Early episodes of high-pressure core formation preserved in plume mantle

Xenon isotopic anomalies found in modern plume rocks are explained as the result of iodine-to-plutonium fractionations during early, high-pressure episodes of core formation. Plumes of rock reveal history of Earth's core Iodine and plutonium are short-lived elements found in Earth's mantle. As they decay, xenon isotope anomalies are formed, providing a record of Earth's earliest stages of formation. Colin Jackson and co-authors present measurements of iodine partitioning between liquid iron alloys and liquid silicates at high pressure and temperature to mimic the conditions within the early Earth. They propose that xenon isotopic anomalies found in modern plume rocks—the result of rock rising up from within the mantle—result from iodine/plutonium fractionations during early, high-pressure episodes of core formation. The authors conclude that portions of the mantle involved at this stage of core formation would also be rich in iron oxides, and hence denser than ambient mantle, aiding their long-term preservation. The decay of short-lived iodine (I) and plutonium (Pu) results in xenon (Xe) isotopic anomalies in the mantle that record Earth’s earliest stages of formation 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 . Xe isotopic anomalies have been linked to degassing during accretion 2 , 3 , 4 , but degassing alone cannot account for the co-occurrence of Xe and tungsten (W) isotopic heterogeneity in plume-derived basalts 9 , 10 and their long-term preservation in the mantle. Here we describe measurements of I partitioning between liquid Fe alloys and liquid silicates at high pressure and temperature and propose that Xe isotopic anomalies found in modern plume rocks (that is, rocks with elevated 3 He/ 4 He ratios) result from I/Pu fractionations during early, high-pressure episodes of core formation. Our measurements demonstrate that I becomes progressively more siderophile as pressure increases, so that portions of mantle that experienced high-pressure core formation will have large I/Pu depletions not related to volatility. These portions of mantle could be the source of Xe and W anomalies observed in modern plume-derived basalts 2 , 3 , 4 , 9 , 10 . Portions of mantle involved in early high-pressure core formation would also be rich in FeO 11 , 12 , and hence denser than ambient mantle. This would aid the long-term preservation of these mantle portions, and potentially points to their modern manifestation within seismically slow, deep mantle reservoirs 13 with high 3 He/