Sulphur isotopes of alkaline magmas unlock long-term records of crustal recycling on Earth

Hutchison, W., Babiel, R. J., Finch, A. A., Marks, M. A. W., Markl, G., Boyce, A. J. , Stüeken, E. E., Friis, H., Borst, A. M. and Horsburgh, N. J. (2019) Sulphur isotopes of alkaline magmas unlock long-term records of crustal recycling on Earth. Nature Communications, 10, 4208. (doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-12218-1) (PMID:31527587) (PMCID:PMC6746797)

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Abstract

Earth’s surface and mantle sulphur reservoirs are connected via subduction, crustal recycling and volcanism. Although oceanic hotspot lavas currently provide the best constraints on the deep sulphur cycle, their restricted age range (<200 Ma) means they cannot reveal temporal variations in crustal recycling over Earth history. Sulphur-rich alkaline magmas offer the solution because they are associated with recycled sources (i.e. metasomatized lithospheric mantle and plumes) and, crucially, are found throughout the geological record. Here, we present a detailed study of sulphur isotope fractionation in a Mesoproterozoic alkaline province in Greenland and demonstrate that an enriched subduction-influenced source (δ34S of +1 to +5‰) can be reconstructed. A global δ34S compilation reveals secular variation in alkaline magma sources which support changes in the composition of the lithospheric mantle and/or Ga timescales for deep crustal recycling. Thus, alkaline magmas represent a powerful yet underutilized repository for interrogating crustal recycling through geological time.

Item Type:Articles
Additional Information:This project was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 689909. S isotope analysis at SUERC was supported by a NERC Stable Isotope Facility grant (IP-1713–0517). Analysis at Tübingen was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (grant MA 2563/9–1).
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Boyce, Professor Adrian
Authors: Hutchison, W., Babiel, R. J., Finch, A. A., Marks, M. A. W., Markl, G., Boyce, A. J., Stüeken, E. E., Friis, H., Borst, A. M., and Horsburgh, N. J.
College/School:College of Science and Engineering > Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre
Journal Name:Nature Communications
Publisher:Nature Research
ISSN:2041-1723
ISSN (Online):2041-1723
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2019 The Authors
First Published:First published in Nature Communications 10(1):4108
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

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