Noble Gases in Archean Barites: Precise Determination of the Isotopic Fractionation of Atmospheric Xenon 3.48 Ga Ago.

ABSTRACT: Following the evolution of the composition of the atmosphere informs on the entire geological evolution of our planet. The discovery that Archean atmospheric xenon was isotopically fractionated compared to modern atmospheric xenon paved the way for using this noble gas as a tracer of hydrogen escape on the primitive Earth. The curve of the evolution of the isotopic composition of atmospheric xenon remains, however, poorly defined. Recent studies proposed that the evolution was discontinuous with brief episodes of escape and fractionation of xenon separated by up to several 100 Ma long pauses. Similarly, some major unknowns remain regarding the progressive depletion of xenon in the atmosphere due to the proposed escape mechanism. In this study, we report the noble gas elemental ratios and i

SUBMITTER: Avice G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12183778 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature