Work

Combined Stable and Radiogenic Nd Isotope Characterisation of Sedimentary and Iron Formation Reference Materials by Double Spike MC ‐ ICP ‐ MS

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This study presents combined stable ( 146 Nd/ 144 Nd, 148 Nd/ 144 Nd) and radiogenic ( 143 Nd/ 144 Nd) Nd isotope ratios obtained by double spike (DS) MC‐ICP‐MS for twenty‐five geological reference materials (RMs), focusing particularly on the initial characterisation of sedimentary, phosphate and iron formation (IF) RMs. Pure Nd solutions and previously characterised igneous RMs of basaltic to rhyolitic composition were utilised to validate the DS MC‐ICP‐MS method. The (combined) expanded uncertainty (95% c.i.) on JNdi‐1 normalised δ 146/144 Nd measurement results was improved by ca . 4 ppm when data collection was increased from 50 to 100 cycles, which translates into a shift from ±0.016 to ±0.012‰. Intermediate measurement precision (over nearly 3 years) of δ 146/144 Nd determined from Nd solutions ( n = 4) and igneous, sedimentary and iron formation RMs with multiple digestions ( n = 17) is on average ±0.016‰ 2 s . Our obtained results agree well with published stable δ 146/144 Nd and radiogenic 143 Nd/ 144 Nd values for all igneous RMs analysed herein, attesting to the accuracy of the DS MC‐ICP‐MS approach. Sedimentary RMs are overall isotopically light with δ 146/144 Nd signatures between ‐0.057 and ‐0.006‰, overlapping closely with igneous RMs (‐0.038 to +0.010‰ δ 146 Nd) and the bulk silicate Earth. The two phosphate RMs with δ 146/144 Nd of +0.040 and +0.090‰, are significantly heavier in comparison. In contrast, global IF RMs exhibit a large range in δ 146/144 Nd from ‐0.057 to +0.261‰ and include the heaviest (so far) recorded Nd stable isotope signature in a terrestrial geological material. Correlations of heavy δ 146/144 Nd with seawater proxies (e.g., Y/Ho) and light δ 146/144 Nd with tracers for continental contamination (e.g., Zr) suggest a strong potential for the application of stable Nd isotopes in sediments and IF for palaeo‐reconstruction purposes.

Source: Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research

DOI: 10.1111/ggr.70020

Authors: Anne K.C. Kaufmann, Alex J. McCoy‐West

Institution: James Cook University

Language: English

Topic: Geological and Geochemical Analysis

Subfield: Geophysics

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: Analytical Center for the Government of the Russian Federation, Queensland Government, Australian Research Council

Award: Linking continental emergence and climatic evolution on the Early Earth