Solar wind implantation supplied light volatiles during the first stage of Earth accretion

Abstract

The isotopic and elemental compositions of noble gases constitute a powerful tool to study volatile origin and evolution, due to their inertness, and can thus provide crucial information about the early stage of planetary formation. Two models are proposed to explain the light noble gas origin on Earth: the solar wind implantation model and the solar nebula gas dissolution model. However, noble gas measurements often show addition of air to the mantle-derived gas, which complicates the determination of mantle isotopic ratios. We analysed the noble gas isotopic compositions of single vesicles in samples from the Galápagos hotspot with laser ablation, in order to understand and remove this atmospheric component, as well as discriminate between the two scenarios. Based on the new high precision results and a new statistical approach, we show that the solar wind implantation model is more likely to explain the terrestrial He, Ne and Ar composition. This scenario could bring important constraints on the solar system environment during the early stage of planetary formation.