Page Chamberlain
Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences and of Earth System Science
Earth & Planetary Sciences
Academic Appointments
-
Professor, Earth & Planetary Sciences
-
Professor, Earth System Science
-
Member, Bio-X
-
Affiliate, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment
Administrative Appointments
-
Faculty, Dept. Geological Sciences (2017 - Present)
-
Faculty Affiliate, Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University (2009 - Present)
-
Courtesy Professor, Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University (2008 - Present)
-
Faculty, Environmental Earth System Science, Stanford University (2008 - Present)
-
Visiting Professor, ETH Zurich, Switzerland (2008 - 2009)
-
Faculty, IPER Program, Stanford University (2005 - Present)
-
Chair, Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University (2004 - 2007)
-
Faculty, Earth Systems Program, Stanford University (2002 - Present)
-
Professor, Stanford University (2001 - Present)
-
Co-Director, Stanford/USGS SHRIMP RG ion-microprobe facility (2001 - 2004)
-
Short term Visitor, Smithsonian Institute (1997 - 1997)
-
Visiting Investigator, Carnegie Institution of Washington Geophysical Laboratory (1997 - 1997)
-
Professor, Dartmouth College (1994 - 2001)
-
Chair, Dartmouth College Department of Earth Sciences (1992 - 1996)
-
Associate Professor, Dartmouth College (1989 - 1994)
-
Assistant Professor, Dartmouth College (1987 - 1989)
-
Postdoctoral Fellow, Geophysical Laboratory (1985 - 1987)
Honors & Awards
-
Gustav Steinman Medal, German Geological Society (2019)
-
Senckenberg Research Award, Senckenberg Institute, Germany (2015)
-
Elected Fellow, American Geophysical Union (2013)
-
Alexander Winchell Distinguished Alumni Award, Syracuse University (2012)
-
Alexander von Humboldt Research Award, Germany (2012)
-
Elected Fellow, Geochemical Society (2009)
-
Frederick Hall Professor of Mineralogy and Geology, . (1997)
-
Elected Fellow, Mineralogical Society of America (1994)
-
Pat and John Rosenwald Professorship, . (1992-1997)
-
Presidential Young Investigator Award, National Science Foundation (1989-1994)
-
Jerry Goldstein Award for Research, . (1989)
-
Achievement Medal, United States Coast Guard (1978)
Boards, Advisory Committees, Professional Organizations
-
Editor, American Journal of Science (2009 - Present)
-
Co-director, Environmental Measurements Laboratory, SES (2008 - Present)
-
Co-director, Stanford/USGS Ion Microprobe Facility (2001 - 2004)
-
Associate Editor, Geological Society of America Bulletin (1993 - 1996)
-
Associate Editor, Geology (1992 - 1995)
-
Associate Editor, American Journal of Science (1989 - 2009)
Program Affiliations
-
Center for East Asian Studies
Professional Education
-
Ph.D., Harvard University, Geology and Geophysics (1985)
-
M.A., Dartmouth College, Earth Sciences (1981)
-
B.S., Syracuse University, Earth Sciences (1979)
Current Research and Scholarly Interests
Research
I use stable and radiogenic isotopes to understand Earth system history. These studies examine the link between climate, tectonics, biological, and surface processes. Projects include: 1) examining the terrestrial climate history of the Earth focusing on periods of time in the past that had CO 2-levels similar to the present and to future projections; and 2) addressing how the chemical weathering of the Earth's crust affects both the long- and short-term carbon cycle. Field areas for these studies are in the Cascades, Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevada, the European Alps, Tibet and the Himalaya and the Southern Alps of New Zealand.
International Collaborations
Much of the research that I do has an international component. Specifically, I have collaborations with: 1) the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Center in Frankfurt Germany as a Humboldt Fellow and 2) the Chinese University of Geosciences in Bejiing China where I collaborate with Professor Yuan Gao.
Teaching
I teach courses at the undergraduate and graduate level in isotope biogeochemistry, Earth system history, and the relationship between climate, surface processes and tectonics.
Professional Activities
Editor American Journal of Science; Co-Director Stanford Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry Laboratory (present);Chair, Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences (2004-07); Co-Director Stanford/USGS SHRIMP Ion microprobe facility (2001-04)
Projects
-
Research project, Stanford
Location
Mongolia
-
Research project, Stanford
Location
Cascade mountains
-
Research project, Stanford
Location
rocky mountains
-
Research project, Stanford
Location
Sierra Nevada
-
Research project, Stanford
Location
new zealand
-
Research project, Stanford
Location
tibet
2024-25 Courses
- Research Proposal Development and Delivery
EPS 307, ESS 307 (Spr) - Senior Seminar: Issues in Earth Sciences
EPS 150 (Aut) -
Independent Studies (16)
- Advanced Projects
EPS 399 (Aut, Win, Spr, Sum) - Directed Individual Study in Earth Systems
EARTHSYS 297 (Aut, Win, Spr, Sum) - Directed Reading in Environment and Resources
ENVRES 398 (Aut, Win, Spr, Sum) - Directed Reading with Earth & Planetary Sciences Faculty
EPS 292 (Aut, Win) - Directed Research
EARTHSYS 250 (Aut, Win, Spr, Sum) - Directed Research in Environment and Resources
ENVRES 399 (Aut, Win, Spr, Sum) - Field Research
EPS 299 (Aut, Win, Spr, Sum) - Graduate Research
EPS 400 (Aut, Win, Spr, Sum) - Graduate Teaching Experience in Geological Sciences
EPS 386 (Aut, Win, Spr, Sum) - Honors Program
EPS 199 (Aut, Win) - Honors Program in Earth Systems
EARTHSYS 199 (Aut, Win, Spr, Sum) - Practical Experience in the Geosciences
EPS 385 (Aut, Win, Spr, Sum) - Research in the Field
EPS 190 (Aut, Win, Sum) - Senior Thesis
EPS 197 (Aut, Win) - Teaching in Geological Sciences
EPS 398 (Aut, Win, Spr, Sum) - Undergraduate Research in Earth & Planetary Sciences
EPS 192 (Aut, Win)
- Advanced Projects
-
Prior Year Courses
2023-24 Courses
- Research Proposal Development and Delivery
EPS 307, ESS 307 (Spr) - Senior Seminar: Issues in Earth Sciences
EPS 150, GEOPHYS 199 (Aut)
2022-23 Courses
- Research Proposal Development and Delivery
ESS 307, GEOLSCI 307 (Spr) - Senior Seminar: Issues in Earth Sciences
GEOLSCI 150, GEOPHYS 199 (Aut)
- Research Proposal Development and Delivery
Stanford Advisees
-
Doctoral (Program)
Xueyao Cheng
All Publications
- The PATCH Lab v.1.0: A database and workspace for Cenozoic terrestrial paleoclimate and environmental reconstruction American Journal of Science 2022; 322: 1089-1123
-
Drier winters drove Cenozoic habitat expansion in North America.
AGU Advances
2022; 3
View details for DOI 10.1029/2021AV000566
- Triple oxygen isotope systematics of diatom opal-A to opal-CT to microquartz in deep sea sediments. Geochimica Cosmochimica Acta 2022; 320: 304-323
- Clumped isotope constraints on warming and precipitation seasonality in Mongolia sue to Altai uplift. American Journal of Science 2022; 322: 28-24
- Warm high-elevation Mid-latitudes during the Miocene Climatic Optimum: Paleosol clumped isotope temperatures from the Northern Rocky Mountain USA .Paleooceanography and Paleoclimatology 2021; 36
- Triple oxygen isotope paleoaltimetry of crystalline rocks Frontiers in Earth and Planetary Sciences, 2021; 9: 633687
- High-resolution paleotopography of the John Day region, Oregon, USA. Frontiers in Earth and Planetary Sciences. 2021
- Reconstructing past elevations from triple oxygen isotopes of lacustrine chert: Application to the Eocene Nevadoplano, Elko Basin, Nevada, USA. Frontiers in Earth and Planetary Sciences, 2021; 9: . 633687
- Terrestrial climate in mid-latitude East Asia from the latest Cretaceous to the earliest Paleogene: A multiproxy record from the Songliao Basin in northeastern China Earth Science Reviews 2021; 216: 103572.
- Amazon resilience to past and present drying Global and Planetary Change 2021; 202: 103520
- Triple oxygen isotopes of meteoric hydrothermal system – implications for paleoaltimetry Geochemical Perspective Letters 2020; 15: 6-9
- Constraints on surface temperatures 3.4 billion years ago based on triple oxygen isotopes of cherts from the Barberton Greenstone Belt South Africa, and the problem of sample selection. American Journal of Science 2020; 320: 790-814
- Modeling the evolution of land plants and the silicate weathering feedback. American Journal of Science 2019; 318: 1-43
- The sensitivity of terrestrial 18O gradients to hydroclimate. Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres 2019; 124: 563-582
- Atmospheric flow deflection in the late Cenozoic Sierra Nevada Earth and Planetary Science Letters 2019; 518: 76-85
- Sedimentary and isotopic data reveal Paleogene topographic and climatic evolution of the Northern Rocky Mountains Geological Society of America Bulletin 2019; 131: 1203-1223
- The potential for metamorphic thermal pulses to develop during compaction-driven fluid flow Geochemistry, Geophysics, and Geosystems 2018; 19: 232-256
- The evolution of hydroclimate in Asia over the Cenozoic: A stable-isotope perspective Earth Science Reviews, 2018; 185: 129-156
- Lacustrine biogeochemical cycling and Ocean Anoxic Event 3 in the Turonian-Coniacian Qingshankou Formation Songliao Basin of northeast China. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 2018; 484: 41-52
- Testing for rapid thermal pulses in metamorphism by modeling garnet growth-diffusion-resorption profiles in a UHT metamorphic “hot spot”, New Hampshire Journal of Petrology, 2018; =59: 1939-1964
- Dual wet-states in western North America during the Plio-Pleistocene Geology, 2018; 46: 355-358
- Late Miocene uplift of the Tian Shan and Altai and reorganization of Central Asia Climate GSA Today 2017; 26: 20-26
- Concentration-discharge patterns of weathering products from global rivers Acta Geochimica 2017; 36: 405-409
- Stable isotope paleoaltimetry: Paleotopography as a key element in the evolution of landscapes and life Mountains, climate and biodiversity Wiley. 2017
- A hot and high Eocene Sierra Nevada Geological Society of America Bulletin 2016; 16: 531-542
- The Neogene de-greening of Central Asia. Geology Geology 2016; 44: 887-890
- Differential weathering of basaltic and granitic catchments from concentration-discharge relationships Geochimica Cosmochimica Acta 2016; 190: 265-293
- Eo-Oligocene proto-Cascades topography revealed by clumped (Δ47) and oxygen isotope (δ18O) geochemistry (Chumstick Basin, WA, USA) Tectonics 2016; 35: 546-564
- Rapid Middle Eocene temperature change in western North America Earth and Planetary Science Letters 2016; 450: 132-139
- Rapid change in western North American high-elevation rainfall patterns during the Mid Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO) American Journal of Science 2015; 315: 317-336
- A mechanistic analysis of Early Eocene latitudinal gradients of isotopes in precipitation Geophysical Research Letters 2015; 42
- Eocene and Miocene extension, meteoric fluid infiltration, and core complex formation in the Great Basin (Raft River Mountians, Utah) Tectonics 2015; 34: 680-693
- Role of the westerlies in Central Asia over the Cenozoic Earth and Planetary Science Letters 2015; 428: 33-43
- Quantifying closed-basin lake temperature and hydrology by inversion of oxygen isotope and trace element paleoclimate records American Journal of Science 2015; 315: 781-808
-
Paleogene surface uplift and its impact on terrestrial paleoenvironments and mammalian communities in western North America
Paleobios
2015; 282
View details for DOI 10.1098/rspb.2015.0136
-
Mid-latitude terrestrial climate of East Asia linked to global climate in the Late Cretaceous
Geology
2015; 43: 287-290
View details for DOI 10.1130/G36427.1
- New estimates of silicate weathering rates and uncertainties in global rivers Geochimica Cosmochimica Acta 2014; 134: 257-274
- Quantifying the isotopic “Continental Effect” Earth and Planetary Science Letters 2014; 406: 123-133
- Aridification of Central Asia and uplift of the Altai and Hangay Mountains: Stable Isotope Evidence American Journal of Science 2014; 314: 1171-1201
- Heavy metals in produce from urban farms in the San Francisco Bay area. Food Additives and Contaminants – Part B 2014
- Stable isotopic records of hydrologic change and paleotemperature from smectite in Cenozoic Western North America Geochimica Cosmochimica Acta 2014; 141: 532-546
- The role of Neogene grassland expansion and aridification on the isotopic composition of continental precipitation Global Biogeochemical Cycles 2014
- Hydrologic regulation of chemical weathering and the geologic carbon cycle Science 2014; 343: 1502-1504
- Evolution of Early Cenozoic topography, climate and stable isotopes of precipitation in the North America Cordillera American Journal of Science 2013; 313: 613-648
- Interuptions of the ancient Shu Civilization: triggered by climate change or natural disaster? International Journal of Earth Sciences 2013; 102: 933-947
- Possible regional tectonic controls on mammalian evolution in western North America Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 2013; 387: 17-26
- Stable isotopic evidence of background El-Nino circulation in Pliocene Western United States Climates of the Past 2013; 9: 903-912
- Grassland expansion as an instrument of hydrologic change in Neogene Western North America Earth and Planetary Science Letters 2013; 377-378: 73-83
- Hydrothermal alteration of the Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation in the Yangtze Gorges area (South China) Geochimica Cosmochimica Acta 2013; 107: 279-298
- Discovery of an ultrahigh-temperature metamorphic blister in the Southern Acadian Orogen, USA Geology 2013
- Stable isotopic evidence for climate and basin evolution of the Late Cretaceous Songliao Basin, China Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 2013; 385: 106-124
-
Early Cenozoic topography, morphology, and tectonics of the northern Sierra Nevada and western Basin and Range
GEOSPHERE
2012; 8 (2): 229-249
View details for DOI 10.1130/GES00671.1
View details for Web of Science ID 000302767800001
- Coupled basin-detachment systems as paleoaltimetry archives of the western North American Cordillera Earth and Planetary Science Letters 2012; 335-336: 36-47
- Cenozoic climatic and topographic evolution of the Western North America Cordillera American Journal of Science 2012; 312: 213-262
- Climatic control of denudation in the glaciated landscape of the Washington Cascades Nature Geoscience 2011; 4: 469-473
-
Cenozoic migration of topography in the North American Cordillera
GEOLOGY
2011; 39 (1): 87-90
View details for DOI 10.1130/G31450.1
View details for Web of Science ID 000285696000024
-
Diachronous isotopic and sedimentary responses to topographic changes as indicators of mid-Eocene hydrologic reorganization in western United States
Basin Research
2010: 1365-2117
View details for DOI 10.1111/j.1365-2117.2009.00456.x
- Stable isotope records of late Miocene precipitation and elevational patterns in the central Andean foreland Earth and Planetary Science Letters 2010; 290: 173-182
- Competition between erosion and reaction kinetics in controlling silicate weathering rates Earth and Planetary Science Letters 2010; 293: 191-199
- δ18O and δD of streamwaters across the Himalaya and Tibetan Plateau: Implications for moisture sources and paleoelevation reconstructions Earth and Planetary Science Letters 2010; 288: 20-32
- Geomorphic controls on lacustrine isotopic compositions: Evidence from the Laney Member, Green River Formation (Wyoming) Geological Society of America Bulletin 2010; 122: 236-252
- Pedogenic carbonate carbon isotopic constraints on paleoprecipitation: Evolution of desert in the Pacific Northwest, USA, in response to topographic development of the Cascade Range Chemical Geology 2010; 277: 323-335
-
SYNOROGENIC EVOLUTION OF LARGE-SCALE DRAINAGE PATTERNS: ISOTOPE PALEOHYDROLOGY OF SEQUENTIAL LARAMIDE BASINS
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE
2009; 309 (7): 549-602
View details for DOI 10.2475/07.2009.02
View details for Web of Science ID 000270467100002
-
Cenozoic tectonic and topographic evolution of the northern Sierra Nevada, California, through stable isotope paleoaltimetry in volcanic glass
GEOLOGY
2009; 37 (6): 547-550
View details for DOI 10.1130/G25572A.1
View details for Web of Science ID 000266655500020
- Stable isotopic constraints on the tectonic, topographic, and climatic evolution of the northern Tibetan Plateau Earth and Planetary Science Letters 2009; 282: 158-166
- Detecting changes in habitat-scale bee foraging in a tropical fragmented landscape using stable isotopes Forest Ecology and Management 2009; 258: 1846–1855
- Paleogene landscape evolution of the Laramide foreland:Stable isotopic evidence of topographic and hydrologic development in the central North American Cordillera Geological Society of America Bulletin 2009; 121: 100-116
- Stable isotope foodweb analysis and mercury biomagnefication in polar bears (Ursus maritimus) Polar Research 2009; 28: 443-454
- Constraints on the metamorphic evolution of the eastern Himalayan syntaxis from geochronologic and petrologic studies of Namche Barwa Geological Society of America Bulletin 2009; 121: 385-407
- Oxygen and hydrogen isotope evidence for a temperate climate 3.42 billion years ago Nature 2009; 462: 205-208
-
Geochemical traces of CO2-rich fluid flow along normal faults in central Italy
GEOPHYSICAL JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL
2008; 174 (2): 758-770
View details for DOI 10.1111/j.1365-246X.2008.03792.x
View details for Web of Science ID 000257755900021
- A Miocene to Pleistocene climate and elevation record of the Sierra Nevada Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 2008; 19: 6819–6824
- Capture of high-altitude precipitation by a low-altitude Eocene lake, western U. S., Wyoming Geology 2008; 36: 791-794
- The effect of drainage reorganization on paleoaltimetry studies: An example from the Paleogene Laramide foreland Earth and Planetary Science Letters 2008; 275: 258-268
-
The relationship between tectonic uplift and chemical weathering rates in the Washington cascades: Field measurements and model predictions
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE
2007; 307 (9): 1041-1063
View details for DOI 10.2475/09.2007.01
View details for Web of Science ID 000253135700001
- Uplift, erosion and phosphorous limitation in terrestrial ecoystems Ecosystems 2007; 10: 158-170
- Stable isotope paleoaltimetry in orogenic belts - The silicate record in surface and crustal geological archives Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry 2007; 66: 89-118
- Stable isotope paleoaltimetry of Eocene Core Complexes, northern North America Cordillera Tectonics 2007; 26
- Major ion chemistry of the Yarlung Tsangpo/Brahmaputra river: Chemical weathering, erosion, and CO2 consumption in the southern Tibet Plateau and Eastern Syntaxis of the Himalaya Geochimica Cosmochmica Acta 2007; 71: 2207-2235
- Historic decline in primary productivity in western Gulf of Alaska and eastern Bering Sea: isotopic analysis of northern fur seal teeth Marine Ecology Progress Series 2007; 332: 211-224
-
Reconstructing grassland vegetation and paleotemperatures using carbon isotope ratios of bison tooth enamel
GEOLOGY
2006; 34 (8): 649-652
View details for DOI 10.1130/G22745.1
View details for Web of Science ID 000239937200011
-
Hydrogen isotopes in Eocene river gravels and paleoelevation of the Sierra Nevada
SCIENCE
2006; 313 (5783): 87-89
Abstract
We determine paleoelevation of the Sierra Nevada, California, by tracking the effect of topography on precipitation, as recorded in hydrogen isotopes of kaolinite exposed in gold-bearing river deposits from the Eocene Yuba River. The data, compared with the modern isotopic composition of precipitation, show that about 40 to 50 million years ago the Sierra Nevada stood tall (>/=2200 meters), a result in conflict with proposed young surface uplift by tectonic and climatic forcing but consistent with the Sierra Nevada representing the edge of a pre-Eocene continental plateau.
View details for DOI 10.1126/science.1125986
View details for Web of Science ID 000238850200036
View details for PubMedID 16825568
-
Rising mountain ranges
SCIENCE
2006; 311 (5760): 478-479
View details for DOI 10.1126/science.1123215
View details for Web of Science ID 000235071400033
- Ammunition is the principal source of lead accumulated by California Condors re-introduced to the wild Environmental Science and Technology 2006; 40: 6143-6150
- Stable isotopic evidence for an early Tertiary elevation gradient in the Great Plains-Rocky Mountain region Tectonics, climate and landscape evolution edited by Willet, S. D., Hovius, N., Brandon, M. T., Fisher, D. Geological Society of America. 2006: 309–319
- Cenozoic topographic and climatic response to changing tectonic boundary conditions in western North America Earth and Planetary Science Letters 2006; 252: 453-466
- Sources of exposure of the New Hampshire population to arsenic in public and private drinking water supplies Chemical Geology 2006; 228: 72-84
- Stable isotopic evidence for Neogene paleotopography and paleoclimate of the central Basin and Range Province Geological Society of America Bulletin 2006; 118: 475-490
- Stable isotopic and rare earth evidence for recent ironstone pods within the Archean Barberton greenstone belt, South Africa Geochimica Cosmochimica Acta 2006; 70: 1457-1470
-
Stable isotope records of Cenozoic climate and topography, Tibetan plateau and Tarim basin
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE
2005; 305 (2): 101-118
View details for Web of Science ID 000228681100001
- Oxygen and hydrogen isotope ratios in freshwater chert as indicators of ancient climate and hydrologic regime Geochimica Cosmochimica Acta 2005; 69: 1377-1390
- Influence of uplift, weathering and base cation supply on past and future CO2 levels. A history of atmospheric CO2 and its effects on plants, animals and ecosystems edited by Ehleringer et al, .. Springer Verlag. 2005: 166–184
- Climatic and ecologic changes during Miocene surrface uplift in the Southern Patagonian Andes Earth and Planetary Science Letters 2005; 230: 125-142
- Pleistocene to Recent dietary shifts in California Condors Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2005: 16707-16711
- Oxygen isotopic compositon and U-Pb discordance in zircon Geochimica Cosmochimica Acta 2005; 69: 4895-4905
- Comparing naturally occurring stable isotopes of nitrogen, carbon and strontium as markers for Atlantic salmon juvenile rearing locations Canadian Journal of Fisheries 2005; 62: 58-67
- Strontium isotopes, hydrothermal systems and steady-state chemical weathering in active mountain belts Earth and Planetary Science Letters 2005; 238: 351-366
- Eocene uplift and Miocene subsidence of the great Basin and southern Sierra Nevada American Journal of Science 2004; 304: 862-888
- Oxygen isotope records of goethite from ferricrete deposits indicate regionally varying Holocene climate change in the Rocky Mountain region Quaternary Research 2004; 61: 64-71
- U-Pb zircon constraints on the tectonic evolution of southeastern Tibet American Journal of Science 2004; 304: 889-929
- Upper crustal fluid flow in the Outboard region of the Southern Alps, New Zealand Geofluids 2003; 3: 1-12
- Climatic and tectonic controls on chemical weathering in the New Zealand Southern Alps Geochimica Cosmochimica Acta 2003; 76: 29-46
- Monthly strontium/calcium oscillations in symbiotic coral aragonite: biological effects limiting the precision of the paleotemperature proxy Geophysical Research Letters 2003; 30: 711-714
- Fluid flow and the Heart Mountain Fault: A stable isotopic, fluid inclusion and geochronologic study Geofluids 2003; 3: 13-32
- Extreme 34S depletions in ZnS at the Mike gold deposits, Carlin Trend, Nevada: Evidence for bacteriogenic supergene sphalerite Geology 2003; 31: 913-916
- Are high 3He/4He ratios in oceanic baalts an indicator of deep-mantle plume component? Earth and Planetary Sciences 2003; 208: 197-204
- Analyzing trophic transfer of heavy metals in stream food webs using nitrogen isotopes Science of the Total Environment 2003; 317: 73-89
- Oxygen, carbon and strontium isotopic constraints on timing and sources of crustal fluids in an active orogen: South Island, New Zealand Journal of New Zealand Geology and Geophysics 2003; 46: 457-471
-
Re-Os isotopic evidence for long-lived heterogeneity and equilibration processes in the Earth's upper mantle
NATURE
2002; 419 (6908): 705-708
Abstract
The geochemical composition of the Earth's upper mantle is thought to reflect 4.5 billion years of melt extraction, as well as the recycling of crustal materials. The fractionation of rhenium and osmium during partial melting in the upper mantle makes the Re-Os isotopic system well suited for tracing the extraction of melt and recycling of the resulting mid-ocean-ridge basalt. Here we report osmium isotope compositions of more than 700 osmium-rich platinum-group element alloys derived from the upper mantle. The osmium isotopic data form a wide, essentially gaussian distribution, demonstrating that, with respect to Re-Os isotope systematics, the upper mantle is extremely heterogeneous. As depleted and enriched domains can apparently remain unequilibrated on a timescale of billions of years, effective equilibration seems to require high degrees of partial melting, such as occur under mid-ocean ridges or in back-arc settings, where percolating melts enhance the mobility of both osmium and rhenium. We infer that the gaussian shape of the osmium isotope distribution is the signature of a random mixing process between depleted and enriched domains, resulting from a 'plum pudding' distribution in the upper mantle, rather than from individual melt depletion events.
View details for DOI 10.1038/nature01067
View details for Web of Science ID 000178615200036
View details for PubMedID 12384694
- Stable isotopic evidence for a pre-Middle Miocene rainshadow in the western Basin and Range: implications for the surface uplift of the Sierra Nevada Tectonics 2002; 21: 1-10
- Characterization of fluids during active orogenesis and metamorphism: Nanga Parbat, Pakistan Himalaya American Journal of Science, v 2002; 302: 726-748
- Structural controls on tectonically driven fluid flow and mesothermal gold mineralization Tectonophysics 2002; 348: 135-153
- Mechanical links between erosion and metamorphism in Nanga Parbat, Pakistan Himalaya American Journal of Science 2002; 302: 749-773
- Land use and geological controls on the major element and isotopic (d15N and 87Sr/86Sr) geochemistry of the Connecticut River watershed, USA Chemical Geology 2002; 189: 19-34
- Linking the breeding and wintering ranges of a neotropical migrant songbird using stable isotopes Science 2002; 295: 1062-1065
- Hydrothermal arsenic enrichment in an active mountain belt, Southern Alps, New Zealand Chemical Geology 2001; 177: 323-339
- Crustal reworking at Nanga Parbat, Pakistan, I. Evidence for erosionally mediated thermal-mechanical coupling Tectonics 2001; 20: 712-728
- Erosion, Himalayan Geodynamics and the Geomorphology of Metamorphism Geology Today 2001; 11: 4-9
- The Ca/Sr and Sr isotope systematics of a Himalayan glacial chronosequence: Carbonate versus silicate weathering rates as a function of landscape surface age Geochem Cosmochim Acta 2001; 66: 13-27
- A combined surface and geochemical analysis of metal fluxes in a historically mined region: A case study from the New World Mining District, MT Environmental Geology 2001; 40: 1334-1346
- Empirical relationships between elevation and the stable isotope composition of precipitation: considerations for studies of paleoelevation change American Journal of Science 2001; 301: 1-15
- Stable isotopes examined across a migratory divide in Scandinavian willow warblers (Phylloscopus trochilus trochilus and Phylloscopus trochilus acredula) reflect their African (Winter), quarters Proceedings of the Royal Society of London 2000; 267: 43-48
- Fluids in a backthrust regime (Southern Alps, New Zealand) Journal of Geochemical Exploration 2000; 69: 517-521
- Gold mineralisation near the Main Divide, upper Wilberforce valley, Southern Alps, New Zealand New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics 2000; 43: 199-215
- The origin of soil organic matter in Taylor Valley, Antarctica: A legacy of climate change Ecology 2000; 81: 2377-2391
- Evidence for Holocene climate change in the northern Rockies from a goethite-rich ferricrete chronosequence Chemical Geology 2000; 166: 327-340
- Reconstructing the paleotopography of mountain belts from the isotopic composition of authigenic minerals Geology 2000; 28: 115-118
- Massif-wide metamorphism and fluid evolution at Nanga Parbat, northwestern Pakistan American Journal of Science 2000; 300: 463-482
- Oxygen isotope studies of illite/smectite and clinoptilolite from Yucca Mountain: implications for paleohydrological conditions Earth and Planetary Science Letters 1999; 171: 95-106
- Isotopic tracing of animal migration Isotopes as Indicators of Environmental Change edited by McDonnell, .., Kendal, .. USGS. 1999
- Chemical weathering and the lithologic controls of water chemistry in a high-elevation river system: Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River, Wyoming and Montana Water Resources Research 1999; 35: 1643-1655
- Near-surface expression of a young mesothermal gold mineralizing system, Sealy Range, Southern Alps, New Zealand Mineralum Depositia 1999; 34: 163-172
- Topographic development of the Southern Alps recorded by the isotopic composition of authigenic clay minerals, South Island, New Zealand Chemical Geology 1999; 155: 279-294
- Natural abundance of carbon and nitrogen isotopes in potential sources of organic matter to soils of Taylor Valley, Antarctica Antarctic Journal of the United States 1996 Review Issue 1998; 31: 209-210
- N15 enrichment in agricultural catchments: field patterns and applications to tracking Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) Chemical Geology 1998; 147: 281-294
- Isotope systematics of granites and gneisses of the Nanga Parbat Massif, Pakistan Himalaya American Journal of Science 1998; 298: 673-698
- Fluid flow during active oblique convergence: A Southern Alps model from mechanical and geochemical observations Geology 1998; 26: 159-162
- Carbonate versus silicate weathering in the Raikot watershed within the High Himalayan Crystalline Series Geology 1998; 26: 411-414
- Oxygen isotope compositions of mixed-layer serpentine/chlorite and illite/smectite in the Tuscaloosa Formation (US Gulf Coast): Implications for pore fluids and mineralogic reactions Clays and Clay Minerals 1998; 46: 357-368
- Petrology and geochemistry of target rocks from the Bosumtwi impact structure, Ghana, and comparison with Ivory Coast tektites Geochim Cosmochim Acta 1998; 62: 2179-2196
- Tectonically driven mixing between midcrustal fluids and surface-derived waters during Recent uplift of the Southern Alps, New Zealand Earth and Planetary Science Letters 1998; 154: 73-92
- Carbon isotopes reveal soil organic matter dynamics following arid land shrub expansion Oecologia 1997; 110: 374-386
- Dynamics of carbon storage in degraded aridland environments: A case study from the Jornada Experimental Range, New Mexico, USA Combating Global Climate Change by Combating Land Degradation edited by Squires, V. R., Glenn, E. P., Ayoub, A. T. United Nations Environment Programme. 1997: 132–148
- Isotopic study of environmental change from disseminated carbonate in polygenetic soils Soil Science Society of America Journal 1997; 65: 1710-1722
- Isotopic lessons in a beer bottle Journal of Geological Education 1997; 45: 157-161
- Oxygen isotope evidence of climate change from pedogenic clay minerals in the Himalayan molasse Geochem Cosmochim Acta 1997; 61: 731-744
- The use of isotope tracers for identifying populations of migratory birds Oecologia 1997; 109: 132-141
- Tracing natal origins of migrating Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) using stable isotopes Nature 1997; 387: 766-767
- Structure and fluid migration in a late duplex system forming the Main Divide in the central Southern Alps, New Zealand New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics 1997; 40: 359-373
- An oxygen isotopic study of the Waits River/ Standing Pond contact in eastern Vermont: Preservation of diagenetic isotopic signatures during regional metamorphism American Journal of Science 1996; 296: 394-419
- Assembly of the crystalline terranes of northwestern Himalaya and Karakoram, northwestern Pakistan The Tectonic Evolution of Asia edited by Yin, A., Harrison, T. M. Cambridge University Press. 1996; Rubey Volume
- Nd, Sr, O isotopic study of two syntectonic members of the New Hampshire Plutonic Series Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 1996; 124: 126-138
- Direct canopy nitrogen uptake of 15 N-labeled wet deposition by mature red spruce Canadian Journal of Forest Research 1996; 26: 1539-1547
- Meteoric incursion, oxygen fronts, and gold mobility in the Dalradian metamorphic belt, southwest Scotland Mineral Deposita 1996; 31: 365-373
- Geochronologic constraints on syntaxial development, Nanga Parbat region, Paksitan Tectonics 1996; 15: 1292-1308
- Stable isotopic evidence of vertical hydrogen microseepage, Little Buffalo Basin Oil Field, Bighorn Basin, Wyoming West Texas Geological Society Fall Symposium 1995 : 53–68
- Isotopic investigation of the Manson impact structure, Iowa: Identifying the origin of the melt sheet Special Paper 302: The Manson Impact Structure. Iowa: Anatomy of an Impact Crater Geological Society of America. 1995
- Metamorphism and melting of the lithosphere due to rapid denudation, Nanga Parbat Massif, Pakistan Journal of Geology 1995; 103: 395-409
- Geochronologic constraints of the uplift and metamorphism along the Alpine Fault, South Island, New Zealand New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics 1995; 38: 515-523
- Direct evidence for a steep geotherm under conditions of rapid advection, western Himalaya, Pakistan Geology 1995; 22: 1075-1078
- Fluids and thrusting the Heart Mountain Fault revisited Geology 1995; 23: 929-932
- Stable isotopic evidence of vertical hydrocarbon micorseepage, Little Buffalo Basin Oil Field, Bighorn Basin, Wyoming Bulletin of the Association of Petroleum Geochemical Explorationists 1995; 10: 1-23
- Nitrogen isotope variation of tree rings as a potential indicator of environmental change Chemical Geology 1995; 125: 307-315
- Isotopic and model observations of deformation and head-driven flow from the Southern Alps, New Zealand New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics 1995; 38: 535-543
- Timing and duration of Himalayan metamorphism within the Indian Plate, northwest Himalaya, Pakistan Journal of Geology 1994; 102: 493-508
- Isotopic evidence for closed-system anatexis at mid-crustal levels: An example from the Acadian Appalachians of New England Journal of Geophysical Research 1994; 99: 9453-9468
- Active hydrothermal systems during the recent uplift of Nanga Parbat, Pakistan Himalaya Journal of Geophysical Research 1994; 100: 439-454
- Boiling fluids in a region of rapid uplift, Nanga Parbat Massif, Pakistan Earth and Planetary Science Letters 1994; 128: 169-182
- Carbon isotope signature of environmental change found in fossil ratite eggshells from a South Asian Neogene sequence Geology 1994; 22: 419-422
- Zinc and carbon colimitation of marine phytoplankton Nature 1994; 369: 740-742
- Oxygen isotope zoning in garnet - a record of volatile transport Geochem Cosmochim Acta 1993; 57: 2613-2629
- Synchronous anatexis, metamorphism, and rapid denudation at Nanga Parbat (Pakistan Himalaya) Geology 1993; 21: 347-350
- Reply to comment by B. Harte and T.J. Dempster: Metamorphic zones and field gradients in orogenic belts: Tectonic controls of metamorphic field gradients Earth and Planetary Sciences Letters 1993; 116: 181-184
- Petrologic and isotopic studies in metamorphic rocks of eastern Vermont and western New Hampshire Fieldtrip Guide Geological Society of America Fieldtrip Guide. 1993
- Sequence and correlation of tectonic and metamorphic events in southeastern Vermont Fieldtrip Guide Geological Society of America. 1993
- Isotopic comparison of K-T Boundary impact glass with melt rock from the Chicxulub and Manson impact structures Nature 1993; 364: 325-327
- Oxygen isotope constraints on the origin of impact glasses from the Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary Science 1992; 257: 1104-1107
- Laser-based, in situ measurements of fine-scale variations in the d18O values of hydrothermal quartz Geology 1992; 20: 812-816
- Tectonic controls of metamorphic field gradients Earth and Planetary Science Letters 1992; 111: 517-535
- Stable isotopic evidence for regional-scale fluid migration in a Barrovian metamorphic terrane, Vermont, USA Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 1992; 112: 475-489
- Documentation of Neogene regional metamorphism in the Himalayas of Pakistan using U-Pb in monazite Earth and Planetary Science Letters 1992; 113: 93-105
- Petrogenetic and tectonic significance of young leucogranites from the northwestern Himalaya, Pakistan Tectonics 1991; 10: 729-741
- Oxygen isotope zoning in garnet Science 1991; 254: 403-406
- Petrologic and isotopic studies in metamorphic rocks of eastern Vermont and western New Hampshire Fieldtrip Guide Geological Society of America. 1991
- The relative scales of thermally- and fluid infiltration-driven metamorphism in fold nappes, New England, USA American Mineralogist 1991; 76: 713-727
- The relative permeabilities of quartzites and schists during active metamorphism at mid-crustal levels Journal of Geophysical Research Letters 1991; 18: 959-962
- Constraints on the evolution of the northwestern Himalaya from geochronologic and petrologic studies of Babusar Pass, Pakistan Journal of Geology 1991; 99: 829-849
- Metamorphic evidence for an inverted crustal section, with constraints on the Main Karakorum Thrust, Baltistan, Northern Pakistan Journal of Metamorphic Petrology 1991; 9: 403-418
- Apparent isobaric cooling paths from granulites: Counter-examples from British Columbia and New Hampshire Geology 1990; 18: 307-310
- Acadian age from quartz-graphite veins at Bristol, New Hampshire: evidence for synmetamorphic transfer of heat by fluids Geology 1990; 18: 626-629
- The effect of net-transfer reactions on the isotopic composition of minerals Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 1990; 105: 322-336
- Heat producing elements and the thermal and baric patterns of metamorphic belts Science 1990; 250: 763-769
- Clues from regional metamorphism Journal of Geoscience Translations (Chinese) 1990; 2: 12-15
- Thermal consequences of conductivity contrasts in the crust Earth and Planetary Science Letters 1989; 93: 392-404
- Hydrothermal graphite veins and Acadian granulite facies metamorphism, New Hampshire, USA Fluid Movements - Element Transport and Composition of the Deep Crust edited by Bridgewater, D. 1989: 117–120
- Styles of Metamorphism with Depth in the Central Acadian High, New England Contribution 63 edited by Chamberlain, C. P., Robinson, P. University of Massachusetts. 1989
-
Implications of thermal and baric structure for controls on metamorphism: northern New England, USA
Geological Society, London, Special Publications
1989; 43 (1)
View details for DOI 10.1144/gsl.sp.1989.043.01.14
-
The influence of fluids on the thermal history of a metamorphic terrain: New Hampshire, USA
Geological Society, London, Special Publications
1989; 43 (1): 203-213
View details for DOI 10.1144/gsl.sp.1989.043.01.13
- Petrologic constraints on the tectonic development of the Nanga Parbat-Haramosh Massif, Himalayas Geological Society of America Special Paper 232 1989: 23-32
- The dynamics of the suture between the Kohistan island arc and the Indian plate in the Himalaya of Pakistan Journal of Metamorphic Geology 1989; 7: 135-149
- Thermal anomalies in a regional metamorphic terrain: An isotopic study of the role of fluids Journal of Petrology 1988; 29: 1215-1232
- Crustal cooling rates inferred from homogenization of metamorphic garnets Earth and Planetary Science Letters 1988; 87: 390-396
- The influence of deformation on the pressure-temperature paths of metamorphism Geology 1987; 15: 42-44
- Evidence for the repeated folding of isotherms during regional metamorphism Journal of Petrology 1986; 27: 63-89
- The Acadian thermal history of the Merrimack Synclinorium in New Hampshire Journal of of Geology 1985; 93: 593-602
- Scapolite: alkali atom configurations, antiphase domains, and compositional variations American Mineralogist 1985; 70: 134-140
- Pressure, temperature, and metamorphic zonation studies of pelitic schists in the Merrimack Synclinorium American Mineralogist 1983; 68: 530-540
- Cleanup procedure for contaminated oil prior to fingerprinting by Gas Chromatography and Infrared Spectroscopy Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 1982; 29: 39-36