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Effects of sedimentary sorting on neodymium isotopes in deep-sea turbidites

Nature volume 337, pages 547–549 (1989)Cite this article

Abstract

The study of neodymium model ages of sedimentary rocks has added considerably to our understanding of crustal growth and evolution. So far, however, the possible effects of various sedimentary processes on Nd isotope distributions have not been fully evaluated. Here we present Nd isotope data for a series of sand-mud pairs in modern deep-sea turbidites from different tectonic settings, which show that sands and muds commonly have significantly different Nd isotope compositions that in only some cases are associated with differences in Sm/Nd ratio. Differences are as great as 7ɛNdunits, corresponding to Nd model ages that differ by up to 0.44 Gyr, and may be explained by separation (or unmixing) of components from different sources during sedimentary transport and sorting. For one sample, heavy-mineral fraction-ation may be indicated. These results have implications for studies of Nd model ages in sedimentary rocks, and for the interpretation of provenance from sedimentary petrography and geochemistry.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia

    S. M. McLennan, M. T. McCulloch & S. R. Taylor

  2. Department of Earth and Space Sciences, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York, 11794-2100, USA

    S. M. McLennan

  3. H. N. Fisk Laboratory for Sedimentology, Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45221, USA

    J. B. Maynard

Authors
  1. S. M. McLennan
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  2. M. T. McCulloch
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  3. S. R. Taylor
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  4. J. B. Maynard
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McLennan, S., McCulloch, M., Taylor, S. et al. Effects of sedimentary sorting on neodymium isotopes in deep-sea turbidites. Nature 337, 547–549 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1038/337547a0

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