The first billion years of our planet’s history is almost devoid of geological records and this scarcity of Eoarchean/Hadean rocks and minerals greatly limits our understanding of how and when the first crust formed on Earth. The Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt (NGB), located in the Hudson Bay terrane of the Northeastern Superior Province, may host the oldest preserved rocks on Earth. It is locally intruded in its southwestern corner by rare 3.76 Ga trondhjemite bands which impose a minimum age for the NGB, but its dominant lithology, a mafic cummingtonite-amphibolite called the Ujaraaluk unit, displays isotopic evidence suggesting it may represent a rare remnant of Hadean mafic crust as old as 4.3 Ga. However, this proposed Hadean age for the NGB has been heavily debated for more than a decade. As potentially the only remnant of crust formed within the first 500 million years of Earth’s history, the NGB could have important implications on our knowledge of the first terrestrial crust. In order to impose tighter geochronological constraints on the NGB, here we present U-Pb zircon and ¹⁴⁷Sm-¹⁴³Nd whole rock data for gneissic gabbro sills that intrude the Ujaraaluk unit as well as U-Pb data for zircons from intruding and surrounding granitoids. A new strategy of sampling for the gneissic gabbros targeted the most evolved plagioclase-rich zones and amphibole-rich cumulative rocks to better constrain their age of magmatic differentiation. The most evolved parts of the sills were also sampled because they are the most likely to contain igneous zircon or baddeleyite that could constrain their crystallization age. Zircons from two compositionally evolved gneissic gabbros yielded U-Pb ages between 2.7 and 2.6 Ga consistent with the timing of Neoarchean metamorphism in the region. A plagioclase-rich layer found within the gabbro sills yielded zircons defining a U-Pb Concordia upper intercept age of 2789 Ma, but their texture and Th/U ratios are more consistent with recrystallization of zircon subsequent to the breakdown of an older Zr-bearing phase and therefore do not constrain the age of emplacement of the sills. However, a ¹⁴⁷Sm-¹⁴³Nd isochron for the gneissic gabbros, including the newly identified plagioclase-rich evolved zone and hornblende-rich cumulative rock, yielded an isochron age of 4151 ± 290 (MSWD = 9, n = 6) interpreted as the timing of magmatic differentiation of the sills. This 4.1 Ga age thus strongly supports the previously proposed Hadean age for the NGB. New zircon U-Pb data reported here for plutonic trondhjemites found in the central and eastern parts surrounding the NGB suggests that the extent of the ~3.8 Ga Eoarchean felsic magmatism is greater than previously thought. New zircon trace element and oxygen isotope data for a series of granitoids surrounding and locally intruding the NGB previously dated at 3.76 Ga, 3.66 Ga, 3.51 Ga and 3.35 Ga provide a better understanding of the petrogenetic processes responsible for early felsic crust production. Zircons from the 3.76 Ga, 3.66 Ga and 3.35 Ga granitoids are characterized by rare earth element trends typical of unaltered igneous zircons. However, zircons from the 3.51 Ga magmatic event display unusual rare earth element patterns, with a striking positive Eu-anomaly, suggesting that they may have experienced some type of post-magmatic alteration. Zircon δ¹⁸O values appear to have slightly increased over time with the zircons from the oldest 3.76 Ga trondhjemites displaying mean δ¹⁸O values within the mantle zircon field and the younger Paleoarchean granitoids progressively deviating from the mantle zircon field to reach a mean zircon δ¹⁸O value of 6.58‰ at 3.35 Ga. This suggests that the 3.76 Ga trondhjemites were derived from an unaltered crustal source, whereas the ≤3.66 Ga granitoids were derived from a supracrustal source that had experienced some degree of low-temperature hydrothermal alteration. This trend of mantle-like zircon δ¹⁸O values preserved in the first evolved crust, which deviate towards higher zircon δ¹⁸O values in successive felsic magmatic events, has also been observed in other Hadean and Eoarchean terranes indicating that similar processes may have operated on a global scale during the production and evolution of early continental crust.

L’enregistrement géologique de l’Hadéen et de l’Eoarcheén étant limité, la composition et l’évolution de la Terre silicatée au cours de ces périodes reste très débattue et peu connue. La première évidence d’un événement de différenciation précoce du manteau provient de l’étude du système éteint 146Sm-142Nd. En effet, les excès en 142Nd détectés dans les échantillons âgés de 3.7 milliard d’années (Ga) d’Isua (Sud-Ouest du Groenland) par rapport aux échantillons modernes, impliquent que leur source fût appauvrie en éléments incompatibles et formée durant l’Hadéen. Dans cette thèse nous avons étudié les systèmes isotopiques 146Sm-142Nd, 147Sm–143Nd et 176Lu–176Hf d’une collection d’échantillons mantelliques âgés de 3.8 Ga, 3.7 Ga, 3.4 Ga et 3.3 Ga et provenant de différentes unités géologiques de la région d’Isua. Cette collection d’échantillons couvre ~500 millions d’années de l’histoire précoce terrestre et a permis d’apporter des informations précieuses sur l’évolution de la composition et la dynamique du manteau au début de l’histoire de la Terre. Nous avons démontré un découplage des systèmes isotopiques de longue-vie Sm-Nd et Lu-Hf dans la source des roches âgées de 3.7 Ga, alors que ces deux systèmes sont généralement couplés lors des processus magmatiques de basse pression. Pour expliquer ce découplage, nous proposons que la source des laves d’Isua avait une origine profonde (manteau inférieur). Nous avons également confirmé les excès en 142Nd dans ces échantillons, ce qui implique que leur source a été appauvrie en éléments incompatibles dans les premiers 100 Ma de l’histoire de la Terre. L’évènement responsable de la différenciation du réservoir appauvri aurait également formé un réservoir complémentaire enrichi, enregistré dans les roches de 3.4 Ga. Cependant, les échantillons de 3.3 Ga ne montrent pas d’anomalies en 142Nd par rapport aux standards terrestres. Ceci suggère que les hétérogénéités chimiques hadéennes aient résisté au mélange convectif pendant plus de 1 Ga, puis qu’elles aient disparu et soient remélangées au reste du manteau à 3.3 Ga. Le mélange à 3.3 Ga pourrait aussi s’expliquer par les processus de subduction initiées par la tectonique de plaques récemment proposée comme ayant démarrée autour de 3.2 Ga. / The composition and the evolution of the silicate Earth during the Hadean-Eoarchean is widely debated and largely unknown due to the limited geological record. The first undisputable evidence for a very early differentiation of the mantle came from the extinct 146Sm-142Nd chronometer. The 142Nd excesses measured in 3.7 billion year (Ga) old rocks from Isua (Southwest Greenland) relative to modern terrestrial samples imply their derivation from a depleted mantle formed in the Hadean. We have studied 146,147Sm–142,143Nd and 176Lu–176Hf isotope systematics in 3.8 Ga, 3.7 Ga, 3.4 Ga and 3.3 Ga mantle-derived samples from different tectonic domains of the Isua region. This dataset covers ~ 500 million years of the early history of the Earth and revealed precious information about the compositional evolution and dynamics of the early Earth mantle. Combined Lu-Hf and Sm-Nd of the 3.7 Ga Isua samples revealed that these isotopic systematics were decoupled, suggesting a deep-seated source for the Isua lavas. We have further expanded the dataset and confirmed the 142Nd excesses in these rocks, implying that their source was depleted and differentiated during the first 100 Ma of Earth’s history. The differentiation event that created this early-depleted reservoir had to also form a complementary enriched component. We have found the first evidence for this reservoir recorded in the 3.4 Ga samples that yielded negative 142Nd anomalies. However, the 3.3 Ga analyzed samples showed no resolvable 142Nd anomalies compared to terrestrial Nd standards. This suggests that the Hadean heterogeneities were likely isolated for more than 1 Ga before being completely rehomogeneized by 3.3 Ga. The remixing by 3.3 Ga could have been achieved by subduction processes due to the onset of modern plate tectonics at ~3.2 Ga, as proposed by other recent studies.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(人間・環境学) / 甲第21186号 / 人博第858号 / 新制||人||204(附属図書館) / 29||人博||858(吉田南総合図書館) / 京都大学大学院人間・環境学研究科相関環境学専攻 / (主査)教授 小木曽 哲, 教授 石川 尚人, 教授 酒井 敏, 准教授 飯塚 毅 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Human and Environmental Studies / Kyoto University / DGAM

La naissance de la Lune, il y a environ 4.35-4.55 Ga, fut le résultat d'une collision majeure entre la proto-Terre et un embryon planétaire de la taille de Mars. L'énergie cinétique libérée lors de cet impact "géant" a sans doute été suffisante pour engendrer la fusion totale du manteau terrestre sur une profondeur de plusieurs milliers de kilomètres. La première croûte et réservoirs mantelliques différenciés furent ainsi produits par cristallisation de cet océan magmatique, avant d'être en grande partie réhomogénéisés par le recyclage crustal et le mélange convectif. Ce projet vise à apporter de nouvelles contraintes sur la chronologie et les mécanismes précoces (>4 Ga) de différenciation du manteau et de la croûte terrestres. A cet effet, une approche multi-isotopique combinant les systèmes 146,147Sm-142,143Nd et 176Lu-176Hf a été appliquée aux roches mafiques et ultramafiques de l'assemblage de Nulliak (3.78 Ga, Bloc de Saglek, Labrador) et de la ceinture supracrustale d'Ukaliq (3.75 Ga, Craton du Supérieur, Québec). L'application du système couplé 146,147Sm-142,143Nd aux échantillons de cette étude a permis de déterminer précisément l'âge de différenciation de la Terre silicatée, à 4.40±0.03 Ga. Cet âge est similaire à celui des plus anciennes roches lunaires, et légèrement antérieur à l'âge de cristallisation de l'océan magmatique lunaire (4.36±0.03 Ga). Les signatures 142,143Nd observées dans les roches Eoarchéennes de Nulliak et les laves Néoarchéennes de Theo's Flow (2.7 Ga, Abitibi) sont remarquablement similaires, et suggèrent une source mantellique commune, différenciée il y a ~4.4 Ga et préservée du mélange convectif sur une échelle de temps de plusieurs milliards d'années. L'application de la systématique 176Lu-176Hf aux metakomatiites de Nulliak indique que leur manteau source était caractérisé par des rapports Lu/Hf et Sm/Nd superchondritiques, impliquant un épisode antérieur de différenciation dans le champ de stabilité du grenat (P=3-25 GPa). De manière plus générale, il apparaît que l'ensemble des komatiites Eo- et Mesoarchéennes définissent une corrélation εHf-εNd de pente distincte (~4) à celle de la corrélation εHf-εNd du manteau moderne (~1.5). Cette signature est caractéristique d'une différenciation mantellique en présence de grenat et ne peut être attribuée à la cristallisation de pérovskite aux pressions du manteau inférieur. L'ensemble de ces observations est interprété comme reflétant une différenciation du manteau supérieur lors de la phase finale de cristallisation de l'océan magmatique, suivi du recyclage de ces cumulats superficiels dans le manteau profond par un mécanisme d'overturn. L'enregistrement isotopique Archéen en 142Nd pourrait ainsi refléter un échantillonnage ponctuel de ces hétérogénéités primordiales dans des contextes de points chauds au cours des deux premiers milliards d'années de l'histoire de la Terre / The Earth is a telluric planet that formed by collision with and accretion of multiple differentiated proto-planetary bodies. The latest of these collisions, the Moon-forming impact, occurred between the proto-Earth and a Mars-sized impactor ~4.35-4.55 Ga ago. Kinetic energy released during impact likely induced global melting of the silicate Earth over depths of thousands of kilometers. Crystallization of this magma ocean then resulted in the differentiation of primordial crustal and mantle reservoirs that were subsequently rehomogenized by convective stirring. The aim of this project is constrain the timing and differentiation mechanisms of the early silicate Earth (>4 Ga ago), using a multi-isotopic approach combining coupled 146,147Sm-142,143Nd chronometry and 176Lu-176Hf systematics. These isotopic tools were used to study well-preserved mafic to ultramafic rocks from the Nulliak assemblage (3.78 Ga, Saglek block, Labrador) and from the Ukaliq Supracrustal Belt (3.75 Ga, Superior Province, Quebec). Application of coupled 147Sm-143Nd and 146Sm-142Nd systematics to Archean rocks from this study provides a precise differentiation age of 4.40±0.03 Ga for the early silicate Earth. This event predates the final stage of magma ocean solidification on the Moon by <50 Ma, consistent with near synchronous cooling of terrestrial and lunar mantles in the aftermath of the giant impact. Furthermore, the similarity of 142,143Nd signatures between the Eoarchean Nulliak metakomatiites and Neoarchean lavas from Theo's flow (2.7 Ga, Abitibi) suggests that their parent magmas were derived from a common mantle source. This depleted mantle reservoir differentiated 4.4 Ga ago and remained isolated from mantle mixing on a billion year timescale. Application of 176Lu-176Hf systematics to Nulliak metakomatiites indicates extraction from a source with both suprachondritic ratios of Lu/Hf and Sm/Nd, consistent with prior depletion at shallow depth in the garnet stability field (P=3-25 GPa). Collectively, Eo- and Meso-Archean komatiites define an ε176Nd-ε143Nd array with a slope of ~4, significantly distinct from that of the modern mantle array (~1.5). This signature requires differentiation in the presence of garnet and cannot be attributed to crystallization of a perovskitic assemblage in a deep magma ocean (P>25 GPa). We interpret our observations to reflect differentiation of shallow cumulates during the final stage of magma ocean crystallization, followed by overturn and foundering of these dense cumulates in the deep mantle. The Archean 142Nd record may thus primarily reflect episodic sampling of these primordial heterogeneities by hot mantle plumes rather than progressive mixing of highly depleted Hadean reservoirs