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The origin and degassing history of the Earth's atmosphere revealed by Archean xenon

Author

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  • Guillaume Avice

    (CRPG-CNRS, Université de Lorraine
    Present address: Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA)

  • Bernard Marty

    (CRPG-CNRS, Université de Lorraine)

  • Ray Burgess

    (School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester)

Abstract

Xenon (Xe) is an exceptional tracer for investigating the origin and fate of volatile elements on Earth. The initial isotopic composition of atmospheric Xe remains unknown, as do the mechanisms involved in its depletion and isotopic fractionation compared with other reservoirs in the solar system. Here we present high precision analyses of noble gases trapped in fluid inclusions of Archean quartz (Barberton, South Africa) that reveal the isotopic composition of the paleo-atmosphere at ≈3.3 Ga. The Archean atmospheric Xe is mass-dependently fractionated by 12.9±2.4 ‰ u−1 (± 2σ, s.d.) relative to the modern atmosphere. The lower than today 129Xe excess requires a degassing rate of radiogenic Xe from the mantle higher than at present. The primordial Xe component delivered to the Earth's atmosphere is distinct from Solar or Chondritic Xe but similar to a theoretical component called U-Xe. Comets may have brought this component to the Earth's atmosphere during the last stages of terrestrial accretion.

Suggested Citation

  • Guillaume Avice & Bernard Marty & Ray Burgess, 2017. "The origin and degassing history of the Earth's atmosphere revealed by Archean xenon," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 8(1), pages 1-9, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:8:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms15455
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15455
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