Effects of pressure and composition on Pt-Re-Os partitioning behavior between solid and liquid metal in the Fe-Ni-S system: Implication for Os isotopic anomalies in plume-derived lavas

Coupled 186Os/188Os and 187Os/188Os enrichments of plume-derived lavas have been suggested to reflect material contribution from the outer core (e.g., Brandon, 1998). This geochemical hypothesis is based on an assumption that the outer core shows coupled enrichments in 186Os/ 188Os and 187Os/ 188Os ratio, reflecting the decay of 190Pt and 187Re to 186Os and 187Os, respectively. In order to examine this hypothesis, partitioning experiments of Pt-Re-Os between solid metal and liquid metal were performed using an MA-8 Kawai-type multi-anvil apparatus at 5-20 GPa and 1250-1400C. Starting materials of Fe metal, Ni (7 wt.%) metal and FeS (5 wt.% S in the bulk) were doped with 3 wt.% of Pt, Re and Os metals. Concentrations of all elements were determined using JXA-8800M electron probe microanalyzer with wave-dispersive spectrometry. Measured partition coefficients of Pt, Re and Os increase with increasing sulfur content and almost constant with increasing pressure. Therefore, the effect of liquid composition on the partitioning behavior of highly siderophile elements is much more significant compared to the effect of pressure and temperature. On the basis of the present experimental results, it is unlikely to generate the required Pt-Re-Os fractionation during inner core crystallization assuming that the light element in the Earth"fs core is sulfur only.