Fractionated nickel isotopic compositions in the subducting slab – implications for mantle heterogeneity

Saunders, Naomi J., Debret, Baptiste, Harvey, Jason, Inglis, Edward and Halliday, Alex N. 2026. Fractionated nickel isotopic compositions in the subducting slab – implications for mantle heterogeneity. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 674 , 119740. 10.1016/j.epsl.2025.119740

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Abstract

It has been hypothesized that Ni isotope heterogeneities in ultramafic xenoliths, mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) and ocean island basalts (OIB) might originate from recycled components. Eclogitic and blueschist facies ultramafic, basaltic, and gabbroic lithologies from the SW Alps have Ni isotopic compositions (δ60/58Ni) extending from -0.5 to +0.3 ‰, overlapping well with the values found in oceanic basalts and mantle xenoliths. The Queyras blueschist facies metagabbros display the lightest Ni isotope compositions (-0.5 to +0.2 ‰), correlating negatively with enrichment in fluid mobile elements such as Li and Sb, consistent with isotopic fractionation during metasomatism. The Zermatt eclogites and Allalin gabbros define a more restricted range of δ60/58Ni, with metabasalts (-0.2 to +0.1 ‰) lighter than metagabbros (+0.1 to +0.3 ‰); the latter overlapping with published results for typical un-metasomatized lherzolites and harzburgites. Eclogitic serpentinites from Monvisoare similar (δ60/58Ni = 0.0 to +0.3 ‰). Only metasediments are isotopically heavy (δ60/58Ni = +0.1 to +0.7 ‰), except for one greenschist facies metagabbro from Chenaillet (+0.7 ‰). Published data for seafloor alteration of oceanic crust do not explain the variations. Indeed, abyssal serpentinites from the Atlantic Ocean, included for comparison as a putative Ni-rich recycled protolith, display highly variable δ60/58Ni (+0.3 to +1.2 ‰), heavier than any reported MORB, OIB or ultramafic xenoliths, and with an apparent hyperbolic relation with 187Os/188Os, possibly reflecting ancient sulfide removal or some form of alteration process in antiquity. Subduction of high pressure metamorphic mafic assemblages like those of the SW Alps provide an enriched source component with light δ60/58Ni that could contribute to the Ni isotope heterogeneity found in MORB, OIB, and peridotite and pyroxenite xenoliths.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Earth and Environmental Sciences
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	0012-821X
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	13 January 2026
Date of Acceptance:	13 November 2025
Last Modified:	13 Jan 2026 15:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/183871

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