Active volcanic hotspots can tap into domains in Earth's deep interior that were formed more than two billion years ago. High-precision data on variability in tungsten isotopes have shown that some of these domains resulted from differentiation events that occurred within the first fifty million years of Earth history. However, it has not proved easy to resolve analogous variability in neodymium isotope compositions that would track regions of Earth's interior whose composition was established by events occurring within roughly the first five hundred million years of Earth history. Here we report Nd/Nd ratios for Réunion Island igneous rocks, some of which are resolvably either higher or lower than the ratios in modern upper-mantle domains. We also find that Réunion Nd/Nd ratios correlate with helium-isotope ratios (He/He), suggesting parallel behaviour of these isotopic systems during very early silicate differentiation, perhaps as early as 4.39 billion years ago. The range of Nd/Nd ratios in Réunion basalts is inconsistent with a single-stage differentiation process, and instead requires mixing of a conjugate melt and residue formed in at least one melting event during the Hadean eon, 4.56 billion to 4 billion years ago. Efficient post-Hadean mixing nearly erased the ancient, anomalous Nd/Nd signatures, and produced the relatively homogeneous Nd/Nd composition that is characteristic of Réunion basalts. Our results show that Réunion magmas tap into a particularly ancient, primitive source compared with other volcanic hotspots, offering insight into the formation and preservation of ancient heterogeneities in Earth's interior.

Ultramafic cumulate rocks form during intrusive crystallization of high-MgO magmas, incorporating relatively high abundances of compatible elements, including Cr and Ni, and high abundances of the highly siderophile elements (HSE: Os, Ir, Ru, Pt, Pd, Re). Here, we utilize a suite of cumulate xenoliths from Piton de la Fournaise, La Réunion (Indian Ocean), to examine the mantle source composition of the Réunion hotspot using HSE abundances and Os isotopes. Dunite and wherlite xenoliths and associated lavas from the Piton de la Fournaise volcanic complex span a range of MgO contents (46 to 7 wt. %), yet exhibit remarkably homogenous 187 Os/ 188 Os (0.1324 ± 0.0014, 2σ), representing the Os-isotopic composition of Réunion hotspot primary melts. A significant fraction of the xenoliths also have primitive upper-mantle (PUM) normalized HSE patterns with elevated Ru and Pd (PUM-normalized Ru/Ir and Pd/Ir of 0.8-6.3 and 0.2-7.2, respectively). These patterns are not artifacts of alteration, fractional crystallization, or partial melting processes, but rather require a primary magma with similar relative enrichments. Some highly olivine-phyric (>40 modal percent olivine) Piton de la Fournaise lavas also preserve these relative Ru and Pd enrichments, while others preserve a pattern that is likely related to sulfur saturation in evolved melts. The estimate of HSE abundances in PUM indicates high Ru/Ir and Pd/Pt values relative to carbonaceous, ordinary and enstatite chondrite meteorite groups. Thus, the existence of cumulate rocks with even more fractionated HSE patterns relative to PUM suggests that the Réunion hotspot samples a yet unrecognized mantle source. The origin of fractionated HSE patterns in Reunion melts may arise from sampling of a mantle source that experienced limited late accretion (<0.2 percent by mass) compared with PUM (0.5-0.8 percent), possibly involving impactors that were distinct from present-day chondrites, or limited core-mantle interactions. Given the remarkably homogenous Os, Pb, and noble-gas isotopic signatures of Réunion, which plot near the convergence point of isotopic data for many hotspots, such a conclusion provides evidence for an early differentiated and subsequently isolated mantle domain that may be partially sampled by some ocean island basalts.

One requirement for isotope ratio measurement results with small measurement uncertainties is that the element of interest is effectively separated from the sample matrix. Efficient chemical separation of W from matrix components, especially Ti, can be challenging, particularly for large test portion masses (> 1 g). We present a new W separation procedure that takes advantage of the distinct complexation behaviour of Ti and W with citrate ligand in a moderately low pH, oxidising solution. This preparation procedure can reduce the Ti/W ratio of large (4–10 g) basaltic (i.e., high‐matrix) test portions by a factor of 105, relative to their original compositions, in a two‐step separation procedure. The procedure additionally provides a separate, well‐purified Mo fraction. We show that optimal separation requires precise selection of reagent concentrations and sample load. The procedure was employed to determine the μ182W composition of BHVO‐2 as −6.7 ± 4.2 (2 standard deviation, 2s). The principles derived from this method may prove useful for chemical separation of other elements used for geochemical and cosmochemical applications given an appropriate selection of organic acid. Future successful applications of this method may reveal that the use of organic acids as procedural reagents is a currently under‐utilised tool for efficient chemical separation protocols.

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Geodynamical models of mantle plumes often invoke initial, high volume plume 'head' magmatism, followed by lower volume plume 'tails'. However, geochemical links between plume heads, represented by flood basalts such as the Deccan Traps, and plume tails, represented by ocean islands such as La Réunion, are ambiguous, challenging this classical view of mantle plume theory. Using Sr-Nd-Os isotope data, we demonstrate a geochemical link between archetypal plume head and tail volcanism in the Réunion hotspot. Similar plume head-tail relationships have not been definitively shown in previous geochemical studies for Réunion or other global hotspots. Such a link is enabled by use of compatible elements, such as Os, which can circumvent complexities introduced by magmatic assimilation of crust or lithosphere because these elements are scarce in crust compared to primary mantle melts. We calculate Sr-Nd-Os isotopic compositions for the Réunion primary magma and find these are identical to predictions for the Deccan primary magma. Our result provides geochemical evidence for a temporally stable mantle plume that samples a primitive reservoir associated with the African large low-shear-velocity province and with a heritage beginning at the Cretaceous-Palaeogene boundary.