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The tungsten isotopic composition of the Earth’s mantle before the terminal bombardment

Author

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  • Matthias Willbold

    (Bristol Isotope Group, School of Earth Sciences, Wills Memorial Building, Queens Road, University of Bristol)

  • Tim Elliott

    (Bristol Isotope Group, School of Earth Sciences, Wills Memorial Building, Queens Road, University of Bristol)

  • Stephen Moorbath

    (South Parks Road, University of Oxford)

Abstract

A boost for Earth's late veneer hypothesis It has long been speculated that a 'late heavy bombardment' of Earth by meteoritic material replenished the mantle's budget of siderophile (iron-loving) elements, such as tungsten, that were largely lost to the core during its segregation. However, evidence for this 'late veneer' remains indirect, and its influence has been much debated. Matthias Willbold and colleagues present high-precision tungsten isotope analyses of ancient Greenland rocks and show that they have significantly higher 182W/184W ratios than modern terrestrial samples. This finding is in good agreement with the expected influence of a meteoritic late heavy bombardment. They speculate that both the tungsten isotope data and the observed decrease in 142Nd/144Nd neodymium ratios can be explained if late meteorite bombardment triggered the onset of the current style of mantle convection.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthias Willbold & Tim Elliott & Stephen Moorbath, 2011. "The tungsten isotopic composition of the Earth’s mantle before the terminal bombardment," Nature, Nature, vol. 477(7363), pages 195-198, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:477:y:2011:i:7363:d:10.1038_nature10399
    DOI: 10.1038/nature10399
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