Extraterrestrial ~3He in marine polymetallic nodules: a potential method for measuring growth rate of nodules

The comparative measurements of helium isotope compositions between marine poly-metallic nodules and their surrounding sediments, their magnetic fractions and bulk from C-C Zoneof the East Pacific Basin are reported. The ~4He content and ~3He/~4He ratio of polymetallic nodulesand their surrounding sediments are extremely high; the ~3He, ~4He concentrations and most~3He/~4He ratios of magnetic fractions in nodules and sediments are apparently higher than those inbulk. The helium isotope data points of nodules and sediments are all distributed along or closelyto the mixing curve of the interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) and the terrigenous sediments in thechart of ~3He-~3He/~4He. In the same sampling site, the ~3He/~4He ratios of nodules and their surround-ing sediments are very similar, and the changes of both ratios are synchronous. It shows that thehigh ~3He/~4He ratios in nodules and sediments may all result from IDPs. So, if the flux of extrater-restrial ~3He into the nodules and sediments is constant, the growth rate of polymetallic nodules andthe sedimentation rate of sediments can be independently calculated according to the concentra-tion of extraterrestrial ~3He in nodules and sediments.