Calcium isotope compositions as a means to trace carbonate recycling.

Marine carbonate, an important CO2 reservoir, is continuously sent to the Earth's deep interior at subduction zones, forming an essential part of the global carbon cycle. The pros and cons of using calcium isotope compositions to trace marine carbonates recycled into the mantle are discussed in this Perspective.

High-temperature inter-mineral potassium isotope fractionation: implications for K-Ca-Ar chronology.

Recent advances in high-precision potassium (K) isotopic analysis have found considerable isotopic variation in rock samples of the Earth's continental and oceanic crusts; however, it is still uncertain whether there is any resolvable inter-mineral and mineral-melt K isotopic fractionation during igneous and metamorphic processes. Here, we report K isotope compositions of mineral separates from three extremely well preserved igneous rocks (intrusive/extrusive and mafic/intermediate/felsic) in order to investigate possible inter-mineral and mineral-melt K isotopic fractionation at magmatic temperatures. For the first time, we found large inter-mineral fractionation of K isotopes in natural samples (up to 1.

The Nd/Nd variations in mantle-derived rocks provide constraints on the stirring rate of the mantle from the Hadean to the present.

Early silicate differentiation events for the terrestrial planets can be traced with the short-lived Sm-Nd system (100-My half-life). Resulting early Earth-produced Nd/Nd variations are an excellent tracer of the rate of mantle mixing and thus a potential tracer of plate tectonics through time. Evidence for early silicate differentiation in the Hadean (4.

Growth model interpretation of planet size distribution.

The radii and orbital periods of 4,000+ confirmed/candidate exoplanets have been precisely measured by the mission. The radii show a bimodal distribution, with two peaks corresponding to smaller planets (likely rocky) and larger intermediate-size planets, respectively. While only the masses of the planets orbiting the brightest stars can be determined by ground-based spectroscopic observations, these observations allow calculation of their average densities placing constraints on the bulk compositions and internal structures.

Magnesium stable isotopes support the lunar magma ocean cumulate remelting model for mare basalts.

We report high-precision Mg isotopic analyses of different types of lunar samples including two pristine Mg-suite rocks (72415 and 76535), basalts, anorthosites, breccias, mineral separates, and lunar meteorites. The Mg isotopic composition of the dunite 72415 (δMg = -0.140 ± 0.

K isotopes as a tracer of seafloor hydrothermal alteration.

At ocean spreading ridges, circulation of seawater through rock at elevated temperatures alters the chemical and isotopic composition of oceanic crust. Samples obtained from drilling into ocean floor and from ophiolites have demonstrated that certain isotope systems, such as O/O and Sr/Sr, are systematically modified in hydrothermally altered oceanic crust. Although K is known to be mobile during hydrothermal alteration, there have not yet been any K-isotope analyses of altered oceanic crustal materials.

Potassium isotopic evidence for a high-energy giant impact origin of the Moon.

The Earth-Moon system has unique chemical and isotopic signatures compared with other planetary bodies; any successful model for the origin of this system therefore has to satisfy these chemical and isotopic constraints. The Moon is substantially depleted in volatile elements such as potassium compared with the Earth and the bulk solar composition, and it has long been thought to be the result of a catastrophic Moon-forming giant impact event. Volatile-element-depleted bodies such as the Moon were expected to be enriched in heavy potassium isotopes during the loss of volatiles; however such enrichment was never found.

Large Pt anomaly in the Greenland ice core points to a cataclysm at the onset of Younger Dryas.

One explanation of the abrupt cooling episode known as the Younger Dryas (YD) is a cosmic impact or airburst at the YD boundary (YDB) that triggered cooling and resulted in other calamities, including the disappearance of the Clovis culture and the extinction of many large mammal species. We tested the YDB impact hypothesis by analyzing ice samples from the Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 (GISP2) ice core across the Bølling-Allerød/YD boundary for major and trace elements. We found a large Pt anomaly at the YDB, not accompanied by a prominent Ir anomaly, with the Pt/Ir ratios at the Pt peak exceeding those in known terrestrial and extraterrestrial materials.

147Sm-143Nd systematics of Earth are inconsistent with a superchondritic Sm/Nd ratio.

The relationship between the compositions of the Earth and chondritic meteorites is at the center of many important debates. A basic assumption in most models for the Earth's composition is that the refractory elements are present in chondritic proportions relative to each other. This assumption is now challenged by recent (142)Nd/(144)Nd ratio studies suggesting that the bulk silicate Earth (BSE) might have an Sm/Nd ratio 6% higher than chondrites (i.

Fast accretion of the earth with a late moon-forming giant impact.

Constraints on the formation history of the Earth are critical for understanding of planet formation processes. (182)Hf-(182)W chronometry of terrestrial rocks points to accretion of Earth in approximately 30 Myr after the formation of the solar system, immediately followed by the Moon-forming giant impact (MGI). Nevertheless, some N-body simulations and (182)Hf-(182)W and (87)Rb-(87)Sr chronology of some lunar rocks have been used to argue for a later formation of the Moon at 52 to > 100 Myr.

Isotopes as clues to the origin and earliest differentiation history of the Earth.

Measurable variations in (182)W/(183)W, (142)Nd/(144)Nd, (129)Xe/(130)Xe and (136)XePu/(130)Xe in the Earth and meteorites provide a record of accretion and formation of the core, early crust and atmosphere. These variations are due to the decay of the now extinct nuclides (182)Hf, (146)Sm, (129)I and (244)Pu. The (l82)Hf-(182)W system is the best accretion and core-formation chronometer, which yields a mean time of Earth's formation of 10Myr, and a total time scale of 30Myr.

Isotopic compositions of cometary matter returned by Stardust.

Hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen isotopic compositions are heterogeneous among comet 81P/Wild 2 particle fragments; however, extreme isotopic anomalies are rare, indicating that the comet is not a pristine aggregate of presolar materials. Nonterrestrial nitrogen and neon isotope ratios suggest that indigenous organic matter and highly volatile materials were successfully collected. Except for a single (17)O-enriched circumstellar stardust grain, silicate and oxide minerals have oxygen isotopic compositions consistent with solar system origin.

Geochemistry: does U-Pb date Earth's core formation?

Constraining the timing of the formation of Earth's core, which defines the birth of our planet, is essential for understanding the early evolution of Earth-like planets. Wood and Halliday and Halliday discuss the apparent discrepancy between the U-Pb (60-80 Myr) and Hf-W clocks (30 Myr) in determining the timescale of Earth's accretion and core formation. We find that the information the authors present is at times contradictory (for example, compare Fig.

Barium isotopes in chondritic meteorites: implications for planetary reservoir models.

High-precision barium isotope measurements yielded differences of up to 25 parts per million in the 137Ba/136Ba ratio and 60 parts per million in the 138Ba/136Ba ratio between chondrites and Earth. These differences probably arose from incomplete mixing of nucleosynthetic material in the solar nebula. Chondritic meteorites have a slight excess of supernova-derived material as compared to Earth, demonstrating that the solar nebula was not perfectly homogenized upon formation.

Chondritic meteorite fragments associated with the Permian-Triassic boundary in Antarctica.

Multiple chondritic meteorite fragments have been found in two sedimentary rock samples from an end-Permian bed at Graphite Peak in Antarctica. The Ni/Fe, Co/Ni, and P/Fe ratios in metal grains; the Fe/Mg and Mn/Fe ratios in olivine and pyroxene; and the chemistry of Fe-, Ni-, P-, and S-bearing oxide in the meteorite fragments are typical of CM-type chondritic meteorites. In one sample, the meteoritic fragments are accompanied by more abundant discrete metal grains, which are also found in an end-Permian bed at Meishan, southern China.

Diverse supernova sources of pre-solar material inferred from molybdenum isotopes in meteorites.

Variations in the isotopic composition of some components in primitive meteorites demonstrate that the pre-solar material was not completely homogenized, nor was it processed at sufficiently high temperatures to erase the signatures of the diverse stellar sources. This is in accord with the observation that accretion disks of young stellar objects are at relatively low temperatures. Carbonaceous chondrites are considered to represent the 'average' Solar System composition; the rare pre-solar grains in the matrixes of carbonaceous chondrites have been used to identify some sources of the pre-solar material.