Abstract
Mantle sulfides (Fe–Ni–Cu-rich base metal sulfides or BMS; Fig. 1) play a crucial role in the distribution of Re, Os, and Pb in mantle rocks and are thus fundamental to obtaining absolute ages by direct geochronology using the Re–Os and Pb–Pb isotope systems on mantle samples. Mantle samples exist as hundreds of exposures of peridotites, pyroxenites and diamonds, either brought to the surface as accidental xenoliths and xenocrysts during kimberlitic or alkali basaltic volcanism (for comprehensive reviews, see Pearson et al. 2014; Aulbach et al. 2016, this volume; Luguet and Reisberg 2016, this volume), or as orogenic, ophiolitic and abyssal peridotite obducted at convergent margins and drilled / dredged from oceanic basins (e.g., Bodinier and Godard 2014; Becker and Dale 2016, this volume). This chapter reviews the occurrence of BMS in mantle samples and the role that they play in controlling the Re–Os and Pb isotope systematics of the mantle. Included in this review is a discussion of the role BMS plays in recording the multiple depletion / enrichment / metasomatic events that the mantle has undergone and the preservation of chemical heterogeneities that are inherently created by these processes. Along with discussions of the utility of Re–Os and Pb isotope measurements, this review will also consider the potential pitfalls and some of the surprises that can arise when analyzing these BMS micro-phases. Specifically excluded from this review is the extensive literature on Re–Os and Pb for the geochronology of sulfide systems in magmatic ores. This study is another field entirely from the study of sulfides in their native mantle hosts because of the complicated magmatic concentration processes occurring at crustal levels. Figure 1 Backscattered electron and chemical maps of typical mantle BMS grains. (a) Enclosed; (b) interstitial BMS, both from Mt Gambier peridotites, SE Australia (Alard …
Highlights
Mantle sulfides (Fe–Ni–Cu-rich base metal sulfides or BMS; Fig. 1) play a crucial role in the distribution of Re, Os, and Pb in mantle rocks and are fundamental to obtaining absolute ages by direct geochronology using the Re–Os and Pb–Pb isotope systems on mantle samples
Mantle samples exist as hundreds of exposures of peridotites, pyroxenites and diamonds, either brought to the surface as accidental xenoliths and xenocrysts during kimberlitic or alkali basaltic volcanism, or as orogenic, ophiolitic and abyssal peridotite obducted at convergent margins and drilled / dredged from oceanic basins (e.g., Bodinier and Godard 2014; Becker and Dale 2016, this volume)
The ability of sulfides in mantle rocks to preserve different processes has led to an unraveling of these different generations of processes in bulk mantle samples
Summary
Mantle sulfides (Fe–Ni–Cu-rich base metal sulfides or BMS; Fig. 1) play a crucial role in the distribution of Re, Os, and Pb in mantle rocks and are fundamental to obtaining absolute ages by direct geochronology using the Re–Os and Pb–Pb isotope systems on mantle samples. This chapter reviews the occurrence of BMS in mantle samples and the role that they play in controlling the Re–Os and Pb isotope systematics of the mantle. Excluded from this review is the extensive literature on Re–Os and Pb for the geochronology of sulfide systems in magmatic ores. This study is another field entirely from the study of sulfides in their native mantle hosts because of the complicated magmatic concentration processes occurring at crustal levels. The interested reader should consult other articles that have discussed these topics individually (e.g., Shirey and Walker 1998; Burton et al 1999, 2012; Pearson and Shirey 1999; Luguet et al 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008; Richardson et al 2001, 2004, 2009; Shirey et al 2001, 2002, 2004a,b, 2013; Alard et al 2002, 2005; Aulbach et al 2004a,b, 2009a,b,c, 2011; Harvey et al 2006, 2010, 2011; Pearson and Wittig 2008; Gurney et al 2010; Shirey and Richardson 2011; Warren and Shirey 2012)
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