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Cosmogenic helium in a terrestrial igneous rock

Nature volume 320, pages 435–439 (1986)Cite this article

Abstract

High 3He/4He ratios in terrestrial samples are generally interpreted as indicating the presence of primitive or primordial gas1,2. Despite the ubiquitous presence of cosmogenic noble gases in meteorites, cosmogenic helium isotopic signatures have never been observed in terrestrial samples3 and have, for the most part, been considered to be insignificant on the Earth. I present here new helium isotopic measurements on samples from the Kula formation of Haleakala volcano (Hawaii) that are best explained by an in situ cosmogenic origin for a significant fraction of the 3He. Results from crushing and stepwise heating experiments, and consideration of the exposure age of the sample at the surface and the cosmic-ray fluxes strongly support this hypothesis. Although crustal cosmogenic helium has been proposed previously4,5, this represents its first unambiguous identification in a terrestrial sample.

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  1. Chemistry Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, 02543, USA

    Mark D. Kurz

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  1. Mark D. Kurz
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Kurz, M. Cosmogenic helium in a terrestrial igneous rock. Nature 320, 435–439 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1038/320435a0

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