The global melt inclusion C/Ba array: Mantle variability, melting process, or degassing? ...

The Earth’s mantle holds more carbon than its oceans, atmosphere and con- tinents combined, yet the distribution of carbon within the mantle remains uncertain. Our best constraints on the distribution of carbon within the up- per mantle are derived from the carbon-trace element systematics of ultra-...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Matthews, S, Shorttle, O, Maclennan, J, Rudge, JF
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Elsevier BV 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:https://dx.doi.org/10.17863/cam.58022
https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/310930
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Summary:The Earth’s mantle holds more carbon than its oceans, atmosphere and con- tinents combined, yet the distribution of carbon within the mantle remains uncertain. Our best constraints on the distribution of carbon within the up- per mantle are derived from the carbon-trace element systematics of ultra- depleted glasses and melt inclusions from mid-ocean ridge basalts. How- ever, carbon-trace element systematics are susceptible to modification by crustal processes, including concurrent degassing and mixing, and melt in- clusion decrepitation. In this study we explore how the influence of these processes varies systematically with both the mantle source and melting pro- cess, thereby modulating both global and local carbon-trace element trends. We supplement the existing melt inclusion data from Iceland with four new datasets, significantly enhancing the spatial and geochemical coverage of melt inclusion datasets from the island. Within the combined Iceland dataset there is significant variation in melt inclusion ...