Meteorite Kr in Earth's Mantle Suggests a Late Accretionary Source for the Atmosphere

Noble gas isotopes are key tracers of both the origin of volatiles found within planets and the processes that control their eventual distribution between planetary interiors and atmospheres. Here, we report the discovery of primordial Kr in samples derived from Earth's mantle and show it to be...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2009-12, Vol.326 (5959), p.1522-1525
Main Authors: Holland, Greg, Cassidy, Martin, Ballentine, Chris J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atmospheric sciences
Cosmochemistry. Extraterrestrial geology
Data lines
Earth
Earth atmosphere
Earth mantle
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
Fractionation
Gases
Geochemistry
Geological time
Isotopes
Meteorites. Tectites. Impactites
Meteors & meteorites
Noble gases
Solar nebulae
Volatility
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Summary:Noble gas isotopes are key tracers of both the origin of volatiles found within planets and the processes that control their eventual distribution between planetary interiors and atmospheres. Here, we report the discovery of primordial Kr in samples derived from Earth's mantle and show it to be consistent with a meteorite or fractionated solar nebula source. The high-precision Kr and Xe isotope data together suggest that Earth's interior acquired its volatiles from accretionary material similar to average carbonaceous chondrites and that the noble gases in Earth's atmosphere and oceans are dominantly derived from later volatile capture rather than impact degassing or outgassing of the solid Earth during its main accretionary stage.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1179518