Stable carbon and oxygen isotope signatures of mantle-derived calcite in Aitutaki lherzolite xenolith: Implications for organic carbon cycle in the oceanic mantle

Abstract

Carbon isotope data is desired to be increased to promote the understanding of carbon cycle throughout in the Earth. Diamond is a key carbonaceous tool to study deep carbon cycle, but most diamond occurrences are limited from kimberlite pipes in the continental region. Recently, micron-sized diamonds have been discovered from the oceanic region and investigated to understand deep carbon cycle in the oceanic mantle. However, some fundamental cautions have been issued on the oceanic diamonds because some of them could be of artificial origin. Hence, alternative oceanic mantle-derived carbonaceous material is needed to increase oceanic carbon isotope data. We report micron-sized calcite vein in a lherzolite xenolith hosted by enriched mantle I (EM1)-type olivine nephelinite from Aitutaki Island, Cook Islands in the southern Pacific. With employing various techniques to determine carbon and oxygen isotope compositions from sub-micrograms of calcite, we demonstrate that carbonaceous fluid originated from EM1-type mantle source exhibited organic carbon signature based on its light carbon isotope composition along with petrographic characteristics of the calcite vein. The oceanic mantle hosts organic carbon in places due to the recycling of surface materials.