Rare gases from the undepleted mantle?

ABSTRACT If the concept of a depleted/undepleted mantle system is valid, rare gas isotopic composition and abundances should be different in continental and plume areas fed from the

undepleted mantle than in oceanic glasses fed from a depleted mantle1. Ultramafic inclusions in basalt have been studied in attempts to find examples of undepleted mantle trapped gases2–6.

In particular, Kaneoka and Takaoka measured the helium and argon isotopic abundances in olivine nodules and phenocrysts from Hawaiian basalt7. The nodules are characterized by midocean ridge

basalt (MORB)-type 40Ar/36Ar and 3He/4He ratios, while the phenocryst data show lower 40Ar/36Ar and higher 3He/4He; these latter data were interpreted to indicate an undepleted mantle

source relative to that for the nodules and oceanic tholeiites. I have measured 4He, 40Ar and 36Ar abundances in two Hawaiian ultramafic nodules, and find clear evidence of incomplete

retention of mantle gases plus significant atmospheric contamination. Comparison with the previously measured phenocrysts indicates the prevalence of these complications in all such

ultramafic samples. Conclusions concerning the nature of the rare gases in the undepleted mantle based on such samples are invalid. Access through your institution Buy or subscribe This is a

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GASES SAMPLED FROM OCEAN ISLAND BASALTS CANNOT BE FROM THE EARTH’S CORE Article Open access 30 June 2022 RU AND W ISOTOPE SYSTEMATICS IN OCEAN ISLAND BASALTS REVEALS CORE LEAKAGE Article

Open access 21 May 2025 PRISTINE HELIUM FROM THE KAROO MANTLE PLUME WITHIN THE SHALLOW ASTHENOSPHERE BENEATH PATAGONIA Article Open access 30 July 2024 REFERENCES * Fisher, D. E. _Phys.

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Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, Florida, 33149, USA David E. Fisher Authors * David E. Fisher View author publications You can also search for

this author inPubMed Google Scholar RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Fisher, D. Rare gases from the undepleted mantle?. _Nature_ 305,

298–300 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1038/305298a0 Download citation * Received: 10 January 1983 * Accepted: 20 July 1983 * Issue Date: 22 September 1983 * DOI:

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