Science, Vol.279, No.5354, 1178-1181, 1998
Rare gas systematics in popping rock : Isotopic and elemental compositions in the upper mantle
New experimental data on the isotopic variations of neon, argon, and xenon in a popping rock imply that the Ar-40/Ar-36 ratio of the upper mantle is less than 44,000 and that the Xe-129/Xe-130 ratio is less than 8.2. The elemental abundance pattern of rare gases is chondritic-like and is quite distinct from the solar pattern. These data imply that Earth accreted from planetesimals that probably underwent a transformation of their rare gas budget from solar- to chondritic-like, leaving the isotopic composition unchanged from the solar pattern.
Keywords:MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE;NOBLE-GASES;ULTRAMAFIC XENOLITHS;BASALT GLASSES;NEON;HELIUM;EVOLUTION;XENON;14-DEGREES-N;ORIGIN