An important source of 4He (and 3He) in diamonds

Abstract

A large data base has recently accumulated on the concentrations of helium isotopes in diamonds mined from various regions. It was noted earlier (Ozima et al. (1985) [1]; Lal et al. (1989) [2]) that the frequency distribution of the 4He concentrations is a fairly narrow one, whereas that of 3He concentrations is a broad one with no pronounced peaks. The ratios 3He/ 4He , on the other hand show a broad maximum around 2 R a ( R a equals atmospheric 3He/ 4He ratio, = 1.40 × 10 −6) with a slow decrease over two orders of magnitude on either side. Does this imply that the diamonds sample a wide variety of helium reservoirs having a range of 3He/ 4He ratios but somehow attain similar 4He concentrations? We propose that in a majority of the diamonds studied, 4He is primarily due to implantation of radiogenic alpha particles from the host material after emplacement in the crust, usually kimberlite, and that the concentrations of 4He in diamonds often get appreciably altered by this process. Thus the 4He trapped in the diamond at the time of its crystallization is usually overwhelmed by the implanted helium and the measured 3He/ 4He ratios do not generally correspond to any “sources” in the mantle. However, the implanted 4He resides in the outer 16 μm of the diamond, and the intrinsic 4He and 3He/ 4He ratios in the diamond can be studied if its outer layers are removed. The wider implications of diamond being the “target” material for nuclear reaction products from the host material are discussed. Radiogenic 3He produced in the host material is also implanted in the diamond, but this contribution is small on a gross basis. However, since the depth of implantation of 3He is greater than that of 4He, some of the very high 3He/ 4He ratios observed in diamonds could be due to the “implantation” of radiogenic 3He. The radiogenic reactions in the host material can also contribute to appreciable 21Ne in diamonds.