Apparent decoupling of the He and Ne isotope systematics of the Icelandic mantle: The role of He depletion, melt mixing, degassing fractionation and air interaction

We present new He-Ne data for geothermal fluids and He-Ne-Ar data for basalts from throughout the Icelandic neovolcanic zones and older parts of the Icelandic crust. Geothermal fluids, subglacial glasses, and mafic phenocrysts are characterized by a wide range in helium isotope ratios (³He/⁴He) encompassing typical MORB-like ratios through values as high as 36.8 R_A (where R_A = air ³He/⁴He). Although neon in geothermal fluids is dominated by an atmospheric component, samples from the northwest peninsula show a small excess of nucleogenic ²¹Ne, likely produced in-situ and released to circulating fluids. In contrast, geothermal fluids from the neovolcanic zones show evidence of a contribution of mantle-derived neon, as indicated by ²⁰Ne enrichments up to 3% compared to air. The neon isotope composition of subglacial glasses reveals that mantle neon is derived from both depleted MORB-mantle and a primordial, ‘solar’ mantle component. However, binary mixing between these two endmembers can account for the He-Ne isotope characteristics of the basalts only if the ³He/²²Ne ratio of the primordial mantle endmember is lower than in the MORB component. Indeed, the helium to neon elemental ratios (⁴He/²¹Ne∗ and ³He/²²Ne_s where ²¹Ne∗ = nucleogenic ²¹Ne and ²²Ne_s = ‘solar’-derived ²²Ne) of the majority of Icelandic subglacial glasses are lower than theoretical values for Earth’s mantle, as observed previously for other OIB samples. Helium may be depleted relative to neon in high-³He/⁴He ratio parental melts due to either more compatible behavior during low-degree partial melting or more extensive diffusive loss relative to the heavier noble gases. However, Icelandic glasses show higher ⁴He/⁴⁰Ar∗ (⁴⁰Ar∗ = radiogenic Ar) values for a given ⁴He/²¹Ne∗ value compared to the majority of other OIB samples: this observation is consistent with extensive open-system equilibrium degassing, likely promoted by lower confining pressures during subglacial eruptions of Icelandic lavas. Taken together, the He-Ne-Ar systematics of Icelandic subglacial glasses are imprinted with the overlapping effects of helium depletion in the high-³He/⁴He ratio parental melt, binary mixing of two distinct mantle components, degassing fractionation and interaction with atmospheric noble gases. However, it is still possible to discern differences in the noble gas characteristics of the Icelandic mantle source beneath the neovolcanic zones, with MORB-like He-Ne isotope features prevalent in the Northern Rift Zone and a sharp transition to more primitive ‘solar-like’ characteristics in central and southern Iceland.     

Noble gas and carbon isotopes in Mariana Trough basalt glasses

Noble gas elemental and isotopic compositions have been measured as well as the abundance of C and its isotopic ratios in 11 glasses from submarine pillow basalts collected from the Mariana Trough. The ³He/⁴He ratios of 8.22 and 8.51 R_atm of samples dredged from the central Mariana Trough (∼18°N) agree well with that of the Mid-Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB) glasses (8.4±0.3 R_atm), whereas a mean ratio of 8.06±0.35 R_atm in samples from the northern Mariana Trough (∼20°N) is slightly lower than those of MORB. One sample shows apparent excess of ²⁰Ne and ²¹Ne relative to atmospheric Ne, suggesting incorporation of solar-type Ne in the magma source. There is a positive correlation between ³He/⁴He and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar ratios, which may be explained by mixing between MORB-type and atmospheric noble gases. Excess ¹²⁹Xe is observed in the sample which also shows ²⁰Ne and ²¹Ne excesses. Observed δ¹³C values of ∼20°N samples vary from −3.76‰ to −2.80‰, and appear higher than those of MORB, and the corresponding CO₂/³He ratios are higher than those of MARA samples at ∼18°N, suggesting C contribution from the subducted slab.     

Noble gas study of HIMU and EM ocean island basalts in the Polynesian region

Noble gas isotopes of HIMU and EM ocean island basalts from the Cook-Austral and Society Islands were investigated to constrain their origins. Separated olivine and clinopyroxene (cpx) phenocrysts were used for noble gas analyses. Since samples are relatively old, obtained from the oceanic area and showing chemical zoning in cpx phenocrysts, several tests on sample preparation and gas extraction methods were performed. First, by comparing heating and crushing methods, it has been confirmed that the crushing method is suitable to obtain inherent magmatic noble gases without radiogenic and cosmogenic components which were yielded after eruption, especially for He and Ne analyses. Second, noble gas compositions in the core and the rim of cpx phenocrysts were measured to evaluate the zoning effect on noble gases. The result has been that noble gas concentrations and He and Ne isotope ratios are different between them. The enrichment of noble gases in the rim compared to the core is probably due to fractional crystallization. Difference of He and Ne isotope ratios is explained by cosmogenic effect, and isotope ratios of the trapped component seem to be similar between the rim and the core. Third, leaching test reveals no systematic differences in noble gas compositions between leached and unleached samples.³He/⁴He ratios of HIMU samples in the Cook-Austral Islands are uniform irrespective of phenocryst type (olivine and cpx) and age of samples (10–18 Ma), and lower (average 6.8 R_A) than those of the Pacific MORB. On the other hand, ³He/⁴He of EM samples in the Cook-Austral Islands are similar to MORB values. EM samples in the Society Islands show rather higher ³He/⁴He than MORB. Ne, Kr and Xe isotope ratios are almost atmospheric within analytical uncertainties. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar are not so high as those of MORB. Anomalous noble gas abundance pattern such as He and Ne depletion and Kr and Xe enrichment relative to atmospheric abundances was observed. Furthermore, Ne/Ar and Kr/Ar show correlation with some trace elemental ratios like La/Yb.Lower ³He/⁴He of HIMU than MORB values requires relatively high time-integrated (U + Th)/³He for the HIMU source, which suggests that the HIMU source was produced from recycled materials which had been once located near the Earth’s surface. Moreover, extreme noble gas abundance pattern and strong correlation of Ne/Ar and Kr/Ar with La/Yb indicate that the HIMU endmember is highly depleted in light noble gases and enriched in heavy noble gases. Such feature is not common to mantle materials and is rather similar to the noble gas abundance patterns of the old oceanic crust and sediment, which supports the model that the HIMU source originates from subducted oceanic crust and/or sediment.If the HIMU source corresponds to the oceanic crust which subducted at 1–2 Ga as suggested by Pb isotope studies, however, the characteristic ³He/⁴He of HIMU (6.8 R_A) would be too high because radiogenic ⁴He produced by U and Th decay should dramatically decrease ³He/⁴He. To overcome this problem, the He open system model is introduced which includes the effects of ⁴He production and diffusion between the HIMU source material and the surrounding mantle. This model favors that the HIMU source resides in the upper mantle, rather than in the lower mantle. Furthermore, this model predicts the thickness of the HIMU source to be in the order of 1 km.In contrast to low and uniform ³He/⁴He character of HIMU, ³He/⁴He of EM are rather variable. Entrainment of upper mantle material and/or a less-degassed component are required to explain the observed ³He/⁴He of EM in the Polynesian area. Participation of the less-degassed component would be related to the “superplume” below the Polynesian region.     

Rare gas isotopes and parent trace elements in ultrabasic-alkaline-carbonatite complexes, Kola Peninsula: identification of lower mantle plume component

During the Devonian magmatism (370 Ma ago) ∼20 ultrabasic-alkaline-carbonatite complexes (UACC) were formed in the Kola Peninsula (north-east of the Baltic Shield). In order to understand mantle and crust sources and processes having set these complexes, rare gases were studied in ∼300 rocks and mineral separates from 9 UACC, and concentrations of parent Li, K, U, and Th were measured in ∼70 samples. ⁴He/³He ratios in He released by fusion vary from pure radiogenic values ∼10⁸ down to 6 × 10⁴. The cosmogenic and extraterrestrial sources as well as the radiogenic production are unable to account for the extremely high abundances of ³He, up to 4 × 10⁻⁹ cc/g, indicating a mantle-derived fluid in the Kola rocks. In some samples helium extracted by crushing shows quite low ⁴He/³He = 3 × 10⁴, well below the mean ratio in mid ocean ridge basalts (MORB), (8.9 ± 1.0) × 10⁴, indicating the contribution of ³He-rich plume component. Magnetites are principal carriers of this component. Trapped ³He is extracted from these minerals at high temperatures 1100°C to 1600°C which may correspond to decrepitation or annealing primary fluid inclusions, whereas radiogenic ⁴He is manly released at a temperature range of 500°C to 1200°C, probably corresponding to activation of ⁴He sites degraded by U, Th decay.Similar ⁴He/³He ratios were observed in Oligocene flood basalts from the Ethiopian plume. According to a paleo-plate-tectonic reconstruction, 450 Ma ago the Baltica (including the Kola Peninsula) continent drifted not far from the present-day site of that plume. It appears that both magmatic provinces could relate to one and the same deep-seated mantle source.The neon isotopic compositions confirm the occurrence of a plume component since, within a conventional ²⁰Ne/²²Ne versus ²¹Ne/²²Ne diagram, the regression line for Kola samples is indistinguishable from those typical of plumes, such as Loihi (Hawaii). ²⁰Ne/²²Ne ratios (up to 12.1) correlate well with ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar ones, allowing to infer a source ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar ratio of about 4000 for the mantle end-member, which is 10 times lower than that of the MORB source end-member. In (³He/²²Ne)_PRIM versus (⁴He/²¹Ne)_RAD plot the Kola samples are within array established for plume and MORB samples; almost constant production ratio of (⁴He/²¹Ne)_RAD ≅ 2 × 10⁷ is translated via this array into (³He/²²Ne)_PRIM ∼ 10. The latter value approaches the solar ratio implying the non-fractionated solar-like rare gas pattern in a plume source.The Kola UACC show systematic variations in the respective contributions of in situ-produced radiogenic isotopes and mantle-derived isotopes. Since these complexes were essentially plutonic, we propose that the depth of emplacement exerted a primary control on the retention of both trapped and radiogenic species, which is consistent with geological observations. The available data allow to infer the following sequence of processes for the emplacement and evolution of Kola Devonian UACC: 1) Ascent of the plume from the lower mantle to the subcontinental lithosphere; the plume triggered mantle metasomatism not later than ∼700 to 400 Ma ago. 2) Metasomatism of the lithosphere (beneath the central part of the Kola Peninsula), including enrichment in volatile (e.g., He, Ne) and in incompatible (e.g., U, Th) elements. 3) Multistage intrusions of parental melts, their degassing, and crystallisation differentiation ∼370 Ma ago. 4) Postcrystallisation migration of fluids, including loss of radiogenic and of trapped helium. Based on model compositions of the principle terrestrial reservoirs we estimate the contributions (by mass) of the plume material, the upper mantle material, and the atmosphere (air-saturated groundwater), into the source of parent melt at ∼2%, 97.95%, and ∼0.05%, respectively.     

Heterogeneous lithospheric mantle metasomatism in the eastern North China Craton: He–Ar isotopes in peridotite xenoliths from Cenozoic basalts

The abundances and isotopic compositions of Helium and Argon have been analyzed in a suite of fresh spinel peridotite xenoliths in Cenozoic basalts from the eastern North China Craton (NCC) by step-wise heating experiments, to investigate the nature of noble gas reservoirs in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle beneath this region. The xenoliths include one harzburgite collected from Hebi in the interior of the NCC, two lherzolites from Hannuoba at the northern margin of the craton, and three lherzolites from Shanwang and Nushan on the eastern margin. ³He/⁴He ratios in most of the xenoliths are similar to those of mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) or slightly lower (2–10.5 Ra, where Ra is the ³He/⁴He ratio of the atmosphere), suggesting mixing of MORB-like and radiogenic components. One olivine separate from Nushan has a helium value of 25.3 Ra, probably suggesting cosmogenic ³He addition. The ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar ratios vary from atmospheric value (296) to 1625, significantly lower than the MORB value. Available data of the peridotite xenoliths indicate the He and Ar isotopic systematics of the mantle reservoirs beneath the NCC can be interpreted as mixtures of at least three end-members including MORB-like, radiogenic and atmospheric components. We suggest that the MORB-like noble gases were derived from the underlying asthenosphere during mantle upwelling, whereas the radiogenic and recycled components probably were incorporated into the lithospheric mantle during circum-craton subduction of oceanic crust. Available data suggest that the MORB-like fluids are better preserved in the interior of the NCC, whereas the radiogenic ones are more prevalent at the margins. The Paleo-Asian ocean subduction system probably was responsible for the enriched and recycled noble gas signatures on the northern margin of the craton, while the Pacific subduction system could account for the observed He–Ar isotopic signatures beneath the eastern part. Therefore, integration of helium and argon isotopes reflects heterogeneous metasomatism in the lithospheric mantle and demonstrates the critical importance of lithospheric mantle modification related to both circum-craton subduction of oceanic crust and asthenospheric upwelling beneath the eastern NCC.     

金川Cu-Ni-PGE硫化物矿床成矿过程稀有气体同位素组成示踪

稀有气体同位素在示踪成矿作用流体来源方面具有独特优势。本文应用熔融质谱法测定了金川Cu-Ni-PGE硫化物矿床23个硅酸盐矿物和金属硫化物单矿物的He、Ne和Ar丰度和同位素组成。结果表明,硅酸盐矿物的3He/4He比值(0.239Ra)略低于硫化物(平均0.456Ra),且从橄榄石(平均0.291Ra)、斜方辉石(0.215Ra)到单斜辉石(0.174Ra)逐渐降低,20Ne/22Ne-21Ne/22Ne分布于MORB与大陆地壳演化线之间,扣除放射性成因4He*和40Ar*后橄榄石和辉石中3He/4He和40Ar/36Ar接近岩石圈地幔组成。He、Ne和Ar同位素组成示踪表明成矿岩浆中存在岩石圈地幔(SCLM)、地壳(CC)和大气饱和流体(ASW)三种端元成分,硫化物熔体的分离发生在岩浆结晶分异的早期。岩石圈地幔部分熔融形成的成矿初始岩浆经历了两阶段的演化。在深部岩浆房高温成矿岩浆同化围岩引入地壳混染组分,促使硫饱和及硫化物熔体的熔离,同时形成具有壳幔混合特征的混合岩浆组分(MC),上升至上部岩浆房后混入较高比例的大气饱和流体,进一步促使硫饱和及浸染状硫化物就地熔离堆积。     

稀有气体同位素对岩浆侵入方向的制约:以夏日哈木镍铜硫化物矿床为例

我国东昆仑造山带新发现的夏日哈木镍铜硫化物矿床是造山带环境产出全球镍资源最大的岩浆镍铜矿床。含矿岩体不同类型岩石中橄榄石和辉石的He、Ne和Ar同位素组成表明:~3He/~4He(0.39~0.03Ra)和~(40)Ar/~(36)Ar比值(292.0~316.9)较低,~(20)Ne/~(22)Ne和~(21)Ne/~(22)Ne沿放射性成因Ne及大陆地壳线分布,表明岩浆起源演化过程中有大陆地壳组分和大气饱和流体在橄榄石结晶前加入。He和Ar同位素混合模型计算表明岩浆中有7.8%再循环洋壳组分和87.7%大气饱和流体的加入,再循环洋壳可能带入了大气及地壳组分。~3He/~4He和~(40)Ar/~(36)Ar比值的自西向东系统性降低,以及微量元素、成矿元素和稀有气体同位素的空间协同变化特征表明地壳物质的逐步加入,即岩浆可能自西向东方向侵入,侵位过程中地壳流体的加入促使硫饱和及硫化物的熔离成矿。     

The noble gas systematics of late-orogenic H2O-CO2 fluids, Mt Isa, Australia

The noble gases (He, Ne, Ar, Kr and Xe) are powerful geochemical tracers because they have distinctive isotopic compositions in the atmosphere, crust and mantle. This study illustrates how noble gases can be used to trace fluid origins in high-temperature metamorphic and mineralising environments; and at the same time provides new information on the composition of noble gases in deeper parts of the crust than have been sampled previously.We report data for H₂O and CO₂ fluid inclusions trapped at greenschist to amphibolite facies metamorphic conditions associated with three different styles of mineralisation and alteration in the Proterozoic Mt Isa Inlier of Australia. Sulphide fluid inclusions are dominated by crustal ⁴He. However, co-variations in fluid inclusion ²⁰Ne/²²Ne, ²¹Ne/²²Ne, ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar and ¹³⁶Xe/¹³⁰Xe indicate noble gases were derived from three or more reservoirs. In most cases, the fluid inclusions elemental noble gas ratios (e.g. Ne/Xe) are close to the ranges expected in sedimentary and crystalline rocks. However, the elemental ratios have been modified in some of the samples providing evidence for independent pulses of CO_2, and interaction of CO₂ with high-salinity aqueous fluids.Compositional variation is attributed to mixing of: (i) magmatic fluids (or deeply sourced metamorphic fluids) characterised by basement-derived noble gases with ²⁰Ne/²²Ne ∼ 8.4, ²¹Ne/²²Ne ∼ 0.4, ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar ∼ 40,000 and ¹³⁶Xe/¹³⁰Xe ∼ 8; (ii) basinal-metamorphic fluids with a narrow range of compositions including near-atmospheric values and (iii) noble gases derived from the meta-sedimentary host-rocks with ²⁰Ne/²²Ne ∼ 8-9.8, ²¹Ne/²²Ne < 0.1, ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar < 2500 and ¹³⁶Xe/¹³⁰Xe ∼ 2.2.These data provide the strongest geochemical evidence available for the involvement of fluids from two distinct geochemical reservoirs in Mt Isa’s largest ore deposits. In addition the data show how noble gases in fluid inclusions can provide information on fluid origins, the composition of the crust’s major lithologies, fluid-rock interactions and fluid-fluid mixing or immiscibility processes.     

Regional groundwater focusing of nitrogen and noble gases into the Hugoton-Panhandle giant gas field, USA

The Hugoton-Panhandle giant gas field, located across SW Kansas and the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles in the USA, is the case type example of high nitrogen concentrations in a natural gas being linked with high helium concentrations. We collected 31 samples from producing wells in a north-south traverse of the 350-km-long field. The samples reflect the previously observed north-south change in ⁴He/N₂, with values changing from 0.020 to 0.049 respectively. ³He/⁴He, ²¹Ne/²²Ne, and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar vary between 0.14-0.25 Ra, 0.0373-0.0508, and 818-1156 respectively, and are caused by quantifiable contributions from mantle, crustal, and atmosphere-derived sources. The atmosphere-derived ²⁰Ne/³⁶Ar ratios are indistinguishable from groundwater values. The crustal ⁴He/²¹Ne* and ⁴He/⁴⁰Ar* ratios show a 60% excess of ⁴He compared to predicted production ratios in the crust and are typical of noble gases released from the shallow crust. The mantle ³He/N₂ and groundwater-recharge ³⁶Ar/N₂ ratios enable us to rule out significant magmatic or atmosphere contributions to the gas field N₂, which is dominantly crustal in origin.Correlated ²⁰Ne/N₂ and ⁴He/N₂ shows mixing between two distinct crustal N₂ components. One N₂ component (N₂*) is associated with the crustal ⁴He and groundwater-derived ²⁰Ne, and the other with no resolvable noble gas contribution. Measured δ¹⁵N_N2 values vary from +2.7‰ to +9.4‰. The N₂* and non-He-associated N₂ endmembers are inferred to have δ¹⁵N_N2 = −3‰ and +13‰ and contribute from between 25-60% and 75-40% of the nitrogen respectively. The non-He-associated nitrogen is probably derived from relatively mature organic matter in the sedimentary column. The δ¹⁵N_N2* value is not compatible with a crystalline or high-grade metamorphic source and, similar to the ⁴He, is inferred to be from a shallow or low metamorphic-grade source rock. ⁴He mass balance requires a regional crustal source, its association with significant magmatic ³He pointing to a tectonically active source to the west of the Hugoton system. The volume of groundwater required to source the ²⁰Ne in the gas field demonstrates the viability of the groundwater system in providing the collection, transport, and focusing mechanism for the ⁴He and N₂*. The N₂*/²⁰Ne ratio shows that the N₂* transport must be in the aqueous phase, and that the degassing mechanism is probably contact between the regional groundwater system and the preexisting reservoir hydrocarbon gas phase.     

Plume-ridge interaction along the Galapagos Spreading Center: discerning between gas loss and source effects using neon isotopic compositions and He-Ar-CO2 relative abundances

To document the plume-ridge interaction at the Galapagos Spreading Center (GSC), we present neon 3-isotope analyses performed on vesicles-trapped volatiles of MORB glasses dredged along the ridge axis between 86°W and 98°W. ⁴He-⁴⁰Ar^∗-CO₂ relative abundances were also measured in order to study gas loss in this context and discern between source and degassing effects. Neon isotopic compositions are in the MORB range with ²¹Ne/²²Ne ratios extrapolated to the ²⁰Ne/²²Ne mantle ratio of 12.5 varying between 0.053 and 0.072. Unradiogenic plume-like compositions were not measured. The ⁴He-⁴⁰Ar^∗-CO₂ relative abundances are highly variable along the ridge, for example ⁴He/⁴⁰Ar^∗ ratio varies between 3 and 433, but these variations can be fully explained by a simple model of Rayleigh distillation, with a single volatile source composition for the entire GSC. Magma fractional crystallisation, which increases in the plume influenced zone, seems to be the main motor for degassing. As other geochemical and geophysical studies indicate a significant plume influence on the GSC, these results suggest the plume component feeding the ridge is either degassed or else different from the plume core.     

He,Ne, Ar stepwise crushing data on basalt glasses from different segments of Bouvet Triple Junction

Here we present the first data on He, Ne, Ar isotopic and elemental composition in fluid phases of tholeiitic chilled glasses from the Bouvet Triple Junction (BTJ). The chilled glasses from several dredging stations situated at different segments of BTJ have been investigated: Spiess Ridge, Mid Atlantic Ridge (MAR) and in a valley of the Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR). The data allow to distinguish within BTJ three segments characterized by different geochemical behavior of He, Ne and Ar. MAR and Spiess samples contain MORB-like helium and neon while SWIR is characterized by addition of plume type He and Ne. The strong atmospheric contamination is typical of all segments, but for MAR it is less pronounced. The Ne-Ar isotope systematics suggests that the atmospheric component was most probably introduced into the mantle source of the fluids with fragments of oceanic crust/sediments.     

He,Ne and Ar in chondritic NiFe as irradiation hardness sensors

Noble gas analyses of the Ni-Fe of 9 L, 5 H and 2 LL chondrites quantitatively support previous suggestions of radiogenic ⁴He recoil and ³He deficits. Furthermore, noble gases in the Ni-Fe show evidence for in situ produced radiogenic ⁴He and in some cases for recoil loss of ³⁸Ar and gain of ²¹Ne.The ratio of spallogenic ²¹Ne and ³⁸Ar in the metal phase is found to correlate strongly with ³He/²¹Ne and ²²Ne/²¹Ne in bulk samples of these chondrites. This is proof of the dependence of these ratios on the irradiation hardness experienced by the meteoroid in space. ‘Hardness indices’ n = 1.9–2.2 are found, indicating that on the average the stone meteoroids from which the samples came were smaller in mass than iron meteoroids. The spallogenic ²¹Ne/³⁸Ar ratio in metallic Ni-Fe can be used with the semi-empirical production model deduced from the Grant iron meteorite to calibrate spallogenic ³He/²¹Ne and ⁴Ne/²¹Ne in bulk samples of L, LL and H chondrites for meteoroid size and sample location allowing the estimation of minimal meteoroid masses. ³He and ²¹Ne production rates calculated from previously determined ³⁶Ar/³⁸Ar exposure ages for four L chondrites indicate that they are probably not single-valued functions of the ³He/²¹Ne ratio. The ratio of ³He in bulk samples to ³⁸Ar in metal samples of the same meteorite is constant (= 20 ± 3) whereas the ratio of ²¹Ne in the bulk to ³⁸Ar in the metal varies by as much as a factor of two in correlation with ³He/²¹Ne.     

渭河盆地地热水水溶氦气成因与来源研究

渭河盆地地热水中含有丰富的水溶氦气,通过采集分析渭河盆地地热水水溶氦气成分和He同位素研究了氦气的成因与来源。分析结果表明,渭河盆地地热水水溶氦气体积分数普遍超过0.1%,最高达到3.395%。地热水水溶氦气的3He/4He比值介于(3.61±0.29)×10-8～(7.80±0.23)×10-7之间,氦气的R/Ra值小于1.00。天然气的4He/20Ne比值研究一致表明,渭河盆地地热水水溶氦气主要为壳源成因,混有微量的幔源氦。区域地质资料分析表明,富铀花岗岩放射性成因的氦气是渭河盆地地热水水溶氦气的主要来源,大面积出露于秦岭造山带以及隐伏于渭河盆地南缘新生代沉积层下的富铀花岗岩体为渭河盆地地热水水溶氦气的主要气源岩。     

Sources, degassing, and contamination of CO2, H2O, He, Ne, and Ar in basaltic glasses from Kolbeinsey Ridge, North Atlantic

New volatile data (CO₂, H₂O, He, Ne, and Ar) are presented for 24 submarine basaltic glasses from the Kolbeinsey Ridge, Tjörnes Fracture Zone and Mohns Ridge, North Atlantic. Low CO₂ and He contents indicate that magmas were strongly outgassed with the extent of degassing increasing toward the south, as expected from shallower ridge depths. Ne and Ar are significantly more abundant in the southernmost glasses than predicted for degassed melt. The strong atmospheric isotopic signal associated with this excess Ne and Ar suggests syn- or posteruptive contamination by air. Degassing, by itself, cannot generate the large variations in δ¹³C values of dissolved CO₂ or coupled CO₂-Ar variations. This suggests that δ¹³C values were also affected by some other processes, most probably melt-crust interaction. Modelling indicates that degassing had a negligible influence on water owing to its higher solubility in basaltic melt than the other volatiles. Low H₂O contents in the glasses reflect melting of a mantle source that is not water-rich relative to the source of N-MORB.Before eruption, Kolbeinsey Ridge melts contained ∼400 ppm CO₂ with δ¹³C of −6‰, 0.1 to 0.35 wt.% H₂O, ³He/⁴He ∼11 R_A, and CO₂/³He of ∼2 × 10⁹. We model restored volatile characteristics and find homogeneous compositions in the source of Kolbeinsey Ridge magmas. Relative to the MORB-source, He and Ne are mildly fractionated while the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar may be low. The ³He/⁴He ratios in Tjörnes Fracture Zone glasses are slightly higher (13.6 R_A) than on Kolbeinsey Ridge, suggesting a greater contribution of Icelandic mantle from the south, but the lack of ³He/⁴He variation along the Kolbeinsey Ridge is inconsistent with active dispersal of Icelandic mantle beyond the Tjörnes Fracture Zone.     

He,Ne and Ar composition in a neutron activated sea-floor basalt glass

We have measured the composition of He, Ne and Ar in the glassy rim of a fresh oceanic basalt from the East Pacific Rise. Three splits of the sample were subjected to neutron irradiation prior to analysis to investigate the noble gas release as a function of different neutron doses. The shapes of the observed ³⁹Ar-⁴⁰Ar degassing profiles depend critically on the irradiation dose due to a severe redistribution of excess ⁴⁰Ar. This shows that the application of the ³⁹Ar-⁴⁰Ar method for dating of glassy samples requires the utmost care.Including the He and Ne results from the irradiated specimens, it was possible to determine the concentrations of Li and Mg and to estimate upper limits for Na and F in addition to the concentrations of K, Ca and Cl which are measured routinely as a byproduct of the ³⁹Ar-⁴⁰Ar dating method. This provides a useful extension of the ³⁹Ar-⁴⁰Ar technique since it may help to identify the outgassing sites during stepwise heating experiments. Furthermore it allows one to study the diffusion behavior of He and Ne isotopes artificially produced during irradiation. In our samples the activation energies of ³He and ²¹Ne tend to increase with growing neutron doses.     

Noble gases in formation fluids from deep sedimentary basins: a review

Atmospheric Ne, Ar, Kr and Xe are observed in fluids occurring in deep basins. Modifications of their abundance patterns reveal modes of recharge and brine formation, phase separations during boiling, and association of natural gas with water or oil. Radiogenic ⁴He and ⁴⁰Ar serve as age indicators of entrapped fluids, effective over a significant portion of the geological time scale. Simultaneous application of δ¹³C, atmospheric noble gases and radiogenic ⁴He and ⁴⁰Ar, is recommended to identify: (a) recent bacterial natural gas formation, not accompanied by oil, and (b) natural gas formed along with oil in a mature source rock.     

Isotope-Geochemical Features and Genesis of Gases in the East Carpathian Region

The paper presents data on the composition of a gas phase of underground fluids in the East Carpathian region, including ³He/⁴He, ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar, and ⁴He/²⁰Ne ratios. The argon isotope composition of these gases was used to estimate the fractions of atmospheric Aratm and radiogenic ⁴⁰Ar_rad formed in the rocks, N₂/Aratm ratio, and to reveal the admixture of nonatmogenic (“excess”) nitrogen in most samples. The CO₂ content in gases positively correlates with the fraction of mantle component in fluid helium. At the same time, the CO₂ content shows a negative correlation with the total helium (and light ³He enriching mantle derivatives), thus excluding the simultaneous influx of CO₂ and helium from a common mantle source in the fluids. A wide spectrum of ³He/⁴He = R in gases of the region spanning three orders of magnitude confirms the concept of mixing of the crustal and mantle components in the helium. However, even gases with similar R values show a wide scatter of He concentrations. This is mainly caused by the additional influx of other gases: CH₄ formed during OM transformation or CO₂ released during the thermal metamorphism of carbonate sequences. Correlation of the CH₄/³He ratio and the helium isotope composition in the Carpathian gases indicates the crustal origin of hydrocarbons, which formed economic gas pools in the Ciscarpathian Trough and the adjacent part of the Folded Carpathians. Lateral chemical and isotope variations revealed in the underground fluids are related to the tectonic zoning of the region. The helium isotope variations are also consistent with the geodynamic setting of the region (thinning of the crust and lithosphere towards the Pannonian Basin, growth of the background conductive heat flow and corresponding ascent of isotherms). In combination with geothermal data, they reflect specifics of the mantle heat-and-mass flow discharge.     

Helium and Argon Isotopic Composition of Cenozoic Alkali Basalts and Mantle-Derived Xenoliths from Kuandian, Liaoning Province, China

The noble gas isotopic composition and content data of 2 alkali basalts, 3 Iherzolite xenoliths and one clinopyroxene megacryst from the Kuandian region have confirmed the occurrence of a fractionation of noble gases during magmatism. Light noble gases such as He and Ne are high in mobility and appear to be incompatible as compared with heavy ones ( such as Kr and Xe). Therefore, light noble gases are abundant in volcanics, especially in the volcanics with bubbles; lherzolite xenoliths have relatively high heavy noble gases. The clinopyroxene megacryst has the lowest abundance of noble gases, probably due to its high P-T origin. Noble gas isotopic composition of the clinopyroxene megacryst reveals that the mantle source beneath the Kuandian area has an MORB-like reservoir with^3 He/^4He ratio of—10 Ra(Ra: atmospheric^3 He/^4He ratio) and^40 Ar/^36 Ar ratio of 345.6. The Iherzolite xenoliths possess moderate^3 He/^4He ratios of 2.59 -4.53 Ra, reflecting the loss of primary helium during rock deformation or metasomatism caused by enriched mantle fluids during the up-lifting. The alkali volcanics have very low^3 He/^4 He ratios(0.47—0.61 Ra),indicating a contribution of radiogenic^4 He, probably having resulted from crust contamination. Most of the samples have excess^21 Ne and^22 Ne as compared with atmospheric neon, but Kr and Xe isotopic compositions are indistinguishable from atmospheric values within uncertainties with only individual samples having excess^129Xe,^134Xeand^136 Xe.     

中国天然气中稀有气体丰度和同位素组成

中国天然气中稀有气体丰度和同位素组成徐胜（中国科学院兰州地质研究所，兰州７３００００）关键词中国天然气、稀有气体丰度和同位素、稀有气体来源稀有气体在地质作用过程中的丰度和同位素组成变化几乎不受复杂化学反应的影响，而主要取决于溶解、吸附、吸着和核反应等...     

Irradiation records in regolith materials, II: Solar wind and solar energetic particle components in helium, neon, and argon extracted from single lunar mineral grains and from the Kapoeta howardite by stepwise pulse heating

High-resolution stepped heating has been used to extract light noble gases implanted in a suite of 13 individual lunar ilmenite and iron grains and in the Kapoeta howardite by solar wind (SW) and solar energetic particle (SEP) irradiation. Isotopic analyses of gases evolved at low temperatures from the lunar grains confirm the neon and argon compositions obtained by Pepin et al. (Pepin R. O., Becker R. H., and Schlutter D. J., “Irradiation records in regolith materials, I: Isotopic compositions of solar-wind neon and argon in single lunar regolith grains”, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta63, 2145-2162, 1999) in an initial study of 11 regolith grains, primarily ilmenites. Combination of the data sets from both investigations yields ²⁰Ne/²²Ne = 13.85 ± 0.04, ²¹Ne/²²Ne = 0.0334 ± 0.0003, and ³⁶Ar/³⁸Ar = 5.80 ± 0.06 for the lunar samples; the corresponding ³⁶Ar/³⁸Ar ratio in Kapoeta is 5.74 ± 0.06. The neon ratios agree well with those measured by Benkert et al. (Benkert J.-P., Baur H., Signer P., and Wieler R., “He, Ne, and Ar from the solar wind and solar energetic particles in lunar ilmenites and pyroxenes”, J. Geophys. Res. (Planets)98, 13147-13162, 1993) in gases extracted from bulk lunar ilmenite samples by stepped acid etching and attributed by them to the SW. The ³⁶Ar/³⁸Ar ratios, however, are significantly above both Benkert et al.’s (1993) proposed SW value of 5.48 ± 0.05 and a later estimate of 5.58 ± 0.03 from an acid-etch analysis of Kapoeta (Becker R. H., Schlutter D. J., Rider P. E., and Pepin R. O., “An acid-etch study of the Kapoeta achondrite: Implications for the argon-36/argon-38 ratio in the solar wind”, Meteorit. Planet. Sci.33, 109-113, 1998). We believe, for reasons discussed here and in our earlier report, that 5.80 ± 0.06 ratio most nearly represents the wind composition. The ³He/⁴He ratio in low-temperature gas releases, not measured in the first particle suite, is found in several grains to be indistinguishable from Benkert et al.’s (1993) SW estimate. Elemental ratios of He, Ne, and Ar initially released from grain-surface SW implantation zones are solar-like, as found earlier by Pepin et al. (1999). Gases evolved from these reservoirs at higher temperatures show evidence for perturbations from solar elemental compositions by prior He loss, thermal mobilization of excess Ne from fractionated SW components, or both.Attention in this second investigation was focused on estimating the isotopic compositions of both the SW and the more deeply sited SEP components in regolith grains. Several high-temperature “isotopic plateaus”—approximately constant isotopic ratios in gas fractions released over a number of consecutive heating steps—were observed in the close vicinities of the SEP ratios for He, Ne, and Ar reported by Benkert et al. (1993). Arguments presented in the text suggest that these plateaus are relatively free of interferences from multicomponent mixing artifacts that can mimic pure component signatures. Average SEP compositions derived from the stepped-heating plateau measurements are in remarkable agreement with the Zürich acid-etch values for all three gases.