Preservation of near-solar neon isotopic ratios in Icelandic basalts

Neon isotopic ratios measured in olivine and basaltic glass from Iceland are the most primitive observed so far in terrestrial mantle-derived samples. Ratios were measured in gas released from olivine and basaltic glass from a total of 10 samples from the Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland, and one sample from central Iceland. The neon isotopic ratios include solar-like, mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB)-like and atmospheric compositions. Neon isotopic ratios near the air-solar mixing line were obtained from the total gas released from glass separates from five samples. MORB-like neon isotopic compositions were measured in the total gas released from olivine and glass separates from four samples. Although there is clear evidence for a solar neon component in some of the Icelandic samples, there is no corresponding evidence for a solar helium ratio (320R(a) > ³He/⁴He > 100R(a)). Instead, ³He/⁴He ratios are mainly between 12 ± 2(R(a)) and 29 ± 3 (R(a)), similar to the range observed in ocean island basalts, indicating that the He-Ne isotopic systematics are decoupled. The mantle source of Icelandic basalts is interpreted to be highly heterogeneous on a local scale to explain the range in observed helium and neon isotopic ratios. The identification of solar-like neon isotopic ratios in some Icelandic samples implies that solar neon trapped within the Earth has remained virtually unchanged over the past ~ 4.5 Ga. Such preservation requires a source with a high [Ne(solar)]/[U + Th] ratio so that the concentration of solar neon overwhelms the nucleogenic ²¹Ne(*) produced from the decay of U and Th in the mantle over time. High [Ne(solar)]/[U + Th] ratios are unlikely to be preserved in the mantle if it has experienced substantial melting. An essentially undegassed primitive mantle component is postulated to be the host of the solar neon in the Icelandic plume source. Relatively small amounts of this primitive mantle component are likely to mix with more depleted and degassed mantle such that the primitive mantle composition is not evident in other isotopic systems (e.g. strontium and neodymium). The lower mantle plume source is inferred to be relatively heterogeneous owing to being more viscous and less well stirred than the upper mantle. This discovery of near-solar neon isotopic ratios suggests that relatively primitive mantle may be preserved in the Icelandic plume source. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.