Molecular hydrogen in minerals as a clue to interpret ∂D variations in the mantle.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 32681113.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-020-17442-8 and PMC identifier 7367874.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Trace amounts of water dissolved in minerals affect density, viscosity and melting behaviour of the Earth's mantle and play an important role in global tectonics, magmatism and volatile cycle. Water concentrations and the ratios of hydrogen isotopes in the mantle give insight into these processes, as well as into the origin of terrestrial water. Here we show the presence of molecular H<sub>2</sub> in minerals (omphacites) from eclogites from the Kaapvaal and Siberian cratons. These omphacites contain both high amounts of H<sub>2</sub> (70 to 460 wt. ppm) and OH. Furthermore, their ∂D values increase with dehydration, suggesting a positive H isotope fractionation factor between minerals and H<sub>2</sub>-bearing fluid, contrary to what is expected in case of isotopic exchange between minerals and H<sub>2</sub>O-fluids. The possibility of incorporation of large quantities of H as H<sub>2</sub> in nominally anhydrous minerals implies that the storage capacity of H in the mantle may have been underestimated, and sheds new light on H isotope variations in mantle magmas and minerals.