Ocean sediments consist mainly of calcium carbonate and organic matter (phytoplankton debris). Once subducted, some carbon is removed from the slab and returns to the atmosphere as CO2 in arc magmas. Its isotopic signature is thought to reflect the bulk fraction of inorganic (carbonate) and organic (graphitic) carbon in the sedimentary source. Here we challenge this assumption by experimentally investigating model sediments composed of 13C-CaCO3 + 12C-graphite interacting with water at pressure, temperature and redox conditions of an average slab-mantle interface beneath arcs. We show that oxidative dissolution of graphite is the main process controlling the production of CO2, and its isotopic composition reflects the CO2/CaCO3 rather than the bulk graphite/CaCO3 (i.e., organic/inorganic carbon) fraction. We provide a mathematical model to relate the arc CO2 isotopic signature with the fluid-rock ratios and the redox state in force in its subarc source.
Subducted organic matter buffered by marine carbonate rules the carbon isotopic signature of arc emissions / S. Tumiati, S. Recchia, L. Remusat, C. Tiraboschi, D.A. Sverjensky, C.E. Manning, A. Vitale Brovarone, A. Boutier, D. Spanu, S. Poli. - In: NATURE COMMUNICATIONS. - ISSN 2041-1723. - 13:1(2022 May 25), p. 2909. [10.1038/s41467-022-30421-5]
Subducted organic matter buffered by marine carbonate rules the carbon isotopic signature of arc emissions
S. Tumiati
Primo
;S. PoliUltimo
2022
Abstract
Ocean sediments consist mainly of calcium carbonate and organic matter (phytoplankton debris). Once subducted, some carbon is removed from the slab and returns to the atmosphere as CO2 in arc magmas. Its isotopic signature is thought to reflect the bulk fraction of inorganic (carbonate) and organic (graphitic) carbon in the sedimentary source. Here we challenge this assumption by experimentally investigating model sediments composed of 13C-CaCO3 + 12C-graphite interacting with water at pressure, temperature and redox conditions of an average slab-mantle interface beneath arcs. We show that oxidative dissolution of graphite is the main process controlling the production of CO2, and its isotopic composition reflects the CO2/CaCO3 rather than the bulk graphite/CaCO3 (i.e., organic/inorganic carbon) fraction. We provide a mathematical model to relate the arc CO2 isotopic signature with the fluid-rock ratios and the redox state in force in its subarc source.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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