Helium and Neon in the Accreted Ice of the Subglacial Antarctic Lake Vostok

We analyzed helium and neon in 24 samples from between 3,607 and 3,767 m (i.e., down to 2 m above the lake-ice interface) of the accreted ice frozen to the ceiling of Lake Vostok. Within uncertainties, the neon budget of the lake is balanced, the neon supplied to the lake by the melting of glacier i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical Research Letters
Main Authors: Jean-Baptiste, P., Fourré, E., Petit, J. R., Lipenkov, V., Bulat, S., Chetverikov, Y., Raynaud, D.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2018
Subjects:
BUDGET CONTROL
GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
GEOTHERMAL HEATING
HELIUM
LAKES
NEON
GLACIER ICE
HELIUM CONCENTRATIONS
ISOTOPE RATIO
LAKE VOSTOK
MAGMATIC ACTIVITY
RADIOGENIC VALUES
TECTONIC STRUCTURE
ICE
ACCRETION
CONCENTRATION (COMPOSITION)
GLACIAL LAKE
HEAT FLOW
MAGMATISM
MELTING
SUBGLACIAL ENVIRONMENT
ANTARCTICA
EAST ANTARCTICA
CALLUNA VULGARIS
Antarc*
Antarctic
Antarctica
East Antarctica
Online Access:http://elar.urfu.ru/handle/10995/101976
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85047741270&doi=10.1029%2f2018GL078068&partnerID=40&md5=d5af60010167f09a67b09dd7c900150d
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1029/2018GL078068
https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL078068
Description
Summary:We analyzed helium and neon in 24 samples from between 3,607 and 3,767 m (i.e., down to 2 m above the lake-ice interface) of the accreted ice frozen to the ceiling of Lake Vostok. Within uncertainties, the neon budget of the lake is balanced, the neon supplied to the lake by the melting of glacier ice being compensated by the neon exported by lake ice. The helium concentration in the lake is about 12 times more than in the glacier ice, with a measured 3He/4He ratio of 0.12 ± 0.01 Ra. This shows that Lake Vostok's waters are enriched by a terrigenic helium source. The 3He/4He isotope ratio of this helium source was determined. Its radiogenic value (0.057 × Ra) is typical of an old continental province, ruling out any magmatic activity associated with the tectonic structure of the lake. It corresponds to a low geothermal heat flow estimated at 51 mW/m2. ©2018. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.

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