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The third isotope of the third element on the third planet

  • Douglas Rumble EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: January 2, 2018
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American Mineralogist
From the journal American Mineralogist Volume 103 Issue 1

Abstract

The third isotope of the third most abundant element,17O, records indispensible information on the origin and operation of Earth, the third planet. The measured uniformity in fractionation of 16O,17O, and 18O in rocks and minerals over the whole of geologic time, from Hadean to Quaternary, records the existence of a global magma ocean prior to the formation of continents. New techniques of high-resolution mass spectroscopy and of femtosecond X-ray diffraction are leading toward a deep understanding of the origin of kinetic isotope fractionation effects during metabolism. Analysis for the rare molecule 17O18O, distinguished by the substitution of two heavy isotopes, in combination with data on 18O18O, provides an insight into the mechanism whereby plants produce oxygen. Given the skills of American Mineralogist readers in three-dimensional visualization of complex crystalline and molecular structures and the talents of biogeochemical colleagues in measuring isotope fractionation by organisms in nature, there is every reason to expect extraordinary advances in understanding the cycling of life’s elements, H, C, N, O, and S between the biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere.

Keywords: Oxygen isotopes; clumped isotopes; magma ocean; photosynthesis; Invited Centennial article

Acknowledgments

I thank George Cody, Acting Director of the Geophysical Laboratory, for support in writing this article. Jesse Ausebel, Robert Hazen and Craig Schiffries of the Deep Carbon Observatory, David Lambert (NSF), Nick Woodward (DOE), and J.A. Rudnick (UCLA) provided critical funding for building Panorama, a high-resolution mass spectrometer for the measurement of clumped isotopologues. P.A. Freedman, M. Mills, D. Rousell, and P. Li, Nu Instruments Ltd., designed, built, installed, and support Panorama. I am especially grateful to Weifu Guo, WHOI, who gave excellent lessons in clumped isotope geochemistry during his post-doctoral tenure at the Geophysical Laboratory. Colleagues Xiahong Feng and Mukul Sharma in the Department of Earth Sciences, Dartmouth College, provided excellent discussions and exceptional facilities for the writing of this article. R.J. Angel provided essential advice on comparing bond ordering in gas molecules to cation ordering in aluminosilicate minerals. Thanks to John B. Brady, John M. Ferry, Weifu Guo, and Dan Hummer who reviewed the article informally. The text was improved by the editorial comments of J. Farquhar and F. Zhen.

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Received: 2017-3-9
Accepted: 2017-10-10
Published Online: 2018-1-2
Published in Print: 2018-1-26

© 2018 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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  2. The third isotope of the third element on the third planet
  4. Visible, near-infrared, and mid-infrared spectral characterization of Hawaiian fumarolic alteration near Kilauea’s December 1974 flow: Implications for spectral discrimination of alteration environments on Mars
  6. Magnetite-apatite deposit from Sri Lanka: Implications on Kiruna-type mineralization associated with ultramafic intrusion and mantle metasomatism
  8. The ore-forming magmatic-hydrothermal system of the Piaotang W-Sn deposit (Jiangxi, China) as seen from Li-mica geochemistry
  10. Chlorine incorporation into amphibole and biotite in high-grade iron-formations: Interplay between crystallography and metamorphic fluids
  12. Depth of formation of super-deep diamonds: Raman barometry of CaSiO3-walstromite inclusions
  14. Microtexture investigation of amblygonite–montebrasite series with lacroixite: Characteristics and formation process in pegmatites
  16. Sound velocity measurements of hcp Fe-Si alloy at high pressure and high temperature by inelastic X-ray scattering
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  20. Slow weathering of a sandstone-derived Podzol (Falkland Islands) resulting in high content of a non-crystalline silicate
  22. Mineralogy, paragenesis, and mineral chemistry of REEs in the Olserum-Djupedal REE-phosphate mineralization, SE Sweden
  24. Leesite, K(H2O)2[(UO2)4O2(OH)5]·3H2O, a new K-bearing schoepite-family mineral from the Jomac mine, San Juan County, Utah, U.S.A
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https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2018-6137
Keywords for this article
Oxygen isotopes; clumped isotopes; magma ocean; photosynthesis; Invited Centennial article

Articles in the same Issue

  2. The third isotope of the third element on the third planet
  4. Visible, near-infrared, and mid-infrared spectral characterization of Hawaiian fumarolic alteration near Kilauea’s December 1974 flow: Implications for spectral discrimination of alteration environments on Mars
  6. Magnetite-apatite deposit from Sri Lanka: Implications on Kiruna-type mineralization associated with ultramafic intrusion and mantle metasomatism
  8. The ore-forming magmatic-hydrothermal system of the Piaotang W-Sn deposit (Jiangxi, China) as seen from Li-mica geochemistry
  10. Chlorine incorporation into amphibole and biotite in high-grade iron-formations: Interplay between crystallography and metamorphic fluids
  12. Depth of formation of super-deep diamonds: Raman barometry of CaSiO3-walstromite inclusions
  14. Microtexture investigation of amblygonite–montebrasite series with lacroixite: Characteristics and formation process in pegmatites
  16. Sound velocity measurements of hcp Fe-Si alloy at high pressure and high temperature by inelastic X-ray scattering
  18. New insights into the metallogeny of MVT Zn-Pb deposits: A case study from the Nayongzhi in South China, using field data, fluid compositions, and in situ S-Pb isotopes
  20. Slow weathering of a sandstone-derived Podzol (Falkland Islands) resulting in high content of a non-crystalline silicate
  22. Mineralogy, paragenesis, and mineral chemistry of REEs in the Olserum-Djupedal REE-phosphate mineralization, SE Sweden
  24. Leesite, K(H2O)2[(UO2)4O2(OH)5]·3H2O, a new K-bearing schoepite-family mineral from the Jomac mine, San Juan County, Utah, U.S.A
  26. Chromium-bearing phases in the Earth’s mantle: Evidence from experiments in the Mg2SiO4–MgCr2O4 system at 10–24 GPa and 1600 °C
  27. Crossroads in Earth and Planetary Materials
  28. High-pressure phase transitions in MgCr2O4·Mg2SiO4 composition: Reactions between olivine and chromite with implications for ultrahigh-pressure chromitites
  29. Letter
  30. A novel carbon bonding environment in deep mantle high-pressure dolomite
  31. Letter
  32. Structuration under pressure: Spatial separation of inserted water during pressure-induced hydration in mesolite
  33. Book Review
  34. Book Review: The International Atlas of Mars Exploration: From Spirit to Curiosity
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