Nature of the Earth's earliest crust from hafnium isotopes in single detrital zircons

Continental crust forms from, and thus chemically depletes, the Earth's mantle. Evidence that the Earth's mantle was already chemically depleted by melting before the formation of today's oldest surviving crust has been presented in the form of Sm-Nd isotope studies of 3.8-4.0 billion years old rocks from Greenland(1-5) and Canada(5-7). But this interpretation has been questioned because of the possibility that subsequent perturbations may have re-equilibrated the neodymium-isotope compositions of these rocks(8). Independent and more robust evidence for the origin of the earliest crust and depletion of the Archaean mantle can potentially be provided by hafnium-isotope compositions of zircon, a mineral whose age can be precisely determined by U-Pb dating, and which can survive metamorphisms(4). But the amounts of hafnium in single zircon grains are too small for the isotopic composition to be precisely analysed by conventional methods. Here we report hafnium-isotope data, obtained using the new technique of multiple-collector plasma-source mass spectrometry(9), for 37 individual grains of the oldest known terrestrial zircons (from the Narryer Gneiss Complex, Australia, with U-Pb ages of up to 4.14 Gyr (refs 10-13)). We find that none of the grains has a depleted mantle signature, but that many were derived from a source with a hafnium-isotope composition similar to that of chondritic meteorites. Furthermore, more than half of the analysed grains seem to have formed by remelting of significantly older crust, indicating that crustal preservation and subsequent reworking might have been important processes from earliest times.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/62681/1/399252a0.pd

How and when plume zonation appeared during the 132 Myr evolution of the Tristan Hotspot

Increasingly, spatial geochemical zonation, present as geographically distinct, subparallel trends, is observed along hotspot tracks, such as Hawaii and the Galapagos. The origin of this zonation is currently unclear. Recently zonation was found along the last B70 Myr of the Tristan-Gough hotspot track. Here we present new Sr–Nd–Pb–Hf isotope data from the older parts of this hotspot track (Walvis Ridge and Rio Grande Rise) and re-evaluate published data from the Etendeka and Parana flood basalts erupted at the initiation of the hotspot track. We show that only the enriched Gough, but not the less-enriched Tristan, component is present in the earlier (70–132 Ma) history of the hotspot. Here we present a model that can explain the temporal evolution and origin of plume zonation for both the Tristan-Gough and Hawaiian hotspots, two end member types of zoned plumes, through processes taking place in the plume sources at the base of the lower mantle

Variations of stable isotope fractionation during bacterial chromium reduction processes and their implications

Many chemical processes generate subtle but readily measured changes in isotope compositions of elements across the periodic table. The elements involved therefore carry diagnostic information about their chemical histories in complex geochemical or biochemical environments. Distinctive Cr isotope signatures can be used to identify immobilization processes of Cr in the environment, such as microbial Cr(VI) reduction, abiotic Cr(VI) reduction, and adsorption. Here we demonstrate that under well-controlled conditions, Cr isotopes can also be used to distinguish between different biological Cr(VI) reduction pathways. The reduction of Cr(VI) by two facultative anaerobic bacteria, Pseudomonas fluorescens LB 300 and Shewanella oneidensis MR 1, was investigated to determine the conditions under which Cr(VI) is reduced and to quantify the corresponding isotope signatures. The present study considers the effects of a broad range of parameters on Cr isotope fractionation, including bacterial species, electron donors, pH, and respiration pathways (aerobic vs. anaerobic) that must be considered for understanding Cr isotope variations under different experimental and environmental conditions. In the bacterial Cr(VI) reduction experiments, the 53Cr/52Cr isotope ratio of the remaining Cr(VI) increased by up to + 8‰, indicating that lighter isotopes of Cr were preferentially reduced. In aerobic experiments, although Cr reduction rates increased as pH increased from 4 to 8, the fractionation factor did not vary significantly (ε = −3.21 ± 0.18‰). Experiments using different electron donors demonstrated that citrate promoted the greatest Cr reduction rate compared with glucose, acetate, and propionate. Under aerobic conditions, although the Cr(VI) reduction rates varied substantially between different experimental settings, the isotope fractionation factors were indistinguishable between all the environmental conditions examined (ε = −3.1‰), with the exception of when citrate was the electron donor (ε = −4.3‰). Cr reduction rates were generally much faster under anaerobic conditions for both bacteria investigated. The utilisation of different electron donors resulted in the same Cr reduction rates by the bacteria, but fractionated Cr with a broad range of isotope fractionation factors, from − 1.58 ± 0.16‰ to − 4.93 ± 0.36‰. Although it has been proposed in many previous studies that there is an inverse relationship between reduction rates and the fractionation factors, no clear relationship between the reduction rates and fractionation factors was observed in this study. The Cr isotope fractionation factors ε were insensitive to pH and electron donor concentration, but dependent on the type of electron donors and redox conditions in the cultures. This indicates that isotope variations may be used to identify when different biological pathways are involved, and so to investigate metabolic processes. The ε value from all experimental conditions examined ranged between − 1.58 and − 4.93‰, with a mean value at − 3.3‰. While Cr isotopes might be used to separate the effects of abiotic and microbially mediated reduction in environmental sites, the fractionation factors from reduction by individual bacterial species overlap with those from several individual abiotic reduction processes, suggesting that site-specific data (e.g., fractionation factors associated with indigenous bacterial populations and local groundwater chemistry) are required in order to use Cr isotopes to distinguish between different reduction mechanisms

Using stable isotope fractionation factors to identify Cr(VI) reduction pathways: metal-mineral-microbe interactions

Microbes interact with metals and minerals in the environment altering their physical and chemical states, whilst in turn metals and minerals impact on microbial growth, activity and survival. The interactions between bacteria and dissolved chromium in the presence of iron minerals, and their impact on Cr isotope variations, were investigated. Cr(VI) reduction experiments were conducted with two bacteria, Pseudomonas fluorescens LB 300 and Shewanella oneidensis MR-1, in the presence of two iron oxide minerals, goethite and hematite. Both minerals were found to inhibit the rates of Cr(VI) reduction by Pseudomonas, but accelerated those of Shewanella. The Cr isotopic fractionation factors generated by Shewanella were independent of the presence of the minerals (ε = -2.3‰). For Pseudomonas, the ε value was the same in both the presence and absence of goethite (-3.3‰); although, it was much higher (ε = -4.3‰) in the presence of hematite. The presence of aqueous Fe(III) in solution had no detectable impact on either bacterial Cr reduction rates nor isotopic fractionation factors. The presence of aqueous Fe(II) induced rapid abiotic reduction of Cr(VI). The different effects that the presence of Fe minerals had on the Cr fractionation factors and reduction rates of the different bacterial species may be attributed to the way each bacteria attached to the minerals and their different reduction pathways. SEM images confirmed that Pseudomonas cells were much more tightly packed on the mineral surfaces than were Shewanella. The images also confirmed that Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 produced nanowires. The results suggest that the dominant Cr(VI) reduction pathway for Pseudomonas fluorescens LB 300 may have been through membrane-bound enzymes, whilst for Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 it was probably via extracellular electron transfer. Since different minerals impact differentially on bacterial Cr(VI) reduction and isotope fractionation, variations of mineralogies and the associated changes of bacterial communities should be taken into consideration when using Cr isotopes to quantify Cr redox behaviour in the environment

Isotopic relationships of volatile and lithophile trace elements in continental ultramafic xenoliths

The concentrations and isotopic compositions of Sr, Nd, Pb, He and C have been determined for suites of xenoliths from Bullenmerri (Australia), Ichinomegata (Japan), Geronimo (Arizona), and East Africa. The wehrlites and pyroxenites from Bullenmerri have Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic compositions that are generally similar to those found for alkali basalts in the region. The spinel lherzolites, in contrast, have higher 87Sr/86Sr and 206Pb/204Pb and lower 143Nd/144Nd ratios. Whereas the isotopic compositions of He are generally within the range of mid-ocean-ridge basalts (MORB) and do not covary with those of other trace elements, there is an apparent correlation between the 13C/12C and 143Nd/144Nd ratios for each of the two petrologic groups. These relationships, if substantiated for other xenolith suites, greatly limit the possible mechanisms for generating lithophile and volatile isotopic variations in the continental lithosphere. The helium isotopic compositions for all of the xenoliths fall within the range for MORB. This includes those from Ichinomegata, suggesting that the lower 3He/4He ratios found for He sampled at the surface at subduction zones result from mixing mantle He with near-surface crustal He rather than with subducted radiogenic He. Measured C isotopic compositions (relative to Peedee belemnite) for the Ichinomegata xenoliths {Mathematical expression} include values that are both lighter and heavier than those in MORB, and are compatible with contributions from subducted carbon. The Nd and Sr isotopic compositions of the Ichinomegata xenoliths exhibit a correlation over a substantially greater range of values than typically observed for other light-rare-earth-element (LREE)-depleted xenoliths, and include more radiogenic Sr and less radiogenic Nd compositions. The carbon isotopic compositions found for the East African and Geronimo xenoliths extend to values that are lighter than those typically found for MORB. © 1992 Springer-Verlag