Abstract
Helium isotope ratios in the Earth's materials provide useful information about their mechanism of formation. Although more than 1,000 measurements have been reported, most are for land areas, and little is known about helium ratios on the ocean floor. Here we present new He isotope data for ten marine ferromanganese nodules, together with isotope compositions for Ar and chemical compositions. The observed 3He/4He ratios are extraordinarily high, with values up to 59.3 × 10−6. Considering that the direct supply of materials from the deep mantle is an insignificant factor in the area studied, the negligible contribution of radiogenic 3He, and the improbability of artificial nuclear fallout debris, the most likely explanation appears to be conglomeration of extraterrestrial matter. Abundances of radiogenic 40Ar are related to the genetic environments of nodules (that is, diagenetic or hydrogenetic) as characterized by their chemical compositions.
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Sano, Y., Toyoda, K. & Wakita, H. 3He/4He ratios of marine ferromanganese nodules. Nature 317, 518–520 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1038/317518a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/317518a0
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