that in this setting 230Th excesses are not expected during melting at depths shallower than 85 km.     

Episodic growth of the Gondwana supercontinent from hafnium and oxygen isotopes in zircon

It is thought that continental crust existed as early as 150 million years after planetary accretion, but assessing the rates and processes of subsequent crustal growth requires linking the apparently contradictory information from the igneous and sedimentary rock records. For example, the striking global peaks in juvenile igneous activity 2.7, 1.9 and 1.2 Gyr ago imply rapid crustal generation in response to the emplacement of mantle 'super-plumes', rather than by the continuous process of subduction. Yet uncertainties persist over whether these age peaks are artefacts of selective preservation, and over how to reconcile episodic crust formation with the smooth crustal evolution curves inferred from neodymium isotope variations of sedimentary rocks. Detrital zircons encapsulate a more representative record of igneous events than the exposed geology and their hafnium isotope ratios reflect the time since the source of the parental magmas separated from the mantle. These 'model' ages are only meaningful if the host magma lacked a mixed or sedimentary source component, but the latter can be diagnosed by oxygen isotopes, which are strongly fractionated by rock-hydrosphere interactions. Here we report the first study that integrates hafnium and oxygen isotopes, all measured in situ on the same, precisely dated detrital zircon grains. The data reveal that crust generation in part of Gondwana was limited to major pulses at 1.9 and 3.3 Gyr ago, and that the zircons crystallized during repeated reworking of crust formed at these times. The implication is that the mechanisms of crust formation differed from those of crustal differentiation in ancient orogenic belts.     

Evolution of helium isotopes in the Earth's mantle

Degassing of the Earth's mantle through magmatism results in the irreversible loss of helium to space, and high (3)He/(4)He ratios observed in oceanic basalts have been considered the main evidence for a 'primordial' undegassed deep mantle reservoir. Here we present a new global data compilation of ocean island basalts, representing upwelling 'plumes' from the deep mantle, and show that island groups with the highest primordial signal (high (3)He/(4)He ratios) have striking chemical and isotopic similarities to mid-ocean-ridge basalts. We interpret this as indicating a common history of mantle trace element depletion through magmatism. The high (3)He/(4)He in plumes may thus reflect incomplete degassing of the deep Earth during continent and ocean crust formation. We infer that differences between plumes and the upper-mantle source of ocean-ridge basalts reflect isolation of plume sources from the convecting mantle for approximately 1-2 Gyr. An undegassed, primordial reservoir in the mantle would therefore not be required, thus reconciling a long-standing contradiction in mantle dynamics.     

Diverse supernova sources of pre-solar material inferred from molybdenum isotopes in meteorites

Variations in the isotopic composition of some components in primitive meteorites demonstrate that the pre-solar material was not completely homogenized, nor was it processed at sufficiently high temperatures to erase the signatures of the diverse stellar sources. This is in accord with the observation that accretion disks of young stellar objects are at relatively low temperatures. Carbonaceous chondrites are considered to represent the 'average' Solar System composition; the rare pre-solar grains in the matrixes of carbonaceous chondrites have been used to identify some sources of the pre-solar material. Here we report that the molybdenum isotopic composition of bulk carbonaceous chondrites is distinctly different from the accepted average solar value. We show that the Mo data require the presence of material produced in at least two different r-processes, and that the contribution from the p-process material is decoupled from the r-process, all occurring in supernova explosions. This is consistent with the emerging picture of diverse sources inferred from short-lived isotopes in the early Solar System and elemental analyses of metal-poor stars.     

Thermal history of Mars inferred from orbital geochemistry of volcanic provinces

Reconstruction of the geological history of Mars has been the focus of considerable attention over the past four decades, with important discoveries being made about variations in surface conditions. However, despite a significant increase in the amount of data related to the morphology, mineralogy and chemistry of the martian surface, there is no clear global picture of how magmatism has evolved over time and how these changes relate to the internal workings and thermal evolution of the planet. Here we present geochemical data derived from the Gamma Ray Spectrometer on board NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft, focusing on twelve major volcanic provinces of variable age. Our analysis reveals clear trends in composition that are found to be consistent with varying degrees of melting of the martian mantle. There is evidence for thickening of the lithosphere (17-25?km?Gyr(-1)) associated with a decrease in mantle potential temperature over time (30-40?K?Gyr(-1)). Our inferred thermal history of Mars, unlike that of the Earth, is consistent with simple models of mantle convection.     

Late formation and prolonged differentiation of the Moon inferred from W isotopes in lunar metals

The Moon is thought to have formed from debris ejected by a giant impact with the early 'proto'-Earth and, as a result of the high energies involved, the Moon would have melted to form a magma ocean. The timescales for formation and solidification of the Moon can be quantified by using 182Hf-182W and 146Sm-142Nd chronometry, but these methods have yielded contradicting results. In earlier studies, 182W anomalies in lunar rocks were attributed to decay of 182Hf within the lunar mantle and were used to infer that the Moon solidified within the first approximately 60 million years of the Solar System. However, the dominant 182W component in most lunar rocks reflects cosmogenic production mainly by neutron capture of 181Ta during cosmic-ray exposure of the lunar surface, compromising a reliable interpretation in terms of 182Hf-182W chronometry. Here we present tungsten isotope data for lunar metals that do not contain any measurable Ta-derived 182W. All metals have identical 182W/184W ratios, indicating that the lunar magma ocean did not crystallize within the first approximately 60 Myr of the Solar System, which is no longer inconsistent with Sm-Nd chronometry. Our new data reveal that the lunar and terrestrial mantles have identical 182W/184W. This, in conjunction with 147Sm-143Nd ages for the oldest lunar rocks, constrains the age of the Moon and Earth to Myr after formation of the Solar System. The identical 182W/184W ratios of the lunar and terrestrial mantles require either that the Moon is derived mainly from terrestrial material or that tungsten isotopes in the Moon and Earth's mantle equilibrated in the aftermath of the giant impact, as has been proposed to account for identical oxygen isotope compositions of the Earth and Moon.     

Neon isotopes constrain convection and volatile origin in the Earth's mantle

Identifying the origin of primordial volatiles in the Earth's mantle provides a critical test between models that advocate magma-ocean equilibration with an early massive solar-nebula atmosphere and those that require subduction of volatiles implanted in late accreting material. Here we show that neon isotopes in the convecting mantle, resolved in magmatic CO2 well gases, are consistent with a volatile source related to solar corpuscular irradiation of accreting material. This contrasts with recent results that indicated a solar-nebula origin for neon in mantle plume material, which is thought to be sampling the deep mantle. Neon isotope heterogeneity in different mantle sources suggests that models in which the plume source supplies the convecting mantle with its volatile inventory require revision. Although higher than accepted noble gas concentrations in the convecting mantle may reduce the need for a deep mantle volatile flux, any such flux must be dominated by the neon (and helium) isotopic signature of late accreting material.     

Contrasting origins of the upper mantle revealed by hafnium and lead isotopes from the Southeast Indian Ridge

The origin of the isotopic signature of Indian mid-ocean ridge basalts has remained enigmatic, because the geochemical composition of these basalts is consistent either with pollution from recycled, ancient altered oceanic crust and sediments, or with ancient continental crust or lithosphere. The radiogenic isotopic signature may therefore be the result of contamination of the upper mantle by plumes containing recycled altered ancient oceanic crust and sediments, detachment and dispersal of continental material into the shallow mantle during rifting and breakup of Gondwana, or contamination of the upper mantle by ancient subduction processes. The identification of a process operating on a scale large enough to affect major portions of the Indian mid-ocean ridge basalt source region has been a long-standing problem. Here we present hafnium and lead isotope data from across the Indian-Pacific mantle boundary at the Australian-Antarctic discordance region of the Southeast Indian Ridge, which demonstrate that the Pacific and Indian upper mantle basalt source domains were each affected by different mechanisms. We infer that the Indian upper-mantle isotope signature in this region is affected mainly by lower continental crust entrained during Gondwana rifting, whereas the isotope signature of the Pacific upper mantle is influenced predominantly by ocean floor subduction-related processes.     

Cryptic striations in the upper mantle revealed by hafnium isotopes in southeast Indian ridge basalts

The Earth's mantle is isotopically heterogeneous on length scales ranging from centimetres to more than 10(4) kilometres. This heterogeneity originates from partial melt extraction and plate tectonic recycling, whereas stirring during mantle convection tends to reduce it. Here we show that mid-ocean ridge basalts from 2,000 km along the southeast Indian ridge (SEIR) display a bimodal hafnium isotopic distribution. This bimodality reveals the presence of ancient compositional striations (streaks) in the Indian Ocean upper mantle. The number density of the streaks is described by a Poisson distribution, with an average thickness of approximately 40 km. Such a distribution is anticipated for a well-stirred upper mantle, in which heterogeneity is continually introduced by plate tectonic recycling, and redistributed by viscous stretching and convective refolding.     

Late Cenozoic history of deep water circulation in the western North Pacific: Evidence from Nd isotopes of ferromanganese crusts

Despite its importance in regulating the global climate, the past deep ocean circulation in the western North Pacific has still been poorly understood. Nd isotopes of ferromanganese crusts have been proven to be a good proxy to monitor paleoceanic circulation changes. In this study, late Cenozoic Nd isotopic records are recovered from two ferromanganese crusts located near Mariana arc but at different water depths (MKD13: 1530 m, MDD53: 2700 m), and their implications for paleocirculation change in this area are explored. From the early to late Miocene, Nd isotopic compositions of MDD53 remained stable, and they were also characterized by the least radiogenic signatures ( Nd4.0 to5.0) compared to crusts of similar water depths in the Miocene North Pacific. Afterward, an abrupt increase in its Nd value occurred in the Pliocene. In contrast, Nd isotopes of MKD13 became more radio- genic with time in the Miocene and were almost invariable thereafter. The continual increase in Nd of shallower crust MKD13 is interpreted as reflecting progressive closure of Indonesian Seaway in the Miocene, while the deep western boundary current sourced from the Southern Pacific may have dominated Nd isotopes of deeper crust MDD53 during the same time interval. The lack of Nd isotopic variation of MKD13 in the Pliocene indicates that there were no changes in Nd sources in shallower waters and the final restriction between the Indian and Pacific may have only occurred since then. Therefore the observed large shift to more radiogenic Nd isotopes of MDD53 in the Pliocene should not be resulted from changes in vertical input from shallower to deeper water. Instead, a decreased ventilation of deep southern component current along the studied water depth range (~2700 m) may have continued in the Pliocene.     

Oxygen isotopic compositions of zircons from pyroxenite of Daoshichong,Dabieshan: Implications for crust-mantle interaction

Oxygen isotopic compositions of zircons from pyroxenite (～145 Ma) of Daoshichong, Dabieshan have been measured by an ion microprobe. Both within the single grain and among different grains, oxygen isotopic ratios are homogeneous, δ 18O = (7.66‰±0.46)‰ (1 SD, 1 σ = 0.10, n = 22). High δ 18O values indicate that the mantle-derived parent magma of Daoshichong pyroxenite have undergone interaction with crustal materials. Combing with other geochemical constraints, the way of crust-mantle interaction is suggested to be source mixing other than crustal contamination. The time interval between crust-mantle interaction and formation of the parent magma of Daoshichong pyroxenite is less than several million years. The crustal component involving in crust-mantle interaction is mafic lower crust, and the parent magma of pyroxenite possibly contain large proportion (>37%) of such lower crust.     

基于稳定同位素的SPAC系统水分转化研究进展

大气-土壤-植被连续体(soil-plant-atmosphere continuum, SPAC)系统水分转化过程是生态水文学重要的研究内容。稳定同位素作为天然的示踪剂能有效示踪、整合和指示SPAC系统中的水分输入、输出以及转化过程。笔者在简述稳定同位素应用原理的基础上,以垂直方向上SPAC系统水分运移的视角,阐释基于稳定同位素技术的土壤-根系界面水分运移、植物传输水分中存在的分馏和植物冠层-大气界面水分交换的研究进展,探讨了SPAC系统水分转化研究中稳定同位素技术在分馏机制、时间分辨率与空间异质性方面的局限性。认为未来基于稳定同位素的SPAC水分转化研究还需着重在以下3个方面进行：(1)借助广泛应用于其他领域的便携式同位素分析仪对各种同位素水池同位素组成进行原位观测;(2)结合多种同位素分析水体同位素组成来分析土壤-根系界面水分运移过程,进一步确定树木水分来源,提高识别和划分的准确性,并以此完善稳定同位素应用模型;(3)利用同位素标记盆栽实验精准控制叶片吸水的水源,高分辨率地解析叶片吸水的发生位置以及时间;(4)结合控制性同位素标记实验并利用离心技术提取木质部导管中的汁液水,对比分...     

Elastic wave velocity in rocks from Dabieshan and its constraints for lithospheric composition and crust-mantle recycling

P-and S-wave velocities in eclogites and granulites from the Dabie ultrahigh pressures (UHP) meta morphic belt, China, were measured at room temperature under the hydrostatic pressures up to 1.0 GPa. The ultrahigh pressure eclogites had the highest densities (3.3 ～ 3.6 g.cm-3) , high velocities and the lowest anisotropy (1.4%c ～ 2.6 % ) . The lowest densities (2.8 ～ 3.1 g. cm-3 ) and the highest Poisson' s ratios (0.28 ～ 0.29) were found in gran ulites, whereas the strongest anisotropies (6. 1 % ～8.4% ) were found in the high-pressure (HP) eclogites. Compari son of the velocities in rocks with that observed in the deep seismic sounding profile crossing Dabieshan suggests that e clogites might exist in the lower crust of Dabieshan, but the quantity might be small. The upper mantle has very similar velocities as the UHP eclogites and serpentinizated/water-bearing dunite. The formation of eclogite represents the crust mantle recycling processes. Crustal material is delaminated and sinks into the mantle by way of eclogite, whereas only a small part of the eclogite could return to the crust.     

高硫成矿系统中明矾石的稳定同位素特征

根据矿物组合及蚀变特征,浅成低温热液型金矿可划分为高硫化型和低硫化型,明矾石是高硫化型金矿床中典型矿物.高硫化型矿床中的酸性硫酸盐蚀变共分为4种环境:岩浆热液环境、岩浆蒸汽环境、蒸汽-加热环境和表生环境.岩浆热液环境中明矾石的δD值接近岩浆水,δ18 OOH值大于岩浆水,δ34S值比共生的黄铁矿高1.6％～2.8％,δ...     

History of trace gases in presolar diamonds inferred from ion-implantation experiments

Diamond grains are the most abundant presolar grains found in primitive meteorites. They formed before the Solar System, and therefore provide a record of nuclear and chemical processes in stars and in the interstellar medium. Their origins are inferred from the unusual isotopic compositions of trace elements-mainly xenon-which suggest that they came from supernovae. But the exact nature of the sources has been enigmatic, as has the method by which noble gases were incorporated into the grains. One observation is that different isotopic components are released at different temperatures when the grains are heated, and it has been suggested that these components have different origins. Here we report results of a laboratory study that shows that ion implantation (previously suggested on other grounds) is a viable mechanism for trapping noble gases. Moreover, we find that ion implantation of a single isotopic composition can produce both low- and high-temperature release peaks from the same grains. We conclude that both isotopically normal and anomalous gases may have been implanted by multiple events separated in space and/or time, with thermal processing producing an apparent enrichment of the anomalous component in the high-temperature release peak. The previous assumption that the low- and high-temperature components were not correlated may therefore have led to an overestimate of the abundance of anomalous argon and krypton, while obscuring an enhancement of the light-in addition to the heavy-krypton isotopes.     

根据航磁解释的塔里木盆地基岩分布

根据对塔里木盆地航磁异常研究，将盆地基岩区划为：１）塔西南古元古构造活动带穿插的新太古陆核；２）中部古（或中）元古镁铁超镁铁岩墙；３）北部古元古基底的海西活化区；４）镁铁超镁铁岩墙向东北延伸；５）塔东南中、新元古基底的加里东断褶带（海西改建）；６）巴楚古元古基底的海西活动区。盆地基岩的主体是在古（或中）元古代，向南运移的北塔里木地块与向北运移的南塔里木地块相接触，经由壳底幔顶的融熔岩浆沿边缘深断裂上涌形成的镁铁超镁铁岩墙将它们牢固地结合成一体．提出了罗布泊断陷是盆地油气勘探很有远景的地区，急需开展勘查．     

Lightning on Venus inferred from whistler-mode waves in the ionosphere

The occurrence of lightning in a planetary atmosphere enables chemical processes to take place that would not occur under standard temperatures and pressures. Although much evidence has been reported for lightning on Venus, some searches have been negative and the existence of lightning has remained controversial. A definitive detection would be the confirmation of electromagnetic, whistler-mode waves propagating from the atmosphere to the ionosphere. Here we report observations of Venus' ionosphere that reveal strong, circularly polarized, electromagnetic waves with frequencies near 100 Hz. The waves appear as bursts of radiation lasting 0.25 to 0.5 s, and have the expected properties of whistler-mode signals generated by lightning discharges in Venus' clouds.     

Young chondrules in CB chondrites from a giant impact in the early Solar System

Chondrules, which are the major constituent of chondritic meteorites, are believed to have formed during brief, localized, repetitive melting of dust (probably caused by shock waves) in the protoplanetary disk around the early Sun. The ages of primitive chondrules in chondritic meteorites indicate that their formation started shortly after that of the calcium-aluminium-rich inclusions (4,567.2 +/- 0.7 Myr ago) and lasted for about 3 Myr, which is consistent with the dissipation timescale for protoplanetary disks around young solar-mass stars. Here we report the 207Pb-206Pb ages of chondrules in the metal-rich CB (Bencubbin-like) carbonaceous chondrites Gujba (4,562.7 +/- 0.5 Myr) and Hammadah al Hamra 237 (4,562.8 +/- 0.9 Myr), which formed during a single-stage, highly energetic event. Both the relatively young ages and the single-stage formation of the CB chondrules are inconsistent with formation during a nebular shock wave. We conclude that chondrules and metal grains in the CB chondrites formed from a vapour-melt plume produced by a giant impact between planetary embryos after dust in the protoplanetary disk had largely dissipated. These findings therefore provide evidence for planet-sized objects in the earliest asteroid belt, as required by current numerical simulations of planet formation in the inner Solar System.