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Bekaert, David V
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Bekaert, David V
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- PublicationRestrictedHydrothermal 15N15N abundances constrain the origins of mantle nitrogen(2020)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; Nitrogen is the main constituent of the Earth's atmosphere, but its provenance in the Earth's mantle remains uncertain. The relative contribution of primordial nitrogen inherited during the Earth's accretion versus that subducted from the Earth's surface is unclear1-6. Here we show that the mantle may have retained remnants of such primordial nitrogen. We use the rare 15N15N isotopologue of N2 as a new tracer of air contamination in volcanic gas effusions. By constraining air contamination in gases from Iceland, Eifel (Germany) and Yellowstone (USA), we derive estimates of mantle δ15N (the fractional difference in 15N/14N from air), N2/36Ar and N2/3He. Our results show that negative δ15N values observed in gases, previously regarded as indicating a mantle origin for nitrogen7-10, in fact represent dominantly air-derived N2 that experienced 15N/14N fractionation in hydrothermal systems. Using two-component mixing models to correct for this effect, the 15N15N data allow extrapolations that characterize mantle endmember δ15N, N2/36Ar and N2/3He values. We show that the Eifel region has slightly increased δ15N and N2/36Ar values relative to estimates for the convective mantle provided by mid-ocean-ridge basalts11, consistent with subducted nitrogen being added to the mantle source. In contrast, we find that whereas the Yellowstone plume has δ15N values substantially greater than that of the convective mantle, resembling surface components12-15, its N2/36Ar and N2/3He ratios are indistinguishable from those of the convective mantle. This observation raises the possibility that the plume hosts a primordial component. We provide a test of the subduction hypothesis with a two-box model, describing the evolution of mantle and surface nitrogen through geological time. We show that the effect of subduction on the deep nitrogen cycle may be less important than has been suggested by previous investigations. We propose instead that high mid-ocean-ridge basalt and plume δ15N values may both be dominantly primordial features.125 6 - PublicationOpen AccessUltrahigh-precision noble gas isotope analyses reveal pervasive subsurface fractionation in hydrothermal systems(2023-04-14)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;; ; ;Mantle-derived noble gases in volcanic gases are powerful tracers of terrestrial volatile evolution, as they contain mixtures of both primordial (from Earth's accretion) and secondary (e.g., radiogenic) isotope signals that characterize the composition of deep Earth. However, volcanic gases emitted through subaerial hydrothermal systems also contain contributions from shallow reservoirs (groundwater, crust, atmosphere). Deconvolving deep and shallow source signals is critical for robust interpretations of mantle-derived signals. Here, we use a novel dynamic mass spectrometry technique to measure argon, krypton, and xenon isotopes in volcanic gas with ultrahigh precision. Data from Iceland, Germany, United States (Yellowstone, Salton Sea), Costa Rica, and Chile show that subsurface isotope fractionation within hydrothermal systems is a globally pervasive and previously unrecognized process causing substantial nonradiogenic Ar-Kr-Xe isotope variations. Quantitatively accounting for this process is vital for accurately interpreting mantle-derived volatile (e.g., noble gas and nitrogen) signals, with profound implications for our understanding of terrestrial volatile evolution.82 13 - PublicationOpen AccessDecomposing DInSAR Time-Series into 3-D in Combination with GPS in the Case of Low Strain Rates: An Application to the Hyblean Plateau, Sicily, Italy(2017-01)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; Differential Interferometric SAR (DInSAR) time-series techniques can be used to derive surface displacement rates with accuracies of 1 mm/year, by measuring the one-dimensional distance change between a satellite and the surface over time. However, the slanted direction of the measurements complicates interpretation of the signal, especially in regions that are subject to multiple deformation processes. The Simultaneous and Integrated Strain Tensor Estimation from Geodetic and Satellite Deformation Measurements (SISTEM) algorithm enables decomposition into a three-dimensional velocity field through joint inversion with GNSS measurements, but has never been applied to interseismic deformation where strain rates are low. Here, we apply SISTEM for the first time to detect tectonic deformation on the Hyblean Foreland Plateau in South-East Sicily. In order to increase the signal-to-noise ratio of the DInSAR data beforehand, we reduce atmospheric InSAR noise using a weather model and combine it with a multi-directional spatial filtering technique. The resultant three-dimensional velocity field allows identification of anthropogenic, as well as tectonic deformation, with sub-centimeter accuracies in areas of sufficient GPS coverage. Our enhanced method allows for a more detailed view of ongoing deformation processes as compared to the single use of either GNSS or DInSAR only and thus is suited to improve assessments of regional seismic hazard.1008 84 - PublicationRestrictedNovel insights into the degassing history of the Earth's mantle from high precision noble gas analysis of magmatic gas.(2019-08-22)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; The noble gas isotope composition of the mantle can provide unique insights into the origin and evolution of volatile elements on Earth. Xenon isotopes combine primordial signatures with contributions from extinct and extant radionuclides, therefore offering the potential to set constraints on both the nature of Earth’s planetary precursor(s) and the timing of their contributions. However, measuring the Xe isotope composition of mantle-derived samples to sufficiently high-precision has proven difficult due to (i) large occurrence of a modern-like atmospheric component in the mantle, and (ii) contribution from shallow and post-eruptive atmospheric contamination. Mantle-derived samples therefore exhibit only small deviations from the modern atmospheric composition, making the identification and deconvolution of mantle-derived Xe signals challenging. Here, we use the Giggenbach sampling method to concentrate magmatic noble gases from the Eifel volcanic area (Germany) into glass bottles in order to conduct high-precision analyses of Ne, Ar and Xe isotopes. The three samples collected from Victoriaquelle and Schwefelquelle wells (South East Eifel) show variable contributions from atmospheric contamination, with the least contaminated sample reaching 40Ar/36Ar ∼8,300. Our data indicate that the mantle beneath the Eifel volcanic area, and by extension the Central European Volcanic Province, resembles the convective upper mantle reservoir with limited evidence for an OIB-like deep plume source contribution. It has a geochemical signature that is similar (e.g. in Ne isotopic composition, 40Ar/36Ar, 129Xe/130Xe and 129Xe/136Xe) to the mantle source of the so-called popping rocks (thought to best represent the upper mantle), with an additional source of 238U-derived Xe and low 3He/4He that we attribute to the influence of an ancient subducted component (HIMU). A dichotomy exists between the main sources of fissiogenic xenon isotopes measured in popping rocks and Eifel gas, which appear to be mainly derived from 244Pu and 238U, respectively. According to their respective ratios of 244Pu-to 238U-derived Xe, the mantle sources for Eifel volcanism and popping rocks would have experienced extensive and limited degassing, respectively. In this regard, high Pu–Xe/(Pu+U)–Xe may no longer be considered as being indicative of a mantle deep origin, therefore calling for the geochemical differences between plume and MORB sources to be redefined, with the possibility that volatile signatures within the solid Earth may be more heterogeneously distributed than previously thought.93 3 - PublicationOpen AccessIdentification of chondritic krypton and xenon in Yellowstone gases and the timing of terrestrial volatile accretion(2020)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; Identifying the origin of noble gases in Earth's mantle can provide crucial constraints on the source and timing of volatile (C, N, H2O, noble gases, etc.) delivery to Earth. It remains unclear whether the early Earth was able to directly capture and retain volatiles throughout accretion or whether it accreted anhydrously and subsequently acquired volatiles through later additions of chondritic material. Here, we report high-precision noble gas isotopic data from volcanic gases emanating from, in and around, the Yellowstone caldera (Wyoming, United States). We show that the He and Ne isotopic and elemental signatures of the Yellowstone gas requires an input from an undegassed mantle plume. Coupled with the distinct ratio of 129Xe to primordial Xe isotopes in Yellowstone compared with mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) samples, this confirms that the deep plume and shallow MORB mantles have remained distinct from one another for the majority of Earth's history. Krypton and xenon isotopes in the Yellowstone mantle plume are found to be chondritic in origin, similar to the MORB source mantle. This is in contrast with the origin of neon in the mantle, which exhibits an isotopic dichotomy between solar plume and chondritic MORB mantle sources. The co-occurrence of solar and chondritic noble gases in the deep mantle is thought to reflect the heterogeneous nature of Earth's volatile accretion during the lifetime of the protosolar nebula. It notably implies that the Earth was able to retain its chondritic volatiles since its earliest stages of accretion, and not only through late additions.104 14 - PublicationRestrictedAn evaluation of the C/N ratio of the mantle from natural CO2-rich gas analysis: Geochemical and cosmochemical implications(2020-12)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; The terrestrial carbon to nitrogen ratio is a key geochemical parameter that can provide information on the nature of Earth's precursors, accretion/differentiation processes of our planet, as well as on the volatile budget of Earth. In principle, this ratio can be determined from the analysis of volatile elements trapped in mantle-derived rocks like mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB), corrected for fractional degassing during eruption. However, this correction is critical and previous attempts have adopted different approaches which led to contrasting C/N estimates for the bulk silicate Earth (BSE) (Marty and Zimmermann, 1999; Bergin et al., 2015). Here we consider the analysis of CO2-rich gases worldwide for which a mantle origin has been determined using noble gas isotopes in order to evaluate the C/N ratio of the mantle source regions. These gases experienced little fractionation due to degassing, as indicated by radiogenic ⁎ values (where 4He and 40Ar* are produced by the decay of U+Th, and 40K isotopes, respectively) close to the mantle production/accumulation values. The C/N and ratios of gases investigated here are within the range of values previously observed in oceanic basalts. They point to an elevated mantle C/N ratio (∼350-470, molar) higher than those of potential cosmochemical accretionary endmembers. For example, the BSE C/N and ratios (160-220 and , respectively) are higher than those of CM-CI chondrites but within the range of CV-CO groups. This similarity suggests that the Earth accreted from evolved planetary precursors depleted in volatile and moderately volatile elements. Hence the high composition of the BSE may be an inherited feature rather than the result of terrestrial differentiation. The and ratios of the surface (atmosphere plus crust) and of the mantle cannot be easily linked to any known chondritic composition. However, these compositions are consistent with early sequestration of carbon into the mantle (but not N and noble gases), permitting the establishment of clement temperatures at the surface of our planet.172 10