In situ Nd isotopic measurement of natural geological materials by LA-MC-ICPMS

Using newly determined Sm isotopic abundances for correcting the isobaric interference of ^144Sm on ^144Nd and the established mass bias relationship between Sm and Nd, a series of in situ Nd isotopic measurements were conducted for relatively high Nd concentrations of natural geological materials, including apatite, titanite, monazite and perovskite on a Neptune multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry （MC-ICPMS）, coupled to a 193 nm ArF excimer laser ablation system. The results show that Ce has no significant influence on the precision and accuracy of Nd isotopic analyses for LREE-enriched geological minerals and that our approach is efficient in obtaining reliable ^143Nd/^144Nd and ^147Sm/^144Nd ratios for those materials with Sm/Nd〈1（^147Sm/^144Nd〈0.6）. When combined with trace element and U-Pb isotope data, the in situ Nd isotopic data can provide important information on geological processes.     

Super-chondritic Sm/Nd ratios in Mars, the Earth and the Moon

Small isotopic differences in the atomic abundance of neodymium-142 (142Nd) in silicate rocks represent the time-averaged effect of decay of formerly live samarium-146 (146Sm) and provide constraints on the timescales and mechanisms by which planetary mantles first differentiated. This chronology, however, assumes that the composition of the total planet is identical to that of primitive undifferentiated meteorites called chondrites. The difference in the 142Nd/144Nd ratio between chondrites and terrestrial samples may therefore indicate very early isolation (<30 Myr from the formation of the Solar System) of the upper mantle or a slightly non-chondritic bulk Earth composition. Here we present high-precision 142Nd data for 16 martian meteorites and show that Mars also has a non-chondritic composition. Meteorites belonging to the shergottite subgroup define a planetary isochron yielding an age of differentiation of 40 +/- 18 Myr for the martian mantle. This isochron does not pass through the chondritic reference value (100 x epsilon(142)Nd = -21 +/- 3; 147Sm/144Nd = 0.1966). The Earth, Moon and Mars all seem to have accreted in a portion of the inner Solar System with approximately 5 per cent higher Sm/Nd ratios than material accreted in the asteroid belt. Such chemical heterogeneities may have arisen from sorting of nebular solids or from impact erosion of crustal reservoirs in planetary precursors. The 143Nd composition of the primitive mantle so defined by 142Nd is strikingly similar to the putative endmember component 'FOZO' characterized by high 3He/4He ratios.     

Scheelite Sm-Nd dating and quartz Ar-Ar dating for Woxi Au-Sb-W deposit,western Hunan

SinceFryeretal.[1](1984)firstdatedthehydrother-maldepositusingtheSm-Ndisotopemethod,thisisotopesystematicshasbeenwidelyappliedinthegeochro-nologicalstudyforhydrothermalmineralization.Inrecentyears,manyhydrothermalmineralssuchasfluorite[2—7],tourmaline[8,9],wolframite[5,10,11]andcalcite[12,13]havebeensuccessfullydatedusingtheSm-Ndgeochronometer.ScheeliteisoneofCa-bearingminerals,andrareearthelements(REE)areincorporatedinscheelitebysubstitu-tionatCa2+structuralstiesinminerallattices;moreove…     

利用DCTA和HIBA快速有效分离Rb-Sr、Sm-Nd的方法

介绍了一种新的Rb_Sr、Sm_Nd化学分离方法,以用于地质样品的同位素测试.方法选用AG50W×8阳离子交换树脂,并先后采用不同的淋洗剂进行分离提纯.首先用常规方法使用盐酸作为淋洗剂将Rb_Sr和REE分开并与其它大部分元素分离,然后使用DCTA和嘧啶的混合溶液(D.P.E.)作为淋洗剂分离Rb和Sr,使用HIBA作为淋洗剂在很小体积(0.6mL)的阳离子交换树脂中分离Sm和Nd.使用这样的分离方法可以有效的将一些干扰离子(如Mg、Ca、Ba)和Sr分离,同时使用该分离方法可以提高分离效率,缩短分离时间,减少试剂用量,降低实验过程空白.用该方法分离国际玄武岩标样BCR_2后的Sr同位素测试结果(87Sr/86Sr=0.705018±3)和Nd同位素测试结果(143Nd/144Nd=0.512616±9)与已经报道的测试结果基本一致,说明本次研究采用的新分离方法效果良好.     

146Sm-142Nd evidence from Isua metamorphosed sediments for early differentiation of the Earth's mantle

Application of the 147Sm-143Nd chronometer (half-life of 106 Gyr) suggests that large-scale differentiation of the Earth's mantle may have occurred during the first few hundred million years of its history. However, the signature of mantle depletion found in early Archaean rocks is often obscured by uncertainties resulting from open-system behaviour of the rocks during later high-grade metamorphic events. Hence, although strong hints exist regarding the presence of differentiated silicate reservoirs before 4.0 Gyr ago, both the nature and age of early mantle differentiation processes remain largely speculative. Here we apply short-lived 146Sm-142Nd chronometry (half-life of 103 Myr) to early Archaean rocks using ultraprecise measurement of Nd isotope ratios. The analysed samples are well-preserved metamorphosed sedimentary rocks from the 3.7-3.8-Gyr Isua greenstone belt of West Greenland. Our coupled isotopic calculations, combined with an initial epsilon 143Nd value from ref. 6, constrain the mean age of mantle differentiation to 4,460 +/- 115 Myr. This early Sm/Nd fractionation probably reflects differentiation of the Earth's mantle during the final stage of terrestrial accretion.     

Sr-Nd isotope geochemistry of eolian dust of the arid-semiarid areas in China： Implications for loess provenance and monsoon evolution

Strontium (Sr) is a divalent alkaline earth element. Its ionic radius (0.113 nm) is slightly larger than that of calcium (0.099 nm), and Sr thus substitutes isomor- phously for Ca in many minerals. Neodymium (Nd) is a rare earth element. Its chemical prop…     

The Sr, Nd isotopic composition of lamprophyres in Laowangzhai gold orefield, Yunnan Province

Lamprophyres are widely spread over the Laowangzhai gold orefield in northern Mt. Ailao structure zone, Yunnan Province. Lamprophyres in the orefield are temporally and spatially related to gold mineralization. Lamprophyres in the orefield have anomalous Sr and Nd isotopic compositions, e.g. the 87Sr/ 86Sr ratios (0.706 665-0.707 960, the 87Sr/ 86Sr ratio of sample YLW-44 is 0.709 041) are higher than the modern value of the original mantle (0.704 5), the 143Nd/ 144Nd ratios (0.512 463-0.512 551) are lower than the modern value of the original mantle (0.512 638), and the calculated values ε Sr>0 (28.1-63.7) and ε Nd<0 (-1.34--3.07). The results of investigation indicate that lamprophyres in the Laowangzhai gold orefield with anomalous Sr and Nd isotopic compositions would not be produced as a result of contamination of the primary magma with the isotopic features of MORB by the crust materials high 87Sr/ 86Sr ratios and low 143Nd/ 144Nd ratios in the processes of rising or in the magma chamber, but the result of metasomatism of source mantle.     

四川牦牛坪碳酸岩的同位素地球化学及其成矿动力学

世界上绝大多数与碱性岩浆岩 (包括碳酸岩 )有关的稀土矿床产于裂谷化环境中 ,但四川牦牛坪稀土矿床却形成于新生代造山过程中。牦牛坪是一个与碱性杂岩体密切有关的稀土矿床 ,矿化与岩浆碳酸岩直接有关。碳酸岩的同位素地球化学组成变化很小 ,2 0 6Pb/2 0 4Pb=1 8.1 6 2～ 1 8.1 94 ,2 0 7Pb/2 0 4Pb=1 5 .5 36～ 1 5 .5 6 7,2 0 8Pb/2 0 4Pb=38.2 83～ 38.390 ,87Sr/86Sr=0 .70 6 0 5～ 0 .70 6 91 ,1 4 3 Nd/1 4 4 Nd=0 .5 1 2 32 7～ 0 .5 1 2 4 36 ,与 EMI型地幔源区的同位素组成基本一致 ,表明牦牛坪稀土元素的成矿作用与深部动力学过程有关。在强烈的挤压造山过程中能够有 EMI型地幔物质上侵 ,表明进入新生代以来 ,龙门山造山带乃至整个青藏高原及周边地区的地球动力学背景不仅限于板块的水平挤压与俯冲 ,还应考虑到地幔物质及其活动过程的显著贡献。     

Two granitic plutons in Central Western Kunlun Belt: Their ages and possible sources

Geochronological and isotope studies have been carried out for two important plutons in the Central Western Kunlun Belt. U-Pb single grain zircon dating results show that the North Kudi Pluton (404 Ma) was produced near the end of Caledonian; whereas the previously labeled Hercynian Arkarz Mountain Pluton (215 Ma) is either an Indosinian pluton or a product of multiple-phase magmatism. Sm/Nd isotopic data suggest that their sources are quite heterogeneous, and continental crust played an important role during the generation of these two granitic plutons.     

REE composition in scheelite and scheelite Sm-Nd dating for the Xuebaoding W-Sn-Be deposit in Sichuan

The scheelite with large size and euhedral shape from Xuebaoding, Sichuan Province is an ideal min- eral to study REE patterns and Sm-Nd dating of non-gold deposits. The scheelite has diameters of 1― 10 cm and colors of pale beige to deep orange. Most of these scheelites occur in association with beryl, cassiterite and muscovite. The rare earth elements indicate that scheelite samples from Xuebaoding W-Sn-Be deposits contain high concentrations of rare earth elements with total ΣREE Y contents in the range of 369―1725 μg·g?1 and nearly all of these scheelite samples are enriched in LREE and depleted in HREE and have negative Eu anomalies. The REE patterns of the scheelites are similar to those of A-type granite with obvious tetrad effect, similar to that of type II scheelites. Based on reported fluid inclusion studies, the mineralizing-fluid of the Xuebaoding W-Sn-Be deposit indicates low Na activity. The REE patterns of the scheelite are probably controlled by partition coefficient in hydrothermal fluid. In the 147Sm/144Nd-143Nd/144Nd diagram, the scheelites show a linear array corresponding to an isochron age of 182.0±9.2 Ma (MSWD = 0.52). The Sm-Nd age represents the formation age of the scheelite and can indicate that the W, Sn and Be mineralization at Xuebaoding took place in the Early Yanshanian. The Sm-Nd dating result is important for the study of the multi-metal resources in western Sichuan Province.     

Trace-element fractionation in Hadean mantle generated by melt segregation from a magma ocean

Calculations of the energetics of terrestrial accretion indicate that the Earth was extensively molten in its early history. Examination of early Archaean rocks from West Greenland (3.6-3.8 Gyr old) using short-lived 146Sm-142Nd chronometry indicates that an episode of mantle differentiation took place close to the end of accretion (4.46 +/- 0.11 Gyr ago). This has produced a chemically depleted mantle with an Sm/Nd ratio higher than the chondritic value. In contrast, application of 176Lu-176Hf systematics to 3.6-3.8-Gyr-old zircons from West Greenland indicates derivation from a mantle source with a chondritic Lu/Hf ratio. Although an early Sm/Nd fractionation could be explained by basaltic crust formation, magma ocean crystallization or formation of continental crust, the absence of coeval Lu/Hf fractionation is in sharp contrast with the well-known covariant behaviour of Sm/Nd and Lu/Hf ratios in crustal formation processes. Here we show using mineral-melt partitioning data for high-pressure mantle minerals that the observed Nd and Hf signatures could have been produced by segregation of melt from a crystallizing magma ocean at upper-mantle pressures early in Earth's history. This residual melt would have risen buoyantly and ultimately formed the earliest terrestrial protocrust.     

Adakite-type sodium-rich rocks in Awulale Mountain of west Tianshan: Significance for the vertical growth of continental crust

The sodium-rich dacites and albite porphyries of Permian in the Awulale Mountain of west Tianshan have unique chemical and trace element signatures identical to adakite. These intermediate-acidic igneous rocks are characterized by high Na2O, Al₂O₃ and Sr contents and high Sr/Y and La/Y ratios (＞40 and ＞20, respectively), and low Y and Yb contents, and strong depletion in HREE, and positive Eu anomaly. The (^{143Nd/₁₄₄Nd)_i} is in the range from 0.51236 to 0.51248 and the e_Nd(t) is positive value (+0.79—+3.11); the (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)^_i is in the range from 0.7052 to 0.7054. These Nd and Sr isotopic composition features indicate that the source rocks of these adakite-type rocks are from a weakly depleted mantle, or a depleted mantle, but was contaminated by the crustal materials. These adakite-type rocks were most likely derived from the partial melting of new underplated basaltic rocks under the conditions of amphibolite to eclogite transition in the postcollisional environment of North Xinjiang during the Permian Period. They are not only the Phanerozoic juvenile crust materials, but also are probably animportant symbol of the underplating of mantle- derived basaltic magmas and the vertical growth of continental crust in the west Tianshan area during the postcollision of Late Paleozoic.     

热分析方法测定α粒子径迹密度及其在地质定年中的应用

将热分析法测定α粒子径迹密度应用于地质定年.用中子活化分析的方法测量了安徽马鞍山磷灰石样品中~(238)U、~(232)Th和~(147)Sm的含量.另外以Dorango磷灰石作为参考标准,用热分析方法测量了样品中α粒子的径迹含量,最后经计算得到安徽马鞍山磷灰石样品的地质年代为3.63×10~7 a.与其他地质资料比较,认为其地质年龄在3000万年左右是可信的.     

Geochronology and Nd and Pb isotope characteristics of gabbro dikes in the Luobusha ophiolite, Tibet

We report a combined internal and whole-rock Sm-Nd isochron age, and Nd and Pb isotopic data for gabbro dikes of the Luobusha ophiolite in Tibet. The Sm-Nd isochron of data for two whole rocks and plagioclase and clinopyroxene separates from one of the rocks yields a Middle Jurassic age of (177±31) Ma (with an initial ε_Nd(t) = +8), which provides a significant bound on the time of formation of the Luobusha ophiolite. The Nd and Pb isotopic characteristics of the dike indicate an Indian-Ocean-type isotopic affinity, and we conclude that the Luobusha ophiolite formed in an oceanic setting during the Middle Jurassic.     

Potash-rich volcanic rocks and lamprophyres in western Shandong Province: 40Ar39Ar dating and source tracing

Highly precise 40Ar39Ar dating results demonstrate that the ages of potash-rich volcanic rocks in western Shandong Province are 114.7-124.3 Ma, and that of the lamprophyres is 119.6 Ma. The potash-rich volcanic rocks have relatively high (87Sr/86Sr)i ratios ( 0.708715-0.711418)and distinctly negative εNd values ( -11.47 - -17.54), and are enriched in radiogenic lead (206Pb/204pb=17.341-17.622,207pb/204Pb=15.525-15.538, 208Pb/204pb = 37.563-37.684).Similarly, the lamprophyres also have quite low εNd values ( -11.57 - -19.64). Based on the fact that the Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic compositions of potash-rich volcanic rocks are very consistent with that of the clinopyroxene separates, and by integrating comprehensive analyses of their tectonic settings,and extensive comparisons of the Sr, Nd isotopic compositions with that of the related simultaneous rocks, it is concluded that the potash-rich volcanic rocks and lamprophyres in western Shandong Province were most possibly derived from the partial melting of enriched mantle which was caused by source contamination and metasomatism of subducted continental crustal materials.``     

The return of subducted continental crust in Samoan lavas

Substantial quantities of terrigenous sediments are known to enter the mantle at subduction zones, but little is known about their fate in the mantle. Subducted sediment may be entrained in buoyantly upwelling plumes and returned to the Earth's surface at hotspots, but the proportion of recycled sediment in the mantle is small, and clear examples of recycled sediment in hotspot lavas are rare. Here we report remarkably enriched 87Sr/86Sr and 143Nd/144Nd isotope signatures in Samoan lavas from three dredge locations on the underwater flanks of Savai'i island, Western Samoa. The submarine Savai'i lavas represent the most extreme 87Sr/86Sr isotope compositions reported for ocean island basalts to date. The data are consistent with the presence of a recycled sediment component (with a composition similar to the upper continental crust) in the Samoan mantle. Trace-element data show affinities similar to those of the upper continental crust--including exceptionally low Ce/Pb and Nb/U ratios--that complement the enriched 87Sr/86Sr and 143Nd/144Nd isotope signatures. The geochemical evidence from these Samoan lavas significantly redefines the composition of the EM2 (enriched mantle 2; ref. 9) mantle endmember, and points to the presence of an ancient recycled upper continental crust component in the Samoan mantle plume.     

Nd isotopic characteristics of post-Archean sediments from the Eastern Nanling Range： Evidence for crustal evolution

A systematic Sm-Nd isotopic study was carried out for sediments and metasediments of different ages from Mesoproterozoic to early Mesozoic era in southwestern Fujian, Eastern Nanling Range. The results show that Nd model age (tDM) and εNd(t) value of most sediments are closely similar to those of Paleoproterozoic Mayuan Group, indicating that they may mainly be the recycling product of Paleoproterozoic crustal materials. However, the Nd model age significantly decreases with a corresponding increase in the εNd(t) value at Neoproterozoic (ca. 0.8-0.7 Ga) and Late Paleozoic (ca. 0.25 Ga), respectively. This is manifested by prominent vales and apexes on the diagrams of tDM VS. tStr. (stratum age) and εNd(t) VS. tstr. The decrease in tDM and the increase in εNd(t) are explained as a result of the significant incorporation of juvenile crustal materials that originated from depleted mantle due to strong lithospheric extension during both periods. It appears that tectonic magmatism in the Neoproterozoic and the Late Paleozoic is of prominent importance in affecting the geochemical nature of sediments in South China.     

Nd isotopic characteristics of Proterozoic metasedimentary rocks and constraints on their provenance in the eastern segment of Central Tianshan Belt, Xinjiang

Sm-Nd isotopic characteristics, εNd(t) values and Nd model ages (TDM) of Proterozoic metasedimentary rocks in the eastern segment of Central Tianshan Belt (ESCTB), Xinjiang, are used to constrain the sedimentary provenance as well as to evaluate their tectonic implications. εNd(t) and TDM values of these samples range from -4.00 to +6.36 and from 1.29 to 2.29 Ga, respectively. These feature values are distinguished from those of Archean Tarim Craton. Their average εNd(t) values of the Weiya, the Kumishi and the south to the Dikar samples are -2.46, +2.06 and +1.37, respectively. Nd model ages of the Weiya samples vary between 1.86 and 2.29 Ga, but those of the Kumishi and the south to the Dikar samples show a significant concentration at 1.6～1.9 Ga and the youngest Nd model age is 1.29 Ga. Those Nd isotopic characteristics suggest that these metasedimentary rocks could be derived from a significant proportion of Paleoproterozoic crustal source and a participation of young arc materials, rather than Archean Tarim Craton. Furthermore, the data also indicate that these two sources were paleogeographically separated. Thus we can deduce that the Kumishi and the south to the Dikar metasedimentary rocks were formed proximal to the arc side of the back-arc basin, but the Weiya metasedimentary rocks were closer to the continental side of the back-arc basin.     

Mineralogy of the mid-ocean-ridge basalt source from neodymium isotopic composition of abyssal peridotites

Inferring the melting process at mid-ocean ridges, and the physical conditions under which melting takes place, usually relies on the assumption of compositional similarity between all mid-ocean-ridge basalt sources. Models of mantle melting therefore tend to be restricted to those that consider the presence of only one lithology in the mantle, peridotite. Evidence from xenoliths and peridotite massifs show that after peridotite, pyroxenite and eclogite are the most abundant rock types in the mantle. But at mid-ocean ridges, where most of the melting takes place, and in ophiolites, pyroxenite is rarely found. Here we present neodymium isotopic compositions of abyssal peridotites to investigate whether peridotite can indeed be the sole source for mid-ocean-ridge basalts. By comparing the isotopic compositions of basalts and peridotites at two segments of the southwest Indian ridge, we show that a component other than peridotite is required to explain the low end of the (143)Nd/(144)Nd variations of the basalts. This component is likely to have a lower melting temperature than peridotite, such as pyroxenite or eclogite, which could explain why it is not observed at mid-ocean ridges.