New insights from old spherules: Os-W isotope and HSE evidence for Paleoarchean meteorite bombardment of the Earth

Abstract:

Introduction: Although still debated, spherule beds in the Barberton Mountain Land (~3.4 Ga) are suspected to represent remnants of impact-generated and ballistically emplaced silicate melt droplets [e.g. 1]. Such deposits provide the only window into the late stages of the heavy meteorite bombardment on Earth as their source craters have long since been obliterated. In order to identify a possible meteoritic component and, if successful, to discuss potential projectile materials, we are performing a detailed Os-W isotope as well as HSE abundance study on spherule layers from the recently drilled ICDP BARB5 core (grid location 25°30`50.76``S, 31°33`10.08``E).

Samples and Methods: Samples were taken from a spherule-containing meta-sedimentary core section discovered between 510 and 512 m depth. About 100 mg of homogenized sample powders were spiked with a mixed ¹⁹⁰Os, ¹⁸⁵Re, ¹⁹¹Ir and ¹⁹⁴Pt tracer and treated in a high pressure asher using inverse aqua regia, followed by conventional extraction schemes for Os and the other HSEs [4]. Chemical and Os isotope measurements (via N-TIMS) were performed in Vienna, whereas HSE measurements were undertaken via ICP MS in Bonn.

Results and Discussion: Our preliminary Os isotope data reveal a trend between samples exhibiting high spherule to matrix ratios (¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ~0.106 and Os ~0.4 ppm) and samples with lower ones (¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os up to ~0.304 and Os ~0.008 ppm). Notably, the most unradiogenic samples exhibit carbonaceous-chondrite-like initial ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os and HSE ratios, whereas all other samples are clear non-chondritic. These findings support an extraterrestrial contribution in the spherules and can be interpreted compared to conclusions drawn from a Cr isotope study performed on similar samples [3], possibly representing a different impact event and favouring a chondritic projectile. However, further considerations based on precise Os/W ratio determinations and high-precision ¹⁸²W isotope data, will be presented at the conference.

Acknowledgements:We thank W.U. Reimold and T. Mohr-Westheide (Natural History Museum Berlin) for the BARB5 samples, which were obtained in an ICDP project.

References: [1] Simonson and Glass, 2004; [2] Lowe et al., 1989; [3] Kyte et al., 2003; [4] Cohen and Waters, 1996; [5] Morel et al., 2002