Nature Communications (Sep 2019)

Sulphur isotopes of alkaline magmas unlock long-term records of crustal recycling on Earth

  • William Hutchison,
  • Rainer J. Babiel,
  • Adrian A. Finch,
  • Michael A. W. Marks,
  • Gregor Markl,
  • Adrian J. Boyce,
  • Eva E. Stüeken,
  • Henrik Friis,
  • Anouk M. Borst,
  • Nicola J. Horsburgh

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-12218-1
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 1
pp. 1 – 12

Abstract

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Sulphur isotopes track recycling of subducted crustal material, yet few igneous rocks preserve these signals over Earth history. Here, the authors investigate a billion-year-old alkaline province in Greenland and are able to reconstruct a recycled mantle source, thus alkaline rocks can be used to reveal crustal recycling through geological time.