0000000000785458
AUTHOR
Hiroshi Wakita
Helium isotopes and tectonics in southern Italy
Geodynamic evolution of southern Italy can be understood within the framework of the Mediterranean-Alpine System. Subduction of a plate along the Sicily-Calabrian forearc under the Tyrrhenian Sea has been suggested by many geophysicists, although it is not yet confirmed and remains somewhat controversial. Helium isotope ratios provide useful information on the geotectonic structure of the region. The authors report here the {sup 3}H/{sup 4}He ratios of terrestrial gas samples from southern Italy. The observed {sup 3}He/{sup 4}He ratios are relatively high in the Eolian volcanic arc region and low in the other areas. Dichotomous explanations are presented. Firstly, volcanic arc-forearc hypot…
MORB-type neon in an enriched mantle beneath Etna, Sicily
Abstract Noble gas elemental and isotopic compositions were determined for five CO 2 –CH 4 samples collected around Etna, Sicily, to investigate the geochemical features of the mantle beneath the volcano. The samples contain mantle-derived noble gases. The measured helium isotopic ratios ( 3 He/ 4 He) vary between 5.9 and 6.4 times atmospheric ratio ( R a =1.4×10 −6 ), which are comparable to the ratios of olivines (6.1–8.2 R a ) in the lavas of the same volcano [1]. Neon in the samples is enriched in both 20 Ne and 21 Ne ( 20 Ne/ 22 Ne 9.95–10.7, 21 Ne/ 22 Ne 0.030–0.037), indicating derivation from the mantle. The δ ( 20 Ne/ 22 Ne)/ δ ( 21 Ne/ 22 Ne) values are identical with that of mid-…