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Tellurium isotope cosmochemistry: Implications for


volatile fractionation in chondrite parent bodies
and origin of the late veneer.

Lucien Weibel

04. April 2022, Zurich


Content

1. Idea behind the Paper


2. Samples
3. Analytical Methods
4. Te in BSE
5. Discussion
6. Take Home Messages

Pictures with no source markings are retrieved from Hellmann et al. (2021)

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Idea behind the Paper

Tellurium (δ 128/126Te)
• Chemically similar to S and Se

Earthscience.stackexchange.com
Wikipedia: Tellurium

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Idea behind the Paper

Tellurium (δ 128/126Te)
• Low condensation temperature (50% TC ≈ 700K)
• Sensitive to fractionation by nebular and parental body processes
• Assumed, that S, Se and Te derive dominantly from late veneer
• δ 128/126Te BSE = δ 128/126Te late Veneer
Questions?
• δ 128/126Te BSE?
• All S, Se and Te from late Veneer?
• δ 128/126Te ratios modified after planetary accretion?
• Which chondrite parent body most likely?

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Samples

• 20 ordinary chondrites
• 21 enstatite chondrites
• 2 Rumuruti chondrites
• Carbonaceous chondrite data
from companion study
Hellmann, 2020
• Number showing
metamorphism
• Only thermal metamorphism

slideplayer.com

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Samples

• 13 Peridotites (3.9-0.3wt% Al)


- 10 lherzolites, 2 harzburgites, 1 dunite
• 6 Pyroxenites (2Cpx, 1Opx, 2 websterites)
• Previously used for Se/Te ratio of BSE

Wikipedia: Pyroxenite

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Analytical Methods

• Samples crushed
• Mixed with 123Te-125Te double spike
• Dissolved in hot HF-HNO3
• Evaporations and dry downs of HCl
• Column chromatography to separate Te
from sample matrix

Microbenotes.com

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Analytical Methods

• Te isotope measurements using ICP-MS


• NIST SRM 3156 standard
• δ 128/126Te= permil deviation from standard

Researchgate.net

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Results

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Origin of Te in BSE

All the Te data in BSE derived from Late Veneer?


• Seems true for HSE (Re, Au & Pt-Group)
• Te highly siderophile during core formation (metal silicate
partitioning, 20GPa, extrapolate to ≈55GPa)
• S, Se and Te in BSE predominantly from Late Veneer

However:
• S iotopic composition fractionated, core formation?
• @55GPa, S becomes less siderophile! Te as well?
• Chondritic values for S, Se, Te in BSE against fractionation

Possibility of a different source or fractionation due to core


formation

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Best Rock for Te BSE Composition

Clinopyroxenites
Melt has undergone sulfide segregation
Lower Te conc. (Te chalcophile) and variable isotope ratios
δ 128/126Te variability by isotope fractionation sulfide ↔ silicate melt

Unsuitable for BSE estimations

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Best Rock for Te BSE Composition

Websterites & Orthopyroxenite


Similar δ 128/126Te like lherzolites
More Heterogeneous concentrations
May be formed as primitive melts interact with peridotitic wall rock

Unsuitable for BSE estimations

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Best Rock for Te BSE Composition

Lherzolites
Homogenuous concentration and isotope ratios
Lower δ 128/126Te may be due to partial melting and refertilization
Highly variable degrees of melting&refertilization have low impact!

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Best Rock for Te BSE Composition

Lherzolites
Refertilization consequence of recycling moderately incompatible elements (…,S, Se, Te,…)
Source: subducted oceanic crust
Process could lead to homogenization  BSE estimation
Process reflects complex mixing and fractionation no BSE estimation

Current estimates of BSE somewhat uncertain

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Discussion

Enstatite chondrites
• E-Type chondrites very reduced
• EH= high iron
• Stable δ 128/126Te for PT 3-4, heavier 5-6
• Lower total Te in PT 5-6
• Similar trend in Zn, Cd, Se…
• Shock metamorphism?
• Cooling Parent body?

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Discussion

Enstatite chondrites
• Cooling Parent Body
• Lighter Isotopes more mobile
• Should have effect on PT 3-4 as well!
• Ratio of parent body likely in between

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Discussion

Enstatite chondrites
• Se/Te ratio higher than in lherzolites
• Really true ratios? Other papers show
Se/Te ≈ 14

EC-like Source for Late Veneer


plausible

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Discussion

Ordinary chondrites
• Less systematic variation but similar extent of δ
128/126
Te
• Range of concentrations smaller than EC
• Most H5,H6 not as heavy as E5,E6!
• Se/Te ratios much higher!

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Discussion

Ordinary chondrites
 No trend between composition (H,L,LL), nor thermal
metamorphism and δ 128/126Te
 No trend between concentration and δ 128/126Te
 Same behaviour in -> likely same process (bigger
variations)

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Discussion

Ordinary chondrites
Impact induced melting and volatilization?
No systematic redistribution rules out „Cooling Parent Body“ model as in E-
Chondrites
Localized redistribution with limited transmission?
Te isotopes not homogenized?

Due to Se/Te ratios, likely not the source of the Late Veneer

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Discussion

Carbonaceous chondrites
• Variations reflect mixtures of volatile poor, light
chondrules & heavy, CI-like Matrix
• δ 128/126Te Systematically varies with mass fraction of
matrix, more matrix= heavier
• CM Chondrites shows good fit in Se/Te and δ 128/126Te
• BSE Te best rock = BSE Se best rock?

CM-like Source for late Veneer plausible

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Take Home Messages

Questions
• δ 128/126Te BSE? Best estimate is maybe composition of lherzolites

• All S, Se and Te from late Veneer? Maybe, more research needed on Te

• δ 128/126Te ratios modified after planetary accretion? Yes, big problem using this aproach

• Which chondrite parent body most likely? Carbonaceous or Enstatite Chondrite most likely

• Study shows limited use of elemental ratios and mass-dependent isotope ratios as
genetic tracers

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Hier steht der Folientitel

Sources
• Hellmann, J. L., Hopp, T., Burkhardt, C., Becker, H., Fischer-Gödde, M., & Kleine, T. (2021). Tellurium isotope cosmochemistry:
Implications for volatile fractionation in chondrite parent bodies and origin of the late veneer. Geochimica et Cosmochimica
Acta, 309, 313-328.
• https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/questions/8170/what-is-the-difference-between-chalcophile-and-siderophile-elements
(01.04.2022)
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tellurium (01.04.2022)
• https://slideplayer.com/slide/13588825/83/images/27/Chondrites+-+classification.jpg
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyroxenite
• https://microbenotes.com/column-chromatography/
• https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Schematic-diagram-of-a-mass-spectrometer_fig14_312664731
• https://concord.org/newsletter/2021-spring/everything-happens-for-a-reason-developing-causal-mechanistic-reasoning-of-plate-
tectonics/?cn-reloaded=1

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