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International audience; Komatiites are crystallized samples of high-temperature, high-MgO lavas that were common during the Archean, but became increasingly rarer in the Proterozoic and Phanerozoic. Although the origin of komatiites remains a subject of debate, all komatiites included in this review, ranging in age from 3.6 to 2.0 Ga, are interpreted to have most likely been derived from anhydrous melting in mantle plumes. These plumes are estimated to have been initiated at different depths in the mantle, thus, providing important information about the chemical evolution of the early Earth.The 142,143Nd, 176Hf, 182W, 187Os, and 186Os systematics and trace- and highly siderophile element (HSE) abundances of these komatiites provide strong evidence for the presence of isotopic and chemical heterogeneities in the mantle during the first half of Earth history. These heterogeneities likely reflect the combined effects of (1) the co-existence of diverse post-magma ocean silicate domains that were characterized by variably-fractionated lithophile and siderophile element abundances; (2) the presence of distinct reservoirs that included mantles and cores of late accreted, differentiated planetesimals; and (3) isotopic exchange across the core-mantle boundary. These data highlight the complexity of komatiite mantle sources, none of which were similar in composition to estimates for the modern bulk silicate Earth (BSE). Moreover, no single petrogenetic model can account for the remarkably diverse chemical and isotopic compositions of komatiites.The disappearance of resolvable positive and negative 142Nd anomalies, as well as decoupled 143Nd-176Hf isotopic signatures, in the mafic-ultramafic rock record by ~2.5 Ga indicate that, by the end of the Archean, the earliest silicate reservoirs, formed through primordial magma ocean crystallization, had been largely destroyed as a result of vigorous convective mantle mixing. This implies that, during the Hadean and Archean, it took the mantle ~1.5 Ga to mix away the early formed 142Nd heterogeneities via wholesale mantle convection. Similar to 142Nd systematics, there appears to have been a shift from mostly positive 182W anomalies in pre-2.5 Ga komatiite mantle sources to no 182W offsets in post-2.5 Ga komatiite mantle sources. Coupled with the disapperance of projected HSE depletions in komatiite mantle sources at ~2.5 Ga, relative to the modern BSE, this shift may indicate that, by the end of the Archean, late accreted planetesimals had become largely homogenized within the mantle, and core-mantle interaction took over as the main driving force of creating 182W isotope anomalies, possibly coincident with the timing of the onset of modern-style plate tectonics on Earth

Globally distributed kimberlites with broadly chondritic initial (143)Nd-(176)Hf isotopic systematics may be derived from a chemically homogenous, relatively primitive mantle source that remained isolated from the convecting mantle for much of the Earth’s history. To assess whether this putative reservoir may have preserved remnants of an early Earth process, we report (182)W/(184)W and (142)Nd/(144)Nd data for “primitive” kimberlites from 10 localities worldwide, ranging in age from 1,153 to 89 Ma. Most are characterized by homogeneous μ(182)W and μ(142)Nd values averaging −5.9 ± 3.6 ppm (2SD, n = 13) and +2.7 ± 2.9 ppm (2SD, n = 6), respectively. The remarkably uniform yet modestly negative μ(182)W values, coupled with chondritic to slightly suprachondritic initial (143)Nd/(144)Nd and (176)Hf/(177)Hf ratios over a span of nearly 1,000 Mya, provides permissive evidence that these kimberlites were derived from one or more long-lived, early formed mantle reservoirs. Possible causes for negative μ(182)W values among these kimberlites include the transfer of W with low μ(182)W from the core to the mantle source reservoir(s), creation of the source reservoir(s) as a result of early silicate fractionation, or an overabundance of late-accreted materials in the source reservoir(s). By contrast, two younger kimberlites emplaced at 72 and 52 Ma and characterized by distinctly subchondritic initial (176)Hf/(177)Hf and (143)Nd/(144)Nd have μ(182)W values consistent with the modern upper mantle. These isotopic compositions may reflect contamination of the ancient kimberlite source by recycled crustal components with μ(182)W ≥ 0.

International audience; Rhenium-Os, Ptsingle bondOs, Smsingle bondNd, Lusingle bondHf, and Hfsingle bondW isotope data, together with lithophile trace element and highly siderophile element (HSE: Re, Os, Ir, Ru, Pt, and Pd) abundances, are reported for 2.05 Ga Jeesiörova and Kevitsa komatiites from the Central Lapland Greenstone Belt, Fennoscandia, Finland. Both komatiites are closely genetically related, with the Kevitsa dikes having served as feeding magma conduits to the Jeesiörova pillowed and massive lavas. The parental komatiite magma is estimated to have contained ~25 wt% MgO and was, thus, derived from a mantle source at least as hot as those of some of its late Archean counterparts. A suite of Jeesiörova and Kevitsa whole-rock komatiite samples and olivine and chromite separates define an internal Resingle bondOs isochron with an age of 2049 ± 13 Ma and an initial γ187Os = −0.2 ± 0.2 (2SE), indicating long-term chondritic Re/Os in the mantle source. By contrast, Ptsingle bondOs data for a set of Jeesiörova chromite separates define an average initial μ186Os = +29 ± 2 (2SE), indicating a long-term history of suprachondritic Pt/Os in the mantle source. The absolute HSE abundances in the mantle source of the Jeesiörova-Kevitsa komatiite system are estimated to have been 120 ± 5% of the present-day Bulk Silicate Earth (BSE). This is the first komatiite system for which excess HSE in the mantle source, relative to modern BSE, has been documented.The 147Smsingle bond143Nd and 176Lusingle bond176Hf data yield isochron ages and initial ratios of, respectively, 2046 ± 22 Ma with ε143Nd = +3.7 ± 0.3, and 2072 ± 20 Ma with ε176Hf = +8.7 ± 0.4 (2SE), indicating a long-term history of depletions of Nd relative to Sm, and Hf relative to Lu. The measured μ182W = +1.5 ± 3.3 is indistinguishable from the modern mantle value. Despite being strongly depleted in highly incompatible lithophile trace elements, the Th-Nb-La systematics of the komatiites indicate ~1% crustal contamination of the original komatiite magma, assuming the contaminant was similar in composition to the calculated Fennoscandian Tonalite Average (FTA). This level of contamination would have also significantly modified the Nd, Hf, and W isotope compositions of the original komatiitic magma, but not the Os isotope compositions or HSE abundances. The calculated original komatiite magma, corrected for the effects of crustal contamination, would have had initial ε143Nd ~ +4.9, ε176Hf ~ +10.2, and μ182W ~ −10.Our modeling indicates that the initial 186,187Os/188Os isotopic compositions and suprachondritic HSE abundances, coupled with the projected negative μ182W, are best explained by either (1) derivation from a mantle domain characterized by an excess of late accreted, differentiated planetesimal core metal, i.e., “grainy” late accretion, or (2) addition of chemically fractionated terrestrial core metal to the mantle source domain of the komatiites. The presence of these characteristics in the Jeesiörova-Kevitsa komatiite mantle source provides further evidence for the early creation and long-term survival of chemically diverse domains within the mantle.

Neodymium-142 isotope data from young Reunion Island volcanic rocks reflect the effects of geological processes that occurred more than four billion years ago, showing that the deep mantle may preserve geochemical signatures of the primordial Earth. Certain volcanic hotspots are thought to sample sections of Earth's deep interior that were formed more than two billion years ago, with some having witnessed differentiation events—the separation of planetary materials into chemically distinct regions, such as the core and mantle—that occurred within the first 50 million years of Earth's history. Bradley Peters and colleagues report neodymium isotopic data from Reunion Island volcanic rocks. The data correlate with helium isotopic data, suggesting parallel behaviour of the isotopic systems during silicate differentiation, perhaps as early as 4.39 billion years ago. They conclude that Reunion magmas tap an unusually ancient, primitive source compared to other volcanic hotspots, which could offer a window into the formation and preservation of ancient heterogeneities in Earth's interior. Active volcanic hotspots can tap into domains in Earth’s deep interior that were formed more than two billion years ago1,2. High-precision data on variability in tungsten isotopes have shown that some of these domains resulted from differentiation events that occurred within the first fifty million years of Earth history3,4. However, it has not proved easy to resolve analogous variability in neodymium isotope compositions that would track regions of Earth’s interior whose composition was established by events occurring within roughly the first five hundred million years of Earth history5,6. Here we report 142Nd/144Nd ratios for Reunion Island igneous rocks, some of which are resolvably either higher or lower than the ratios in modern upper-mantle domains. We also find that Reunion 142Nd/144Nd ratios correlate with helium-isotope ratios (3He/4He), suggesting parallel behaviour of these isotopic systems during very early silicate differentiation, perhaps as early as 4.39 billion years ago. The range of 142Nd/144Nd ratios in Reunion basalts is inconsistent with a single-stage differentiation process, and instead requires mixing of a conjugate melt and residue formed in at least one melting event during the Hadean eon, 4.56 billion to 4 billion years ago. Efficient post-Hadean mixing nearly erased the ancient, anomalous 142Nd/144Nd signatures, and produced the relatively homogeneous 143Nd/144Nd composition that is characteristic of Reunion basalts. Our results show that Reunion magmas tap into a particularly ancient, primitive source compared with other volcanic hotspots7,8,9,10, offering insight into the formation and preservation of ancient heterogeneities in Earth’s interior.

The short-lived Sm 146 → 142 Nd isotope system ( t 1 / 2 = 103 Ma ) provides constraints on the timing and processes of terrestrial silicate fractionation during the early Hadean. Although some Archean terranes preserve variability in 142Nd/144Nd, no anomalies have been resolved previously in young rocks. This study provides high precision 142Nd/144Nd data on a suite of ocean island basalts from Samoa and Hawaii previously shown to have variable depletions in 182W/184W that are inversely correlated with 3He/4He ratios. Improved analytical techniques and multiple replicate analyses of Nd show a variation in μ 142 Nd values between −1.3 and +2.7 in the suite, relative to the JNdi standard. Given the reproducibility of the standard (±2.9 ppm, 2 SD), two Samoan samples exhibit resolved variability in their 142Nd/144Nd ratios outside of their 95% confidence intervals, suggesting minor variability in the Samoan hotspot. One sample from Samoa has a higher μ 142 Nd of +2.7, outside the 95% confidence interval (±1.0 ppm) of the average of the JNdi standard. Limited, but resolved, variation in 142Nd/144Nd within the suite suggests the preservation of early Hadean silicate differentiation in the sources of at least some basalts from Samoa. Larger variations of 182W/184W and 3He/4He ratios in the same samples suggest that metal–silicate separation and mantle outgassing left a more persistent imprint on the accessible mantle compared to 142Nd/144Nd ratios which are impacted by early silicate differentiation.

Examination of the least-contaminated rocks of the Jurassic Karoo flood basalt province indicates considerable compositional variability in the mantle source. New and previously published Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic data are suggestive of two main categories of mantle reservoirs: one coincides with the field of depleted mantle (DM) -affinity oceanic crust and the other has low initial eNd (+3.3 to 0.3) and high 87Sr/86Sr (0.7039 to 0.7057) and Δ8/4 (92 to 138) typical of enriched mantle 1 (EM1) -affinity oceanic crust. Previous studies have proposed the DM type reservoir included domains affected by subduction-related fluids and recycled oceanic components (e.g. Heinonen et al., 2014). The EM1 type reservoir probably also contained subducted crustal components, but the geochemical data are suggestive of an additional primitive mantle (PM) type component (Turunen et al., 2019).Importantly, the two reservoirs can be geochemically linked to a recently identified bilateral compositional asymmetry in the volumious Karoo flood basalts (Luttinen, 2018): The DM type reservoir is the most likely source of Nb-depleted flood basalts in the southeastern Karoo subprovince (Lebombo rifted margin and Antarctica), whereas the EM1-PM type reservoir has been identified as the principal source of the Nb-undepleted flood basalts in the northwestern subprovince (Karoo-Kalahari-Zambezi basins). The boundary between the flood basalt subprovinces and the occurrences of the DM-affinity and EM1-PM-affinity rocks overlie the Jurassic location of the margin of the Jurassic sub-African LLSVP. Magmas derived from the EM1-PM type reservoir were largely emplaced above the deep mantle anomaly, whereas those derived from the DM type reservoir were emplaced outside the footprint of the LLSVP.Based on isotopic similarity, the EM1-PM type reservoir of the Karoo province may record the same overall LLSVP material as the Gough component in the zoned Tristan da Cunha plume (e.g. Hoernle et al., 2015). Furthermore, it is possible that the DM type reservoir of the Karoo province, which has been interpreted to represent depleted upper mantle heated by mantle plume, could also represent a plume component and that the bilateral Karoo flood basalt province as a whole could thus register melting of a large zoned plume source associated with the margin of the sub-African LLSVP.ReferencesHeinonen, J.S., Carlson, R.W., Riley, T.R., Luttinen, A.V., Horan, M.F. (2014). Subduction-modified oceanic crust mixed with a depleted mantle reservoir in the sources of the Karoo continental flood basalt province. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 394, 229–241. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2014.03.012Hoernl, K., Ronde, J., Hauff, F., Garbe-Schönberg, D., Homrighausen, S., Werner, W., Morgan, J.P. (2015). How and when plume zonation appeared during the 132 Myr evolution of the Tristan Hotspot. Nature Communications 6:7799. doi: 10.1038/ncomms8799Luttinen, A.V. (2018). Bilateral geochemical asymmetry in the Karoo large igneous province. Scientific Reports 8:5223. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-23661-3Turunen, S.T., Luttinen, A.V., Heinonen, J.S., Jamal, D.L. (2019). Luenha picrites, Central Mozambique – Messengers from a mantle plume source of Karoo continental flood basalts? Lithos 346–347. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lithos.2019.105152

New Sm-Nd, Lu-Hf, Hf-W, and Re-Os isotope data, in combination with highly siderophile element (HSE, including Re, Os, Ir, Ru, Pt, and Pd) and W abundances, are reported for the 3.55 Ga Schapenburg komatiites, South Africa. The Schapenburg komatiites define a Re-Os isochron with an age of 3550 ± 87 Ma and initial γ187Os = +3.7 ± 0.2 (2SD). The absolute HSE abundances in the mantle source of the Schapenburg komatiite system are estimated to be only 29 ± 5% of those in the present-day bulk silicate Earth (BSE). The komatiites were derived from mantle enriched in the decay products of the long-lived 147Sm and 176Lu nuclides (initial ɛ143Nd = +2.4 ± 0.1, ɛ176Hf = +5.7 ± 0.3, 2SD). By contrast, the komatiites are depleted, relative to the modern mantle, in 142Nd and 182W (μ182W = −8.4 ± 4.5, μ142Nd = −4.9 ± 2.8, 2SD). These results constitute the first observation in terrestrial rocks of coupled depletions in 142Nd and 182W. Such isotopic depletions require derivation of the komatiites from a mantle domain that formed within the first ∼30 Ma of Solar System history and was initially geochemically enriched in highly incompatible trace elements as a result of crystal-liquid fractionation in an early magma ocean. This mantle domain further must have experienced subsequent melt depletion, after 182Hf had gone extinct, to account for the observed initial excesses in 143Nd and 176Hf. The survival of early-formed 182W and 142Nd anomalies in the mantle until at least 3.55 Ga indicates that the products of early planetary differentiation survived both later planetary accretion and convective mantle mixing during the Hadean. This work moreover renders unlikely that variable late accretion, by itself, can account for all of the observed W isotope variations in Archean rocks.

Several nucleosynthetic processes contributed material to the Solar System, but the relative contributions of each process, the timing of their input into the solar nebula, and how well these components were homogenized in the solar nebula remain only partially constrained. The Ba isotope system is particularly useful in addressing these issues because Ba isotopes are synthesized via three nucleosynthetic processes (s-, r-, p-process). In this study, high precision Ba isotope analyses of 22 different whole rock chondrites and achondrites (carbonaceous chondrites, ordinary chondrites, enstatite chondrites, Martian meteorites, and eucrites) were performed to constrain the distribution of Ba isotopes on the regional scale in the Solar System. A melting method using aerodynamic levitation and CO2-laser heating was used to oxidize SiC, a primary carrier of Ba among presolar grains in carbonaceous chondrites. Destruction of these grains during the fusion process enabled the complete digestion of these samples. The Ba isotope data presented here are thus the first for which complete dissolution of the bulk meteorite samples was certain. Enstatite chondrites, ordinary chondrites, and all achondrites measured here possess Ba isotope compositions that are not resolved from the terrestrial composition. Barium isotope anomalies are evident in most of the carbonaceous chondrites analyzed, but the 135Ba anomalies are generally smaller than previously reported for similarly sized splits of CM2 meteorites. Variation in the size of the 135Ba anomaly is also apparent in fused samples from the same parent body (e.g., CM2 meteorites) and in different pieces from the same meteorite (e.g., Orgueil, CI). Here, we investigate the potential causes of variability in 135Ba, including the contribution of radiogenic 135Ba from the decay of 135Cs and incomplete homogenization of the presolar components on the

The highly siderophile elements (HSE) include the fifth-period transition metals ruthenium (Ru), rhodium (Rh), palladium (Pd), and the sixth-period transition metals rhenium (Re), osmium (Os), iridium (Ir), platinum (Pt) and gold (Au). In addition to being iron-loving, these elements are also resistant to oxidation, have high melting temperatures and are important as industrial catalysts. HSE abundances in geologic materials vary significantly, ranging from ~1 mg/g in ore materials down to a few pg/g in basalts (Table 1). These elements comprise two long-lived radiometric decay schemes: 187Re decays to 187Os, and 190Pt decays to 186Os. View this table: Table 1 Range of HSE abundances, in ng/g, in selected rock types and in model upper mantle. The HSE have been targeted to address a wide variety of geochemical and cosmochemical questions. Early work suggested HSE concentrations can constrain Hadean mantle evolution (Chou 1978) and showed the geochronologic potential of the Re/Os isotope system (Herr and Merz 1955; Herr et al. 1961; Markey et al. 1998). More recent applications combine the Re–Os decay system with abundance data for the HSE to investigate the evolution of the planets and the moon (Day et al. 2010, 2016, this volume), the terrestrial mantle (Rehkamper et al. 1997; Aulbach et al. 2016, this volume; Harvey et al. 2016, this volume; Luguet and Reisberg 2016, this volume), impact craters (Koeberl and Shirey 1993), geochemistry and geochronology of ore formation (Markey et al. 1998; Barnes and Ripley 2016, this volume), tektites (Koeberl and Shirey 1993), as well as the formation and evolution of the continental curst (e.g., Peucker-Ehrenbrink and Jahn 2001). Non-mass dependent isotope variations in Re, Os, Ru, Pt and Pd are also present in some meteorites and lunar samples and arise from nucleosynthesis and cosmogenic radiation (Yokoyama and …

co-auteur étranger; International audience; Taking the example of Nd, we present a method based on a 4-mass-step acquisition scheme to measure all isotope ratios dynamically by thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS); the aim being to minimize the dependency of all mass fractionation-corrected ratios on collector efficiencies and amplifier gains. The performance of the method was evaluated from unprocessed JNdi-1 Nd standards analyzed in multiple sessions on three different instruments over a period of ~ 1.5 years (n = 61), as well as from standards (18 JNdi-1 and 19 BHVO-2) processed through different chemical purification procedures. The Nd isotopic compositions of standards processed through fine-grained (25–50 μm) Ln-spec resin show a subtle but clear fractionation caused by the nuclear field shift effect. This effect contributes to the inaccuracy of Nd isotope measurements at the ppm level of precision.Following a comprehensive evaluation of the mass spectrometer runs, we suggest several criteria to assess the quality of data acquired by TIMS, in particular to see whether the measurements were affected by domain mixing effects on the filaments. We define maximum tolerable Ce and Sm interference corrections and the minimum number of ratios to acquire to ensure the best possible accuracy and precision for all Nd isotope ratios. Changes in fractionation of Nd isotope ratios in between acquisition steps can result in significant inaccuracy and bias dynamic μ142 values by > 15 ppm. To correct for these effects, we developed a systematic drift-correction based on the monitoring of Nd isotope ratios through time. The residual components of scatter in the JNdi-1 and BHVO-2 datasets were further investigated in binary isotopic plots in which we modeled the theoretical effects of domain mixing on filaments, nuclear field shift and correlated errors from counting statistics using Monte-Carlo simulations. These plots indicate that the 4-step method returns precisions limited by counting errors only for drift-corrected dynamic Nd isotope ratios. Data acquired on three different TIMS instruments suggest the following composition for the JNdi-1 reference standard: 142Nd/144Nd = 1.141832 ± 0.000006 (2s), 143Nd/144Nd = 0.512099 ± 0.000005 (2s), 145Nd/144Nd = 0.348403 ± 0.000003 (2s), 148Nd/144Nd = 0.241581 ± 0.000003 (2s), and 150Nd/144Nd = 0.236452 ± 0.000006 (2s) when normalized to 146Nd/144Nd = 0.7219. Measurements performed on different instruments (Triton™ vs. Triton Plus™) show resolvable differences of about 10 ppm for absolute 143Nd/144Nd, 145Nd/144Nd and 148Nd/144Nd ratios. The different criteria and corrections developed in this study could be applied to other isotopic systematics to improve and better evaluate the quality of high-precision data acquired by TIMS.

An obstacle for establishing the chronology of iron meteorite formation using 182Hf-182W systematics (t1/2 = 8.9 Myr) is to find proper neutron fluence monitors to correct for cosmic ray modification of W isotopic composition. Recent studies showed that siderophile elements such as Pt and Os could serve such a purpose. To test and calibrate these neutron dosimeters, the isotopic compositions of W and Os were measured in a slab of the IID iron meteorite Carbo. This slab has a well-characterized noble gas depth profile reflecting different degrees of shielding to cosmic rays. The results show that W and Os isotopic ratios correlate with distance from the pre-atmospheric center. Negative correlations, barely resolved within error, were found between epsilo190Os-epsilo189Os and epsilo186Os-epsilo189Os with slopes of -0.64 ± 0.45 and -1.8(+1.9/-2.1), respectively. These Os isotope correlations broadly agree with model predictions for capture of secondary neutrons produced by cosmic ray irradiation and results reported previously for other groups of iron meteorites. Correlations were also found between epsilo182W-epsilo189Os (slope = 1.02 ± 0.37) and epsilo182W-epsilo190Os (slope = -1.38 ± 0.58). Intercepts of these two correlations yield pre-exposure epsilo182W values of -3.32 ± 0.51 and -3.62 ± 0.23, respectively (weighted average epsilo182W = -3.57 ± 0.21). This value relies on a large extrapolation leading to a large uncertainty but gives a metal-silicate segregation age of -0.5 ± 2.4 Myr after formation of the solar system. Combining the iron meteorite measurements with simulations of cosmogenic effects in iron meteorites, equations are presented to calculate and correct for cosmogenic effects on 182W using Os isotopes.

A series of high pressure and temperature experiments were conducted to better constrain the Fe isotope fractionation during core–mantle differentiation in planetesimal and planetary bodies. Synthetic mixtures of oxides and metal having varying amounts of sulfur, approximating terrestrial and Martian compositions, were melted at 1–2 GPa and 1650 °C. Iron isotopic equilibrium between the resulting metal and glass run products was verified for all experiments using the three-isotope technique. Purified Fe from metal and glass was analyzed by multiple-collector ICP-MS in high resolution mode. Iron alloy and silicate glass show a well-resolved Δ57Femetal–silicate of +0.12 ± 0.04‰ in a sulfur-free system. Isotope fractionation increases with sulfur content to +0.43 ± 0.03‰ at 18 wt.% sulfur in the metal. These results cannot be easily interpreted within the context of known Fe isotope ratios in most natural samples of planetary and asteroidal mantles and therefore suggest more complex processes affected the Fe isotope fractionation therein. However, to reconcile Martian meteorite iron isotopic signatures with geophysical models using this new experimental data requires a smaller amount of sulfur in the Martian core than previous estimates, with an upper limit of ∼8 wt.%.

Active volcanic hotspots can tap into domains in Earth's deep interior that were formed more than two billion years ago. High-precision data on variability in tungsten isotopes have shown that some of these domains resulted from differentiation events that occurred within the first fifty million years of Earth history. However, it has not proved easy to resolve analogous variability in neodymium isotope compositions that would track regions of Earth's interior whose composition was established by events occurring within roughly the first five hundred million years of Earth history. Here we report

Proterozoic anorthosites from the 1630–1650 Ma Mealy Mountains Intrusive Suite (Grenville Province, Canada), the 1289–1363 Ma Nain Plutonic Suite (Nain–Churchill Provinces, Canada) and the 920–949 Ma Rogaland Anorthosite Province (Sveconorwegian Province, Norway), all entrain comagmatic, cumulate, high-alumina orthopyroxene megacrysts (HAOMs). The orthopyroxene megacrysts range in size from 0.2 to 1 m and all contain exsolution lamellae of plagioclase that indicate the incorporation of an excess Ca–Al component inherited from the host magma at pressures in excess of 10 kbar at or near Moho depths (>30–40 km). Suites of HAOMs from each intrusion display a large range in 147Sm/144Nd (0.10 to 0.34) making them amenable for precise age dating with the Sm–Nd system. Sm–Nd isochrons for HAOMs give ages of 1765 ± 12 Ma (Mealy Mountains), 1041 ± 17 Ma (Rogaland) and 1444 ± 100 Ma (Nain), all of them older by about 80 to 120 m.y. than the respective 1630–1650, 920–949 and 1289–1363 Ma crystallization ages of their host anorthosites. Internal mineral Sm–Nd isochrons between plagioclase exsolution lamellae and the orthopyroxene host for HAOMs from the Rogaland and Nain complexes yield ages of 968 ± 43 and 1347 ± 6 Ma , respectively – identical within error to the ages of the anorthosites themselves. This age concordance establishes that decompression exsolution in the HAOM was coincident with magmatic emplacement of the anorthosites, ∼100 m.y. after HAOMs crystallization at the Moho. Correspondence of Pb isotope ages (206Pb/204Pb vs. 207Pb/204Pb) with Sm–Nd ages and other strong lines of evidence indicate that the older megacryst ages represent true crystallization ages and not the effects of time-integrated mixing processes in the magmas. Nd isotopic evolution curves, AFC/mixing calculations and the age relations between the HOAMs and their anorthosite hosts show that the HAOMs are much less contaminated with crustal components and are an older part of the same magmatic system from which the anorthosites are derived. Modeling of these anorthositic magmas with MELTS indicates that their ultramafic cumulates would have sunk in the magma and been sequestered at the Moho, where they may have sunk deeper into the mantle resulting in large-scale compositional differentiation. The HAOMs thus represent a rare example of part of a cumulate assemblage that was carried to the upper crust during anorthosite emplacement and, together with the anorthosites, illustrate the dramatic influence that magma ponding and differentiation at the Moho has on residual magmas traveling towards the surface. The new geochronologic and isotopic data indicate that the magmas were derived by melting of the mantle, forming magmatic systems that could have been long-lived (e.g. 80–100 m.y.). A geologic setting that would fit these temporal constraints is a long-lived Andean-type margin.

International audience; Knowing the composition, nature and amount of crust at the surface of the early Earth is crucial to understanding the early geodynamics of our planet. Yet our knowledge of the Hadean-Archean crust is far from complete, limited by the poor preservation of Archean terranes, and the fact that less attention has been paid to the sedimentary record that tracks erosion of these ancient remnants. To address this problem and get a more comprehensive view of what an Archean continent may have looked like, we investigated the trace element and Sm-Nd, Lu-Hf isotopic records of Archean metasedimentary rocks from South Africa. We focused our study on sandstone and mudstone from drill core in the Fig Tree Group (3.23-3.26 Ga) of the Barberton granite-greenstone belt, but also analyzed the 3.4 Ga Buck Reef cherts and still older (3.5-3.6 Ga) meta-igneous rocks from the Ancient Gneiss Complex, Swaziland. Based on principal component analysis of major and trace element data, the Fig Tree metasedimentary rocks can be classified into three groups: crustal detritus-rich sediments, Sirich sediments and CaFe Fe-rich sediments. The detritus-rich sediments have preserved the Sm-Nd and Lu-Hf isotopic signatures of their continental sources, and hence can be used to constrain the composition of crust eroded in the Barberton area in the Paleoarchean period. Based on Sm/Nd ratios, we estimate that this crust was more mafic than today, with an Revised Text average SiO 2 content of 60.5 ± 2 wt.%. This composition is further supported by isotopic mixing calculations suggesting that the sedimentary source area contained equal proportions of mafic-ultramafic and felsic rocks. This implies that the Archean crust exposed to weathering was more mafic than today but does not exclude a more felsic composition at depth. Neodymium and Hf crustal residence ages show that the eroded crust was, on average, ~300-400 Ma older than the deposition age of the sediments, which highlights the importance of intracrustal reworking of older crust at ~3.2 Ga in the Barberton area. The Si-rich sediments have slightly positive ε Nd (t=3.23Ga) but extremely radiogenic ε Hf (t=3.23Ga) , up to +11. Based on analyses of 3.4 Ga Buck Reef cherts, we suggest that the radiogenic Hf isotopic signature of the Si-rich sediments can be accounted for by the old chert clasts or detrital silicified rock fragments present in the rocks. The latter have extremely high Lu/Hf ratios such that their ε Hf values would increase dramatically, by about +100 epsilon units every 100 Ma. In the CaFe Fe-rich sediments, one sample contains carbonate that preserves the typical rare-earth element features of seawater precipitates. The initial Nd isotopic composition of this sample (ε Nd (t=3.23Ga) = +1.7) is within the range of previous estimates for Archean anoxic seawater.

article i nfo Sm- 142 Nd systematics Short-lived 146 Sm- 142 Nd and long-lived 147 Sm- 143 Nd chronometers have been measured in three cumulate eucrites (Binda, Moore County and Moama). The two major mineral phases (plagioclase and pyroxene) present in these achondrites are characterized by a wide range of Sm/Nd ratios that allows well-resolved Sm-Nd isochrons. This group of meteorites thus is suitable to better constrain the initial 146 Sm/ 144 Sm ratio of the solar system. Binda and Moore County give concordant ages of 4544±88 and 4542±85 Ma, respectively, with initial 143 Nd/ 144 Nd ratios slightly higher, to within error, of chondritic. These ages are in agreement with most of the radiometric ages determined on basaltic eucrites. A best estimate for the solar system initial 146 Sm/ 144 Sm ratio is obtained using the five-point regression line determined for Binda. The 146 Sm/ 144

We report the results of a comprehensive, high precision survey of the Cr isotopic compositions of primitive chondrites, along with some differentiated meteorites. To ensure complete dissolution of our samples, they were first fused with lithium borate–tetraborate at 1050–1000 °C. Relative to the NIST Cr standard SRM 3112a, carbonaceous chondrites exhibit excesses in 54Cr/52Cr from 0.4 to 1.6e (1e = 1 part in 10,000), and ordinary chondrites display a common 54Cr/52Cr deficit of ∼0.4e. Analyses of acid-digestion residues of chondrites show that carbonaceous and ordinary chondrites share a common 54Cr-enriched carrier, which is characterized by a large excess in 54Cr/52Cr (up to 200e) associated with a very small deficit in 53Cr/52Cr (

Separated magnetic and nonmagnetic components from the ordinary chondrites Dhajala (H3.8) and Ochansk (H4) were analyzed for their Re–Os isotopic compositions, as well as for the abundances of the highly siderophile elements (HSE) Re, Os, Ir, Ru, Pt and Pd. The Re–Os isotopic systematics of these components are used to constrain the timing of HSE fractionations, and assess the level of open-system behavior of these elements in each of the different components. The high precision, isotope dilution mass spectrometric analyses of the HSE are used to constrain the origins of, and possible relations between some of the diverse components present in these chondrites. The relative and absolute abundances of the HSE differ considerably among the components. Metal fractions have Re/Os that are factors of ∼2 (Dhajala) to ∼3 (Ochansk) higher than those of their nonmagnetic fractions. The isotopic data for both meteorites are consistent with the largest Re–Os fractionations occurring between metal and nonmagnetic components early in solar system history, although minor to moderate late stage, open-system behavior, and limited variations in Re/Os preclude a precise determination of the age for that fractionation. Open-system behavior is generally absent to minor in the metal fractions, and highly variable in nonmagnetic fractions. Re/Os ratios of nonmagnetic fractions deviate as much as 40% from a primordial isochron. Although some deviations are large for isochron applications, nearly all are negligible with respect to consideration of fractionation processes controlling the HSE. Metal from both meteorites contains about 90% of the total budget of HSE. Metal in Ochansk has ∼2 to 10 times the abundances of the bulk meteorite, while metal from the matrix of Dhajala has ∼2 to 4 times the abundances of the bulk. Fine metal in both meteorites has higher abundances than coarse metal, as has been previously observed. Nonmagnetic components, consisting of chondrules and matrix from which metal was removed in the laboratory, have highly fractionated HSE, characterized by much lower Re/Os than the bulk meteorites, as well as large relative depletions in Pd. The abundances of Re, Os, Ir, Ru and Pt in the nonmagnetic fractions are 14–120 ng/g, much higher than would be expected if they had equilibrated with the metal phases present (150–16,000 ng/g). Collectively, the data are consistent with the HSE budget in ordinary chondrites being dominated by two HSE-bearing carrier phases with distinct compositions. These phases formed separately, and never subsequently equilibrated. Metal components incorporated a HSE carrier that formed at high through moderate temperatures and relatively high pressures, such that the relatively volatile Pd behaved coherently with the more refractory HSE. Nonmagnetic fractions from both chondrules and matrix have HSE compositions that likely require at least two processes that fractionated the HSE. Depletions in Pd are consistent with the presence of HSE carriers that formed as either highly refractory condensates, or residues of high degrees of metal melting. Depletions in Re may implicate a period of relatively high f O 2 during which a volatile form of Re was separated from the other HSE.

Exposure of the ca . 6 Ma Taitao ophiolite, Chile, located ∼50 km south of the Chile Triple Junction, allows detailed chemical and isotopic study of rocks that were recently extracted from the depleted mantle source of mid-ocean ridge basalts (DMM). Ultramafic and mafic rocks are examined for isotopic (Os, Sr, Nd, and O), and major and trace element compositions, including the highly siderophile elements (HSE). Taitao peridotites have compositions indicative of variable extents of partial melting and melt extraction. Low δ 18 O values for most whole rock samples suggest some open-system, high-temperature water–rock interaction, most likely during serpentinization, but relict olivine grains have δ 18 O values consistent with primary mantle values. Most of the peridotites analyzed for Nd–Sr isotopes have compositions consistent with estimates for the modern DMM, although several samples are characterized by 87 Sr/ 86 Sr and 143 Nd/ 144 Nd indicative of crustal contamination, most likely via interactions with seawater. The peridotites have initial 187 Os/ 188 Os ratios that range widely from 0.1168 to 0.1288 ( γ Os = −8.0 to +1.1), averaging 0.1239 ( γ Os = −2.4), which is comparable to the average for modern abyssal peridotites. A negative correlation between the Mg # of relict olivine grains and Os isotopic compositions of whole rock peridotites suggests that the Os isotopic compositions reflect primary mantle Re/Os fractionation produced by variable extents of partial melting at approximately 1.6 Ga. Recent re-melting at or near the spatially associated Chile Ridge further modified these rocks, and Re, and minor Pt and Pd were subsequently added back into some rocks by late-stage melt–rock or fluid–rock interactions. In contrast to the peridotites, approximately half of the mafic rocks examined have whole rock δ 18 O values within the range of mantle compositions, and their Nd and Sr isotopic compositions are all generally within the range of modern DMM. These rocks have initial 187 Os/ 188 Os ratios, calculated for 6 Ma, that range from 0.126 ( γ Os = −1) to as high as 0.561 ( γ Os = +342). The Os isotopic systematics of each of these rocks may reflect derivation from mixed lithologies that include the peridotites, but may also include pyroxenites with considerably more radiogenic Os than the peridotites. This observation supports the view that suprachondritic Os present in MORB derives from mixed mantle source lithologies, accounting for some of the worldwide dichotomy in 187 Os/ 188 Os between MORB and abyssal peridotites. The collective results of this study suggest that this >500 km 3 block of the mantle underwent at least two stages of melting. The first stage occurred at ∼1.6 Ga, after which the block remained isolated and unmixed within the DMM. A final stage of melting recently occurred at or near the Chile Ridge, resulting in the production of at least some of the mafic rocks. Convective stirring of this mantle domain during a >1 Ga period was remarkably inefficient, at least with regard to Os isotopes.

The extinct radionuclide 107Pd decays to 107Ag (half-life of 6.5 Ma) and is an early solar system chronometer with outstanding potential to study volatile depletion in the early solar system. Here, a comprehensive Ag isotope study of carbonaceous and ordinary chondrites is presented. Carbonaceous chondrites show limited variations (e107Ag = −2.1 to +0.8) in Ag isotopic composition that correlate with the Pd/Ag ratios. Assuming a strictly radiogenic origin of these variations, a new initial 107Pd/108Pd of 5.9 (±2.2) × 10−5 for the solar system can be deduced. Comparing the Pd–Ag and Mn–Cr data for carbonaceous chondrites suggests that Mn–Cr and Pd–Ag fractionation took place close to the time of calcium–aluminium-rich inclusion (CAI) and chondrule formation ∼4568 Ma ago. Using the new value for the initial 107Pd abundance, the revised ages for the iron-rich meteorites Gibeon (IVA, 8.5 +3.2/−4.6 Ma), Grant (IIIAB, 13.0 +3.5/−4.9 Ma) and Canyon Diablo (IA, 19.5 +24.1/−10.4 Ma) are consistent with cooling rates and the closure temperature of the Pd–Ag system. In contrast to carbonaceous chondrites, ordinary chondrites show large stable isotope fractionation of order of 1 permil for 107Ag/109Ag. This indicates that different mechanisms of volatile depletion were active in carbonaceous and ordinary chondrites. Nebular processes and accretion, as experienced by carbonaceous chondrites, did not led to significant Ag isotope fractionation, while the significant Ag isotope variations in ordinary chondrites are most likely inflicted by open system parent body metamorphism.

This paper presents geophysical and geochemical evidence for the possible existence of cold, subducted lithosphere beneath the Saint Paul Fracture Zone of the Equatorial Atlantic Ocean. The ocean floor along the fracture zone is characterized by a high percentage of abyssal peridotites. The abyssal peridotites were emplaced by tectonic uplift of the oceanic lithosphere. The top of the ridge is exposed at Saint Peter and Saint Paul islets. The Os isotopic composition of these abyssal peridotites indicate the presence of old depleted mantle material in this region with Re-depletion model ages (T RD) from 0.32 to 1.1Ga. Melt inclusions in plagioclase phenocrysts of the MORB close to this location have boninitic composition, suggesting that some basalts originated from low-degree mantle melting. The global tomography models show fast seismic velocities in the upper and lower mantle of the Equatorial Atlantic Ocean, consistent with the presence of cold subducted lithosphere. The range of Re-depletion model ages are consistent with paleo-reconstructions of plate motion, suggesting that the fossil subducted slab was formed during the closure of both the Iapetus and the Rheic oceans. O presente trabalho mostra evidências geofísicas e geoquímicas para a possível existência de fragmentos frios do manto originados da placa subductada abaixo da Zona de Fratura de São Paulo no Oceano Atlântico Equatorial. A planície abissal desta área é caracterizada por uma abundância de rochas peridotíticas, com presença de poucas rochas basálticas originadas de baixo grau de fusão parcial. Arquipélago de São Pedro e São Paulo se localiza no topo de uma elevação morfológica com mais de 4000m de altura, constituída por peridotitos abissais, posicionados por um soerguimento tectônico da litosfera oceânica. A razão isotópica de Os dos peridotitos da Zona de Fratura de São Paulo indica a presença de materiais originados de antigo manto depletado nesta região com as idades modelo de 0.32 a 1.1Ga. As inclusões de magma trapeadas nos fenocristais de plagioclásio nos basalto da cadeia meso-oceânica pouco mais ao sul apresentam composição boninítica, típicas de zona de arco. Os modelos da tomografia mundial do manto demonstram alta velocidade sísmica tanto no manto superior quanto no inferior do Oceano Atlântico Equatorial, o que corrobora a interpretação da presença de placa subductada de baixa temperatura. As idades do modelo de depleção de Re dos peridotitos são consistentes com a reconstituição de movimento das placas, sugerindo que os fragmentos de placa fóssil subductada são provenientes do fechamento tanto do Oceano Iapetus como o do Oceano Rheic.

We report new data for W concentrations, stable W isotopic compositions, high-precision 182W/184W ratios, highly siderophile element (HSE) abundances and 187Re–187Os systematics in a suite of 3.8–3.3 Ga mafic and ultramafic rocks from the Isua supracrustal belt, and the Paleoarchean terrane in the northwestern part of the belt. These data are compared with published data for 146Sm–142Nd systematics in the same samples. The samples from the Isua supracrustal belt show well resolved excesses of 182W/184W of up to ∼21 ppm, consistent with previous W isotopic data reported by Willbold et al. (2011) . While there is abundant evidence that W was mobilized in the crust accessed by the Isua supracrustal suite, the isotopic anomalies are interpreted to primarily reflect processes that affected the mantle precursors to these rocks. The origin of the 182W excesses in these rocks remains uncertain. The Isua mantle source could represent a portion of the post-core-formation mantle that was isolated from late accretionary additions (e.g., Willbold et al., 2011 ). However, the combined 182W, Re–Os isotopic systematics and HSE abundances estimated for the source of the Isua basalts are difficult to reconcile with this interpretation. The W isotope variations were more likely produced as a result of fractionation of the Hf/W ratio in the mantle during the lifetime of 182Hf, i.e., during the first 50 Ma of Solar System history. This could have occurred as a result of differentiation in an early magma ocean. The Isua suite examined is also characterized by variable 142Nd/144Nd, but the variations do not correlate with the variations in 182W/184W. Further, samples with ages between 3.8 and 3.3 Ga show gradual diminution of 142Nd anomalies until these are no longer resolved from the modern mantle isotopic composition. By contrast, there is no diminishment of 182W variability with time, suggesting different mechanisms of origin and retention of isotopic variations for these two extinct-radionuclide isotope systems. The presence of 182W isotopic anomalies in rocks as young as 3.3 Ga, implies that early-formed, high Hf/W domains survived for more than 1 Ga in the convective mantle.

In order to constrain the highly siderophile elements (HSE: Re and platinum group elements (PGE: Os, Ir, Ru, Pt and Pd)) host mineral(s) in refractory, base metal sulfide-free mantle residues, four very depleted spinel–harzburgites from the Lherz massif (France) have been analyzed for HSE in whole-rock and in major mineral separates (olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene and spinel) by isotope dilution. In addition, HSE host minerals have been separated and analyzed with a scanning electron microscope. Olivine and spinel show the highest HSE concentration especially for Os, Ir, Ru and Pt (up to 10 ppb) among the modally-major minerals, while the pyroxenes are 1–2 orders of magnitude poorer in HSE. The major minerals account for less than 30% of the whole-rock platinum group element budget. On the other hand, rare, micron to submicron platinum group minerals (PGM), such as Ru–Os ± Ir sulfides and Pt–Ir ± Os alloys, likely located in the intergranular spaces of the refractory depleted harzburgite, account for 50–100% of the HSE budget. The PGM grains are interpreted to be residual, having formed in response to the complete consumption of the base-metal sulfides by the high degree of partial melting (i.e. 23–24%) experienced by these samples. As they sequester the compatible platinum group elements (Os, Ir, Ru and Pt) in the mantle residue, these PGM provide key constraints for the modelling of PGE contents in terrestrial basalts (e.g. the solid/liquid partition coefficients needed to account for the compatible behavior of these elements in the mantle residue) and for understanding the long-lived Os isotope heterogeneities of the upper mantle, especially the old Re–Os ages found in young oceanic mantle. In fact, because of their Os-rich compositions and high melting temperatures, these microphases are likely to preserve their initial Os isotopic compositions unmodified over multiple events of mantle melting and mixing, and therefore generate, through recycling, heterogeneous Os isotopic signatures at different scales in the convecting mantle.

This paper presents an improved technique for the precise and accurate determination of Ag isotopic composition in geologic samples. Following the separation of Ag from the rock matrix with a three-stage ion exchange procedure, the isotopic composition is measured by MC-ICPMS. Instrumental mass bias is corrected externally using a Pd standard, which was added to each sample, and sample-standard bracketing. The use of wet plasma significantly improves the analytical precision by eliminating variations in fractionation between Pd and Ag. A virtually identical behavior of the mass bias for Pd and Ag during the analyses is a prerequisite for the external correction method. Replicate dissolutions of the carbonaceous chondrite Allende with

Isotopes isolated after impact Details about how Earth formed are gleaned from the daughter products of certain short-lived radioactive isotopes found in rocks. Rizo et al. describe subtle tungsten isotope variations in rocks from the very deep mantle in Baffin Island and the Ontong Java Plateau (see the Perspective by Dahl). The results suggest that portions of Earth have remained unmixed since it formed. The unmixed deep mantle rocks also imply that Earth's core formed from several large impact events. Science , this issue p. 809 ; see also p. 768

Osmium, Ru, Ir, Pt, Pd and Re abundances and 187Os/188Os data on peridotites were determined using improved analytical techniques in order to precisely constrain the highly siderophile element (HSE) composition of fertile lherzolites and to provide an updated estimate of HSE composition of the primitive upper mantle (PUM). The new data are used to better constrain the origin of the HSE excess in Earth’s mantle. Samples include lherzolite and harzburgite xenoliths from Archean and post-Archean continental lithosphere, peridotites from ultramafic massifs, ophiolites and other samples of oceanic mantle such as abyssal peridotites. Osmium, Ru and Ir abundances in the peridotite data set do not correlate with moderately incompatible melt extraction indicators such as Al2O3. Os/Ir is chondritic in most samples, while Ru/Ir, with few exceptions, is ca. 30% higher than in chondrites. Both ratios are constant over a wide range of Al2O3 contents, but show stronger scatter in depleted harzburgites. Platinum, Pd and Re abundances, their ratios with Ir, Os and Ru, and the 187Os/188Os ratio (a proxy for Re/Os) show positive correlations with Al2O3, indicating incompatible behavior of Pt, Pd and Re during mantle melting. The empirical sequence of peridotite-melt partition coefficients of Re, Pd and Pt as derived from peridotites ( D Re s / l D Pd s / l D Pt s / l 1 ) is consistent with previous data on natural samples. Some harzburgites and depleted lherzolites have been affected by secondary igneous processes such as silicate melt percolation, as indicated by U-shaped patterns of incompatible HSE, high 187Os/188Os, and scatter off the correlations defined by incompatible HSE and Al2O3. The bulk rock HSE content, chondritic Os/Ir, and chondritic to subchondritic Pt/Ir, Re/Os, Pt/Re and Re/Pd of many lherzolites of the present study are consistent with depletion by melting, and possibly solid state mixing processes in the convecting mantle, involving recycled oceanic lithosphere. Based on fertile lherzolite compositions, we infer that PUM is characterized by a mean Ir abundance of 3.5 ± 0.4 ng/g (or 0.0080 ± 0.0009*CI chondrites), chondritic ratios involving Os, Ir, Pt and Re (Os/IrPUM of 1.12 ± 0.09, Pt/IrPUM = 2.21 ± 0.21, Re/OsPUM = 0.090 ± 0.002) and suprachondritic ratios involving Ru and Pd (Ru/IrPUM = 2.03 ± 0.12, Pd/IrPUM = 2.06 ± 0.31, uncertainties 1σ). The combination of chondritic and modestly suprachondritic HSE ratios of PUM cannot be explained by any single planetary fractionation process. Comparison with HSE patterns of chondrites shows that no known chondrite group perfectly matches the PUM composition. Similar HSE patterns, however, were found in Apollo 17 impact melt rocks from the Serenitatis impact basin [Norman M.D., Bennett V.C., Ryder G., 2002. Targeting the impactors: siderophile element signatures of lunar impact melts from Serenitatis. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett, 217–228.], which represent mixtures of chondritic material, and a component that may be either of meteoritic or indigenous origin. The similarities between the HSE composition of PUM and the bulk composition of lunar breccias establish a connection between the late accretion history of the lunar surface and the HSE composition of the Earth’s mantle. Although late accretion following core formation is still the most viable explanation for the HSE abundances in the Earth’s mantle, the “late veneer” hypothesis may require some modification in light of the unique PUM composition.

The highly siderophile elements (HSE: including Re, Au, Ir, Os, Ru, Pt, Pd, Rh) are strongly partitioned into metal relative to silicates. In the terrestrial planets these elements are concentrated in metallic cores. Earth s mantle has sufficiently high abundances of the HSE (~0.008 times CI abundances) that it has been hypothesized approximately 0.1-0.5% of the mass of the Earth was added following the last major interaction between the core and mantle [e.g. 1]. The additional material added to the Earth and Moon has been termed a late veneer , and the process has often been termed late accretion [2]. The timing of the dominant late accretionary period of the Earth and Moon is still poorly known. The abundances of HSE in the lunar mantle could provide important constraints on when the late veneer was added. The material that ultimately became the silicate portion of the Moon was likely stripped of most of its HSE prior to and during coalescence of the Moon. Consequently the initial lunar mantle likely had very low concentrations of the HSE. Unlike Earth, the generation of permanent lunar crust by ~4.4 Ga prevented subsequent additions of HSE to the lunar mantle via continued accretion. Thus, if a substantial portion of the late veneer was added after 4.4 Ga, the lunar mantle should have retained very low HSE concentrations. Conversely, if the late veneer was mostly added prior to 4.4 Ga, HSE abundances in the lunar mantle may be roughly similar to abundances in the terrestrial mantle.

The Pt-Re-Os isotopic and elemental systematics of 13 group IIAB and 23 group IIIAB iron meteorites are examined. As has been noted previously for iron meteorite groups and experimental systems, solid metal-liquid metal bulk distribution coefficients (D values) for both IIAB and IIIAB systems show DOs>DRe>>DPt>1 during the initial stages of core crystallization. Assuming closed-system crystallization, the latter stages of crystallization for each core are generally characterized by DPt>DRe>DOs. The processes governing the concentrations of these elements are much more complex in the IIIAB core relative to the IIAB core. Several crystallization models utilizing different starting parameters and bulk distribution coefficients are considered for the Re-Os pair. Each model has flaws, but in general, the results suggest that the concentrations of these elements were dominated by equilibrium crystallization and subsequent interactions between solid metal and both equilibrium and evolved melts. Late additions of primitive metal to either core were likely minor or nonexistent. The 187Re-187Os systematics of the IIAB and IIIAB groups are consistent with generally closed-system behavior for both elements since the first several tens of Ma of the formation of the solar system, consistent with short-lived chronometers. The Re-Os isochron ages for the complete suites of IIAB and IIIAB irons are 4530 ± 50 Ma and 4517 ± 32 Ma, respectively, and are similar to previously reported Re-Os ages for the lower-Ni endmembers of these two groups. Both isochrons are consistent with, but do not require crystallization of the entire groups within 10–30 Ma of the initiation of crystallization. The first high-precision 190Pt-186Os isochrons for IIAB and IIIAB irons are presented. The Pt-Os isochron ages for the IIAB and IIIAB irons, calculated using the current best estimate of the λ for 190Pt, are 4323 ± 80 Ma and 4325 ± 26 Ma respectively. The Re-Os and Pt-Os ages do not overlap within the uncertainties. The younger apparent ages recorded by the Pt-Os system likely reflect error in the 190Pt decay constant. The slope from the Pt-Os isochron is combined with the age from the Re-Os isochron for the IIIAB irons to calculate a revised λ of 1.415 × 10−12 a−1 for 190Pt, although additional study of this decay constant is still needed.

High precision Os isotope analysis of young marine manganese nodules indicate that whereas the composition of modern seawater is radiogenic with respect to 187Os/188Os, it has 186Os/188Os that is within uncertainty of the chondritic value. Marine Mn nodule compositions thus indicate that the average continental source of Os to modern seawater had long-term high Re/Os compared to Pt/Os. Analyses of loess and freshwater Mn nodules support existing evidence that average upper continental crust (UCC) has resolvably suprachondritic 186Os/188Os, as well as radiogenic 187Os/188Os. Modeling the composition of seawater as a two-component mixture of oceanic/cosmic Os with chondritic Os compositions and continentally-derived Os demonstrates that, insofar as estimates for the composition of average UCC are accurate, congruently weathered average UCC cannot be the sole continental source of Os to seawater. Our analysis of four Cambrian black shales confirm that organic-rich sediments can have 187Os/188Os ratios that are much higher than average UCC, but 186Os/188Os compositions that are generally between those of chondrites and average-UCC. Preferential weathering of black shales can result in dissolved Os discharged to the ocean basins that has a much lower 186Os/188Os than does average upper crust. Modeling the available data demonstrates that augmentation of estimated average UCC compositions with less than 0.1% additional black shale and 1.4% additional ultramafic rock can produce a continental end-member Os isotopic composition that satisfies the requirements imposed by the marine Mn nodule data. The interplay of these two sources provides a mechanism by which the 187Os/188Os of seawater can change as sources and weathering conditions change, yet seawater 186Os/188Os varies only minimally.

The abundances of the highly siderophile elements (HSE), Re, Os, Ir, Ru, Pt and Pd, were determined by isotope dilution mass spectrometry for bulk samples of 13 carbonaceous chondrites, 13 ordinary chondrites and 9 enstatite chondrites. These data are coupled with corresponding 187Re–187Os isotopic data reported by Walker et al. [Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 2002] in order to constrain the nature and timing of chemical fractionation relating to these elements in the early solar system. The suite of chondrites examined displays considerable variations in absolute abundances of the HSE, and in the ratios of certain HSE. Absolute abundances of the HSE vary by nearly a factor of 80 among the chondrite groups, although most vary within a factor of only 2. Variations in concentration largely reflect heterogeneities in the sample aliquants. Different aliquants of the same chondrite may contain variable proportions of metal and/or refractory inclusions that are HSE-rich, and sulfides that are HSE-poor. The relatively low concentrations of the HSE in CI1 chondrites likely reflect dilution by the presence of volatile components. Carbonaceous chondrites have Re/Os ratios that are, on average, approximately 8% lower than ratios for ordinary and enstatite chondrites. This is also reflected in 187Os/188Os ratios that are approximately 3% lower for carbonaceous chondrites than for ordinary and enstatite chondrites. Given the similarly refractory natures of Re and Os, this fractionation may have occurred within a narrow range of high temperatures, during condensation of these elements from the solar nebula. Superimposed on this major fractionation are more modest movements of Re or Os that occurred within the last 0–2 Ga, as indicated by minor open-system behavior of the Re–Os isotope systematics of some chondrites. The relative abundances of other HSE can also be used to discriminate among the major classes of chondrites. For example, in comparison to the enstatite chondrites, carbonaceous and ordinary chondrites have distinctly lower ratios of Pd to the more refractory HSE (Re, Os, Ir, Ru and Pt). Differences are particularly well resolved for the EH chondrites that have Pd/Ir ratios that average more than 40% higher than for carbonaceous and ordinary chondrite classes. This fractionation probably occurred at lower temperatures, and may be associated with fractionation processes that also affected the major refractory lithophile elements. Combined, 187Os/188Os ratios and HSE ratios reflect unique early solar system processing of HSE for each major chondrite class.

International audience; We have measured Sm–Nd systematics, including the short-lived 146Sm–142Nd chronometer, in lunar ferroan anorthositic suite (FAS) whole rocks (15415, 62236, 62255, 65315, 60025). At least some members of the suite are thought to be primary crystallization products formed by plagioclase flotation during crystallization of the lunar magma ocean (LMO). Most of these samples, except 62236, have not been exposed to galactic cosmic rays for a long period and thus require minimal correction to their 142Nd isotope composition. These samples all have measured deficits in 142Nd relative to the JNdi-1 terrestrial standard in the range −45 to −21 ppm. The range is −45 to −15 ppm once the 62236 142Nd/144Nd ratio is corrected from neutron-capture effects. Analyzed FAS samples do not define a single isochron in either 146Sm–142Nd or 147Sm–143Nd systematics, suggesting that they either do not have the same crystallization age, come from different sources, or have suffered isotopic disturbance. Because the age is not known for some samples, we explore the implications of their initial isotopic compositions for crystallization ages in the first 400 Ma of solar system history, a timing interval that covers all the ages determined for the ferroan anorthositic suite whole rocks as well as different estimates for the crystallization of the LMO. 62255 has the largest deficit in initial 142Nd and does not appear to have followed the same differentiation path as the other FAS samples. The large deficit in 142Nd of FAN 62255 may suggest a crystallization age around 60–125 Ma after the beginning of solar system accretion. This result provides essential information about the age of the giant impact forming the Moon. The initial Nd isotopic compositions of FAS samples can be matched either with a bulk-Moon with chondritic Sm/Nd ratio but enstatite-chondrite-like initial 142Nd/144Nd (e.g. 10 ppm below modern terrestrial), or a bulk-Moon with superchondritic Sm/Nd ratio and initial 142Nd/144Nd similar to ordinary chondrites.

A suite of 47 carbonaceous, enstatite, and ordinary chondrites are examined for Re-Os isotopic systematics. There are significant differences in the 187Re/188Os and 187Os/188Os ratios of carbonaceous chondrites compared with ordinary and enstatite chondrites. The average 187Re/188Os for carbonaceous chondrites is 0.392 ± 0.015 (excluding the CK chondrite, Karoonda), compared with 0.422 ± 0.025 and 0.421 ± 0.013 for ordinary and enstatite chondrites (1σ standard deviations). These ratios, recast into elemental Re/Os ratios, are as follows: 0.0814 ± 0.0031, 0.0876 ± 0.0052 and 0.0874 ± 0.0027, respectively. Correspondingly, the 187Os/188Os ratios of carbonaceous chondrites average 0.1262 ± 0.0006 (excluding Karoonda), and ordinary and enstatite chondrites average 0.1283 ± 0.0017 and 0.1281 ± 0.0004, respectively (1σ standard deviations). The new results indicate that the Re/Os ratios of meteorites within each group are, in general, quite uniform. The minimal overlap between the isotopic compositions of ordinary and enstatite chondrites vs. carbonaceous chondrites indicates long-term differences in Re/Os for these materials, most likely reflecting chemical fractionation early in solar system history. A majority of the chondrites do not plot within analytical uncertainties of a 4.56-Ga reference isochron. Most of the deviations from the isochron are consistent with minor, relatively recent redistribution of Re and/or Os on a scale of millimeters to centimeters. Some instances of the redistribution may be attributed to terrestrial weathering; others are most likely the result of aqueous alteration or shock events on the parent body within the past 2 Ga. The 187Os/188Os ratio of Earth’s primitive upper mantle has been estimated to be 0.1296 ± 8. If this composition was set via addition of a late veneer of planetesimals after core formation, the composition suggests the veneer was dominated by materials that had Re/Os ratios most similar to ordinary and enstatite chondrites.

The great majority of continental flood basalts (CFBs) have a marked lithospheric geochemical signature, suggesting derivation from the continental lithosphere, or contamination by it. Here we present new Pb and Os isotopic data and review previously published major element, trace element, mineral chemical, and Sr and Nd isotopic data for geochemically unusual mafic and ultramafic dikes located in the Antarctic segment (Ahlmannryggen, western Dronning Maud Land) of the Karoo CFB province. Some of the dikes show evidence of minor contamination with continental crust, but the least contaminated dikes exhibit depleted mantle –like initial εNd (+9) and 187Os/188Os (0.1244–0.1251) at 180 Ma. In contrast, their initial Sr and Pb isotopic compositions (87Sr/86Sr = 0.7035–0.7062, 206Pb/204Pb = 18.2–18.4, 207Pb/204Pb = 15.49–15.52, 208Pb/204Pb = 37.7–37.9 at 180 Ma) are more enriched than expected for depleted mantle, and the major element and mineral chemical evidence indicate contribution from (recycled) pyroxenite sources. Our Sr, Nd, Pb, and Os isotopic and trace element modeling indicate mixed peridotite-pyroxenite sources that contain ~10–30 % of seawater-altered and subduction-modified MORB with a recycling age of less than 1.0 Ga entrained in a depleted Os-rich peridotite matrix. Such a source would explain the unusual combination of elevated initial 87Sr/86Sr and Pb isotopic ratios and relative depletion in LILE, U, Th, Pb and LREE, high initial εNd, and low initial 187Os/188Os. Although the sources of the dikes probably did not play a major part in the generation of the Karoo CFBs in general, different kind of recycled source components (e.g., sediment-influenced) would be more difficult to distinguish from lithospheric CFB geochemical signatures. In addition to underlying continental lithosphere, the involvement of recycled sources in causing the apparent lithospheric geochemical affinity of CFBs should thus be carefully assessed in every case. The great majority of continental flood basalts (CFBs) have a marked lithospheric geochemical signature, suggesting derivation from the continental lithosphere, or contamination by it. Here we present new Pb and Os isotopic data and review previously published major element, trace element, mineral chemical, and Sr and Nd isotopic data for geochemically unusual mafic and ultramafic dikes located in the Antarctic segment (Ahlmannryggen, western Dronning Maud Land) of the Karoo CFB province. Some of the dikes show evidence of minor contamination with continental crust, but the least contaminated dikes exhibit depleted mantle –like initial εNd (+9) and 187Os/188Os (0.1244–0.1251) at 180 Ma. In contrast, their initial Sr and Pb isotopic compositions (87Sr/86Sr = 0.7035–0.7062, 206Pb/204Pb = 18.2–18.4, 207Pb/204Pb = 15.49–15.52, 208Pb/204Pb = 37.7–37.9 at 180 Ma) are more enriched than expected for depleted mantle, and the major element and mineral chemical evidence indicate contribution from (recycled) pyroxenite sources. Our Sr, Nd, Pb, and Os isotopic and trace element modeling indicate mixed peridotite-pyroxenite sources that contain ~10–30 % of seawater-altered and subduction-modified MORB with a recycling age of less than 1.0 Ga entrained in a depleted Os-rich peridotite matrix. Such a source would explain the unusual combination of elevated initial 87Sr/86Sr and Pb isotopic ratios and relative depletion in LILE, U, Th, Pb and LREE, high initial εNd, and low initial 187Os/188Os. Although the sources of the dikes probably did not play a major part in the generation of the Karoo CFBs in general, different kind of recycled source components (e.g., sediment-influenced) would be more difficult to distinguish from lithospheric CFB geochemical signatures. In addition to underlying continental lithosphere, the involvement of recycled sources in causing the apparent lithospheric geochemical affinity of CFBs should thus be carefully assessed in every case.

— The platinum group elements (PGE; Ru, Rh, Pd, Os, Ir, Pt), Re and Au comprise the highly siderophile elements (HSE). We reexamine selected isotopic and abundance data sets for HSE in upper mantle peridotites to resolve a longstanding dichotomy. Re-Os and Pt-Os isotope systematics, and approximately chondritic proportions of PGE in these rocks, suggest the presence in undepleted mantle of a chondrite-like component, which is parsimoniously explained by late influx of large planetisimals after formation of the Earth's core and the Moon. But some suites of xenolithic and orogenic spinel lherzolites, and abyssal peridotites, have a CI-normalized PGE pattern with enhanced Pd that is sometimes termed “non-chondritic”. We find that this observation is consistent with other evidence of a late influx of material more closely resembling enstatite, rather than ordinary or carbonaceous, chondrites. Regional variations in HSE patterns may be a consequence of a late influx of very large objects of variable composition. Studies of many ancient (>3.8 Ga) lunar breccias show regional variations in Au/Ir and suggest that “graininess” existed during the early bombardment of the Earth and Moon. Reliable Pd values are available only for Apollo 17 breccias 73215 and 73255, however. Differences in HSE patterns between the aphanitic and anorthositic lithologies in these breccias show fractionation between a refractory group (Re, Os and Ir) and a normal (Pd, Ni, and Au) group and may reflect the compositions of the impacting bodies. Similar fractionation is apparent between the EH and EL chondrites, whose PGE patterns resemble those of the aphanitic and anorthositic lithologies, respectively. The striking resemblance of HSE and chalcogen (S, Se) patterns in the Apollo aphanites and high-Pd terrestrial peridotites suggest that the “non-chondritic” abundance ratios in the latter may be reflected in the composition of planetisimals striking the Moon in the first 700 Ma of Earth–Moon history. Most notably, high Pd may be part of a general enhancement of HSE more volatile than Fe suggesting that the Au abundance in at least parts of the upper mantle may be 1.5 to 2x higher than previously estimated. The early lunar influx may be estimated from observed basin-sized craters. Comparison of relative influx to Earth and Moon suggests that the enrichment of HSE is limited to the upper mantle above 670 km. To infer enrichment of the whole mantle would require several large lunar impacts not yet identified.

Chromite separates within the Peridotite Zone of the 2,700 Ma-old Stillwater Complex are characterized by low 187Re/188Os (0.009 to 1.74) and relatively high Os concentrations (8.74 to 78.2 ppb). Their calculated initial Os isotopic compositions likely reflect the compositions of the magmas from which they crystallized. The chromites show variable initial Os isotopic compositions (γOs of +2.0 to +16.4) over the vertical extent of the Peridotite Zone, implicating at least two sources of Os. Both the range of γOs and values of γOs decrease upsection. These variations in γOs were caused by mixing of variable proportions of two magmas having different Os isotopic compositions. One of the magmatic components was a more primitive magma with a nearly chondritic Os isotopic composition. The other magma had a radiogenic Os isotopic composition as a result of assimilation of crust, perhaps of sedimentary rocks beneath the Stillwater Complex. The gradual decrease in the initial γOs values of the chromite layers with increasing stratigraphic height implies a decreasing relative contribution from the contaminated magma throughout the growth of the Peridotite Zone. Small variations in γOs between different chromite occurrences within the H multicyclic unit reflects the petrologic requirement that chromite layers crystallize from slightly different proportions of the magmas, compared to chromite from olivine- and orthopyroxene-rich layers.

The effects of agriculture on the isotope geochemistry of Sr were investigated in two small watersheds in the Atlantic coastal plain of Maryland. Stratified shallow oxic groundwaters in both watersheds contained a retrievable record of increasing recharge rates of chemicals including NO3−, Cl, Mg, Ca and Sr that were correlated with increasing fertilizer use between about 1940 and 1990. The component of Sr associated with recent agricultural recharge was relatively radiogenic (87Sr/86Sr=0.715) and it was overwhelming with respect to Sr acquired naturally by water–rock interactions in the oxidized, non-calcareous portion of the saturated zone. Agricultural groundwaters that penetrated relatively unoxidized calcareous glauconitic sediments at depth acquired an additional component of Sr from dissolution of early Tertiary marine CaCO3 (87Sr/86Sr=0.708) while undergoing O2 reduction and denitrification. Ground-water discharge contained mixtures of waters of various ages and redox states. Two streams draining the area are considered to have higher 87Sr/86Sr ratios and NO3− concentrations than they would in the absence of agriculture; however, the streams have consistently different 87Sr/86Sr ratios and NO3− concentrations because the average depth to calcareous reducing (denitrifying) sediments in the local groundwater flow system was different in the two watersheds. The results of this study indicate that agriculture can alter significantly the isotope geochemistry of Sr in aquifers and streams and that the effects could vary depending on the types, sources and amounts of fertilizers added, the history of fertilizer use and groundwater residence times.

Because the isotopic composition of anthropogenic Os is normally distinctive in comparison to continental crust and is precisely measurable, this platinum-group element is attractive as a tracer of transport pathways for contaminated sediments in estuaries. Evidence herein and elsewhere suggest that biomedical research institutions are the chief source of anthropogenic Os. In the Chesapeake Bay region, uncontaminated sediments bear a crustal 187Os/188Os signature of 0.73 ± 0.10. Slightly higher 187Os/188Os ratios occur in Re-rich Coastal Plain deposits due to post-Miocene 187Re decay. The upper Susquehanna Basin yields sediments also with higher 187Os/188Os. Beginning in the late 1970s, this signal was overprinted by a low 187Os/188Os (anthropogenic) source in the lower Susquehanna Basin. In the vicinity of Baltimore, which is a major center of heavy industry as well as biomedical research, anthropogenic Os has been found only in sediments impacted by the principal wastewater treatment plant. Surprisingly...

W isotopic compositions (measured by N-TIMS) in five iron meteorite groups are used in conjunction with 187Re-187Os isotopic data to constrain the timing of metal segregation and crystallization, respectively, in the iron meteorite parent bodies. Fractionation of the parent isotope, 182Hf (half-life = 9 ± 2 Ma), from the daughter, 182W, likely occurred during segregation of metal from silicate in the iron meteorite parent bodies. If W isotopic equilibrium was achieved between silicate and metal during metal segregation, then the W isotopic compositions in the irons should record the timing of this event. Samples were taken from the five largest iron meteorite groups, including the four magmatic groups IIAB, IIIAB, IVA, and IVB and the nonmagmatic IAB-IIICD group. Together these groups comprise approximately 90% (by weight) of iron meteorites classified so far. With the exception of the IVA group, the groups have well-defined 187Re-187Os isochron ages which are interpreted as the time of crystallization of the metal of their parent bodies. Within each magmatic group, samples that crystallized both early and late in the sequence of each core were analyzed to evaluate possible evolution of the W isotopic composition during crystallization. All the samples examined display very similar ϵW values within a narrow range of compositions between −5.1 and −3.1. Witzation began, less than a few percent of additional metal was segregated to the cores. Moreover, the average ϵW values for the five groups have no resolvable difference, ranging from −4.08 ± 0.69 (IVA) to −3.30 ± 0.15 (IAB-IIICD). These data indicate that all of the iron meteorite parent bodies underwent metal segregation within 5 Ma of each other, apparently independent of their composition, size, and time of crystallization of the metal. In all groups, except the IIIAB group, there is a resolvable time interval between the timing of metal segregation, as constrained by the W isotopic data, and the initiation of core crystallization, as given by the Re-Os isotopic systematics.

Advances in the chemical, crystallographic and isotopic characterisation of geological and environmental materials can often be ascribed to technological improvements in analytical hardware or to innovative approaches to data acquisition and/or its interpretation. This biennial review addresses key laboratory methods that form much of the foundation for analytical geochemistry; again, this contribution is presented as a compendium of laboratory techniques. We highlight advances that have appeared since January 2012 and that are of particular significance for the chemical and isotopic characterisation of geomaterials. Prominent scientists from the selected analytical fields present publications they judge to be particular noteworthy, providing background information about the method and assessing where further opportunities might be anticipated. In addition to the well-established technologies such as thermal ionisation mass spectrometry and plasma emission spectroscopy, this publication also presents new or rapidly growing methods such as electron backscattered diffraction analysis and atom probe tomography – a very sensitive method providing atomic scale information.

Platinum is fractionated from osmium primarily as a consequence of processes involving sulfide and metal crystallization. Consequently, the 190Pt186Os isotope system (190Pt → 186Os + α) shows promise for dating some types of magmatic sulfide ores and evolved iron meteorites. The first 190Pt 186Os isochrons are presented here for ores from the ca. 251 Ma Noril'sk, Siberia plume, and for group IIAB magmatic iron meteorites. Given the known age of the Noril'sk system, a decay constant for 190Pt is determined to be 1.542 × 10−12a−1, with ±1% uncertainty. The isochron generated for the IIAB irons is consistent with this decay constant and the known age of the group. The 186Os/188Os ratios of presumably young, mantle-derived osmiridiums and also the carbonaceous chondrite Allende were measured to high-precision to constrain the composition of the modern upper mantle. These compositions overlap, indicating that the upper mantle is chondritic within the level of resolution now available. Our best estimate for this 186Os/188Os ratio is 0.119834 ± 2 (2σM). The 190Pt/186Os ratios determined for six enstatite chondrites average 0.001659 ± 75, which is very similar to published values for carbonaceous chondrites. Using this ratio and the presumed composition of the modern upper mantle and chondrites, a solar system initial 186Os/188Os ratio of 0.119820 is calculated. In comparison to the modern upper mantle composition, the 186Os/188Os ratio of the Noril'sk plume was approximately 0.012% enriched in 186Os. Possible reasons for this heterogeneity include the recycling of Pt-rich crust into the mantle source of the plume and derivation of the osmium from the outer core. Derivation of the osmium from the outer core is our favored model.

High-Mg volcanic rocks from the ca. 250 Ma old Siberian Flood Basalt Province (SFBP) were analyzed for their osmium and neodymium isotopic compositions in order to help to constrain source characteristics as the system evolved. Picrites from the Gudchikhinsky suite, the oldest rocks examined, have γOs of +5.3 to +6.1 and ϵNd of +3.7 to +4.0. The osmium and neodymium isotopic compositions of these rocks are similar to some modern ocean-island basalts (OIB), consistent with their derivation from a mantle plume, and show little evidence for interaction with either subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM), or the Precambrian Siberian craton through which the parental melts passed. Picrites from the stratigraphically higher Tuklonsky suite have similar γOs of +3.4 to +6.5, but ϵNd Of −0.9 to −2.6. The similar γOs but lower ϵNd for the Tuklonsky picrites as compared with the Gudchikhinsky picrites suggest that some magmas from the same OIB-type, mantle source were contaminated by lithospheric components. The osmium isotopic composition of the Tuklonsky picrites was not significantly affected by this interaction, possibly because Os concentrations in the magmas were substantially greater than those in the contaminant. A differentiated ankaramite flow, associated with the top of the stratigraphically higher Morongovsky suite, has γOs of +9.8 to +10.2 and ϵNd of +1.3 to +1.4. The higher γOs may indicate that the plume source was heterogeneous with respect to osmium isotopic composition, consistent with osmium isotopic measurements in rocks from other plume sources. In contrast to these rocks, Mg-rich, alkaline rocks (meymechites) from the Guli area that erupted much nearer the end of the flood-basalt event have γOs of −1.2 to −2.6 and ϵNd of +3.7 to +4.9. These rocks were probably produced by low degrees of partial melting of mantle after the main stages of flood-basalt production. The relatively low γOs and high ϵNd for the meymechites, together with a variety of trace-element characteristics, are most consistent with derivation from a mixed source—one that included both the 0113-type source that fed the majority of the flood-basalt system and a major component from the SCLM underlying the Siberian craton. These results, taken together with earlier investigations of the Noril'sk-type ore-bearing intrusions, suggest that much of the SFBP consists dominantly of plume-derived material, until relatively late in the magmatic event, when the SCLM became a significant source of material.

Calculations with data for asteroidal cores indicate that Earth's outer core may have a rhenium/osmium ratio at least 20 percent greater than that of the chondritic upper mantle, potentially leading to an outer core with an osmium-187/osmium-188 ratio at least 8 percent greater than that of chondrites. Because of the much greater abundance of osmium in the outer core relative to the mantle, even a small addition of metal to a plume ascending from the D" layer would transfer the enriched isotopic signature to the mixture. Sources of certain plume-derived systems seem to have osmium-187/osmium-l88 ratios 5 to 20 percent greater than that for chondrites, consistent with the ascent of a plume from the core-mantle boundary.

Rhenium and osmium abundances, and osmium isotopic compositions were measured by negative thermal ionization mass spectrometry in thirty samples, including replicates, of five IIA and eight IIB iron meteorites. Concentrations in HA irons range from 4800 ppb Re and 66000 ppb Os (Negrillos) to 160 ppb Re and 800 ppb Os (Lombard). In the IIB subgroup, concentrations vary from 28 ppb Re and 180 ppb Os (Navajo) down to 0.8 ppb Re and 9 ppb Os (Sao Juliao de Moreira and Santa Luzia). Log plots of Os vs. Re abundances for HA and IIB irons describe straight lines that approximately converge on Lombard, which has the lowest Re and Os abundances and highest 187Re/188Os measured in a IIA iron to date. The linear HA trend may be exactly reproduced by fractional crystallization with constant kRe and kOs, but is not well fitted using variable partition coefficients. The IIB iron trend, however, cannot be entirely explained by simple fractional crystallization. One explanation is that small amounts of Re and Os were added to the asteroid core during the final stages of crystallization. Another possibility is that diffusional enrichment of Os may have occurred in samples most depleted in Re and Os. The combined ReOs isotopic data for HA irons give the following results: slope = 0.07803 ± 0.00076; intercept = 0.09609 ± 0.00045; age = 4584 ± 43 Ma (neglecting the uncertainty in the decay constant of ±3%). Four IIB iron meteorites (Mount Joy, Central Missouri, DRPA 78009, Santa Luzia) also plot within the analytical uncertainty of the HA isochron. These results are consistent with rapid (probably

International audience; Muonionalusta, a Group IVA iron meteorite, was analyzed for its Pd-107-Ag-107 isotope systematics by multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) in order to better constrain the initial Solar System abundance of Pd-107 and to provide high resolution chronology of the evolution of its parent body. Six metal samples from Muonionalusta yield Ag abundances between 0.1012 and 1.461 ng/g, Ag-107/Ag-109 between 1.131 and 1.805, with Pd-108/Ag-109 ratios of 2201 to 52,300. The metal Pd/Ag and Ag isotopic data are correlated with a slope corresponding to a Pd-107/Pd-108 of (2.15 +/- 0.30) x 10(-5). If the Pd-Ag and Pb-Pb isotope systems closed at the same time in Muonionalusta, i.e., 2-3 Ma after CAI formation, then an initial Solar System ratio of Pd-107/Pd-108=(2.8 +/- 0.5) x 10(-5) can be inferred. One troilite sample contains 8.478 ng/g Ag and has a 107Ag/109Ag ratio of 1.0833; its Pd concentration is 205.2 ng/g corresponding to a low Pd-108/Ag-109 of 13.56. The Pd-Ag results for this troilite plot near the extrapolation of the line passing through the metal points and define an initial Ag-107/Ag-109 that is substantially higher than chondritic, indicating that Muonionalusta formed from a precursor with high Pd/Ag. Pd and Ag concentrations in Muonionalusta metal suggest fractional crystallization from a source having Pd/Ag > 4500, but the initial Ag isotopic composition for Muonionalusta troilite limits the duration of the high Pd/Ag to an interval of 50 Ma after Solar System formation.