Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

187Re-187Os in Lesser Himalayan sediments: Measurement techniques and preliminary results

  • Published:
Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Sciences - Earth and Planetary Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The applications of the187Re-187Os isotope pair as a petrogenetic and geologic tracer are increasing in recent years due to several advances in the chemical extraction and purification of Re and Os, occurring at ppb levels in environmental samples, and in the precise determination of the Os isotope composition. We have established in our laboratory; based on available methods, chemical procedures and Negative Thermal Ionisation Mass Spectrometric techniques for the measurement of Re-Os concentrations in environmental samples and the Os isotope composition in them. Using these techniques, we are able to determine187Os/186Os ratios with a precision of ∼ 1% (±2σμ; twice the standard error of the mean) in several tens of picogram of Os. Preliminary analysis of black shales from the Lower Tal section of the Maldeota phosphorite mine yields a mean187Re-187Os model age of 597 ± 30 Ma. The187Os/186Os and Os concentration in black shales of the Lesser Himalaya range from 8 to 96 and 0.02 to 13 ng g-1 respectively. The mean187Os/186Os in these samples is ∼ 25, significantly higher than the crustal value of ∼ 10.5, suggesting that these black shales could be an important source of radiogenic Os to the rivers draining the Himalaya and to the steady increase in187Os/186Os of the oceans through the Cenozoic.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Allegre C J and Luck J M 1980 Osmium isotopes as petrogenetic and geological tracers;Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 48 148–154

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Azmi R J 1983 Microfauna and age of the Lower Tal Phosphorite of Mussoorie Syncline, Garhwal Lesser Himalaya, India;Him. Geol. 11 373–409

    Google Scholar 

  • Banerjee D M, Schidlowski M, Siebert F and Brasier M D 1997 Geochemical changes across the Proterozoic-Cambrian transition in the Durmala phosphorite mine section, Mussoorie Hills, Garhwal Himalaya, India;Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. 132 183–194

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowring S A, Grotzinger J P, Isachen C E, Knoll A H, Pelechaty S M and Kolosov P 1993 Calibrating rates of Early Cambrian evolution;Science 261 1293–1298

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Colodner D, Sachs J, Ravizza G, Turekian K, Edmond J and Boyle E 1993 The geochemical cycle of rhenium: a reconnaissance;Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 117 205–221

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Creaser R A, Papanastassiou D A and Wasserburg G J 1991 Negative thermal ion mass spectrometry of osmium, rhenium and iridium;Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 55 397–401

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dickin A P 1995Radiogenic Isotope Geology; (UK: Cambridge University Press) 490 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ehrenbrink B P, Ravizza G and Hofmann A W 1995 The marine187Os/186Os record of the past 80 million years;Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 130 155–167

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ehrenbrink B P and Blum J D 1998 Re-Os isotope systematics and weathering of Precambrian crustal rocks: Implications for the marine osmium isotope record;Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 62 3193–3203

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Esser B K 1991 Osmium isotope geochemistry of terrigenous and marine sediments. Ph.D. Thesis, Yale Univ., USA, 308 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Esser B K and Turekian K 1993 The osmium isotopic composition of the continental crust;Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 57 3093–3104

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Falkner K K 1992 Summary of Os-191 single-bead experiments, WHOI-report, 20 pp.

  • Hauri E and Hart S R 1993 Re-Os isotope systematics of HIMU and EMU oceanic island basalts from the south Pacific Ocean;Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 114 353–371

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heumann K G 1988 Isotope dilution mass spectrometry. In:Inorganic Mass Spectrometry (eds) F Adamset al Chap. 7 pp 301–376

  • Lindner M, Leich D A, Russ G P, Bazan J M and Borg R J 1989 Direct determination of the half life of187Re;Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 53 1597–1606

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luck J M 1982 Geochimie du Rhenium-Osmium: Method et applications. Thesis Univ. of Paris VII.

  • Luck J M and Allegre C J 1983187Re-187Os systematics in meteorites and cosmochemical consequences;Nature 302 130–132

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luck J M, Birk J L and Allegre C J 1980187Re-187Os systematics in meteorites: Early chronology of the solar system and age of the galaxy;Nature 283 256–259

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martin C E 1990 Rhenium-Osmium isotope geochemistry of the mantle. Ph.D. Thesis Yale Univ., USA, 170 pp.

  • Mattinson J M 1969 Preparation of Hydrofluoric, Hydrochloric, and Nitric Acids at ultralow lead levels;Anal. Chem. 41 2088–2089

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mehr S S 1977 Structural studies in the parts of Kumaun Himalaya;Him. Geol. 7 26–42

    Google Scholar 

  • Nier A O 1937 The isotopic constitution of osmium;Phys. Rev. 52 885

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nier A O 1950 A redetermination of the relative abundances of the isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, argon and potassium;Phys. Rev. 77 789–793

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pegram W J and Allegre C-J 1992 Osmium isotopic compositions from oceanic basalts;Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 111 59–68

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pegram W J, Krishnaswami S, Ravizza G E and Turekian K K 1992 Record of sea water187Os/186Os variation through the Cenozoic;Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 113 569–576

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ravizza G E 1991 Rhenium-Osmium isotope geochemistry of modern and ancient organic rich sediments. Ph.D. Thesis Yale Univ. USA, 245 pp.

  • Ravizza G E 1993 Variations of187Os/186Os ratio of sea water over the past 28 million years as inferred from metaliferrous carbonates;Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 118 335–348

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ravizza G E and Turekian K K 1989 Application of the187Re187Os system to black shale geochronometry;Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 53 3257–3262

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shanker R, Kumar G, Mathur V K and Joshi A 1993 Stratigraphy of Blaini, Infra Krol, Krol and Tal Succession, Krol Belt, Lesser Himalaya;Indian J. Petrol. Geol. 2 99–136

    Google Scholar 

  • Sharma K K, Rao D R, Azmi R J, Gopalan K and Pantulu G V C 1992 Precambrian-Cambrian boundary in the Tal Formation of Garhwal Lesser Himalaya: Rb-Sr age evidence from black shales underlying phosphorites;Curr. Sci. 62 528–530

    Google Scholar 

  • Shen J J, Papanastassiou D A and Wasserburg G J 1996 Precise Re-Os determinations and systematics of iron meteorites;Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 60 2887–2900

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shirey S B and Walker R J 1995 Carius tube digestion for lowblank rhenium-osmium analysis;Anal. Chem. 67 2136–2141

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shirey S B and Walker R J 1998 The Re-Os isotope system in cosmochemistry and high-temperature geochemistry;Ann. Rev Earth Planet Sci. 26 423–500

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singh I B and Rai V 1983 Fauna and biogenic structures in Krol-Tal succession (Vendian-Early Cambrian), Lesser Himalaya: their biostratigraphic and palaeontological significance;J. Pal. Soc. India 21 67–90

    Google Scholar 

  • Singh S K 1999 Isotopic and geochemical studies of the Lesser Himalayan sedimentaries; Ph.D. thesis, submitted to M.S. University Baroda, 160 pp.

  • Singh S K, Trivedi J R and Krishnaswami S 1998 Re-Os systematics in black shales of the Lesser Himalaya; abstract, ICOG-9 Beijing, 121

  • Singh S K, Trivedi J R and Krishnaswami S 1999 Re-Os systematics of black shales from the Lesser Himalaya: Their chronology and role in the187Os/188Os evolution of seawater;Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 63 2381–2392

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tandon S K, Thakur V C, Nanda A C, Azmi R J, Bagati T N, Tewari V C and Kumar R 1988 Excursion guide Himalayan sequence of Dehradun-Mussoorie sector;Geol. Soc. India, Bangalore, 17–27

  • Trivedi J R 1990 Geochemical studies of Himalayan Granitoids. Ph.D. thesis Gujarat Univ., India, 170 pp.

  • Trivedi J R, Pande K, Krishnaswami S and Sarin M M 1995 Sr isotopes in rivers of India and Pakistan: A reconnaissance study;Curr. Sci. 69 171–178

    Google Scholar 

  • Turekian K K and Pegram W J 1997 Osmium isotope record in a Cenozoic deep-sea core: Its relation to global tectonics and climate; in Tectonic Uplift and Climate, ed. W F Ruddiman (New York: Plenum Press)

    Google Scholar 

  • Valdiya K S 1995 Proterozoic sedimentation and Pan-African geodynamic development in the Himalaya;Precambrian Res. 74 35–55

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Volkening J, Walczyk T and Heumann K G 1991 Osmium isotope ratio determinations by negative thermal ionization mass spectrometry;Int. J. Mass. Spec. Ion Proc. 105 147–159

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walker R J 1988 Low-blank chemical separation of rhenium and osmium from gram quantities of silicate rock for measurement by resonance ionization mass spectrometry;Anal. Chem. 60 1231–1234

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physical Research Laboratory, Navrangpura, 380009, Ahmedabad, India

    J. R. Trivedi, Sunil K. Singh & S. Krishnaswami

Authors
  1. J. R. Trivedi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sunil K. Singh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. S. Krishnaswami
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Trivedi, J.R., Singh, S.K. & Krishnaswami, S. 187Re-187Os in Lesser Himalayan sediments: Measurement techniques and preliminary results. Proc. Indian Acad. Sci. (Earth Planet Sci.) 108, 179–187 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02842330

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02842330

Keywords

Search

Navigation