Abstract
Helium trapped in the chilled glass rims of Pacific Ocean basalts is highly enriched in 3He; the 3He/ 4He and 3He/Ne ratios are respectively 10 and 1000 times the atmospheric ratios. We interpret these large enrichments as further evidence that primordial 3He is still present in the interior of the earth. The 3He/ 4He ratio in basalt glass is the same as the isotope ratio of the “excess helium” in Pacific Ocean deep water, supporting the theory that the atmospheric escape rate of 3He is balanced by a flux of primordial 3He from the mantle.
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