<p>Kimberlites are the deepest melts that reach Earth’s surface and, therefore, can provide unique insights into the composition and evolution of the convective mantle through time. Application of isotope geochemistry to trace the composition of kimberlite sources has thus far been hindered by the ubiquitous alteration and incorporation of xenocrystic material in kimberlite rocks. Bulk-kimberlite analyses are typically considered reliable for Nd and Hf isotopes due to their overwhelmingly higher concentrations in kimberlite melts compared to common mantle and crustal contaminants. Conversely, Sr and Pb isotope compositions of bulk kimberlite samples are seldom considered representative of their parental melts thus requiring analysis of robust magmatic phases, primarily perovskite. Addressing the primary (i.e. magmatic) isotopic composition of volatile elements, such as N and noble gases, requires analyses of volatile-rich phases, and fluid inclusions in olivine represent a typical primary target in mantle-derived magmas. However, fluid inclusions in kimberlitic olivine are dominantly secondary in origin. Secondary inclusions can form at any time after crystallisation of their mineral host, which requires assessment of the origin of trapped fluids (i.e. pristine magmatic fluids, crustal fluids of external derivation, or combination thereof) before their isotopic composition can be used to make inferences about kimberlite mantle sources.</p> <p>Here we present trace-element and Sr-Nd-Pb-He-N isotopic compositions of multiple olivine aliquots representing two different magmatic units of the ~88 Ma Wesselton kimberlite (Kimberley, South Africa). The Sr and Nd isotopic composition of olivine analysed by isotope-dilution (ID) TIMS are within the narrow range of perovskite <sup>87</sup>Sr/<sup>86</sup>Sr (0.7043-0.7046) and whole-rock <sup>143</sup>Nd/<sup>144</sup>Nd (eNd<sub>i</sub> = 0.4–2.2) for the Kimberley kimberlites. These results indicate that the secondary fluid inclusions, which dominate the incompatible trace-element budget of olivine separates, have a pristine magmatic origin devoid of crustal contribution.</p> <p>Helium isotope compositions were measured by laser heating of 1.6 to 9.8 mg of olivine using an ultrahigh-sensitivity compressor-source noble gas mass spectrometer. <sup>3</sup>He/<sup>4</sup>He ratios are between 1.6 R<sub>A</sub> and 3.7 R<sub>A</sub> (where R<sub>A</sub> indicates the atmospheric <sup>3</sup>He/<sup>4</sup>He ratio), values more radiogenic than MORBs but comparable to HIMU OIBs. These results indicate a high time-integrated (U+Th)/He ratio in the source of the Kimberley kimberlites, which is consistent with the moderately high (i.e. HIMU-like) time-integrated U/Pb ratio implied by elevated initial <sup>206</sup>Pb/<sup>204</sup>Pb in Wesselton olivine (19.1-19.5), Kimberley kimberlites (up to 19.9) and megacrysts in southern African Cretaceous kimberlites (up to 20.5). The combination of low <sup>3</sup>He/<sup>4</sup>He, moderately radiogenic <sup>87</sup>Sr/<sup>86</sup>Sr, and negative d<sup>34</sup>S values (-2.6‰ to -5.7‰) require a contribution from subducted recycled material in the source of the Kimberley kimberlites. Conversely, a preliminary N isotope analysis of Wesselton olivine by in-vacuo crushing using a noble gas mass spectrometer returned a mantle-like d<sup>15</sup>N of -2.9‰, which might suggest limited recycling of surface N (d<sup>15</sup>N >0‰) in the source of these kimberlites. We conclude that the combination of Sr-Nd-Pb and He-N isotope tracing of fluid inclusions in olivine can provide a robust new approach to address the composition of kimberlite sources and, therefore, the evolution of the deep mantle through time.</p>

A combined clay mineralogical, fluid inclusion, and K‐Ar study of Upper Jurassic metasediments at the Gehn (Lower Saxony Basin, Germany) provides evidence for a transient hydrothermal event during Upper Cretaceous basin inversion centered on a prominent gravimetric anomaly. Kaolinite and smectite in Oxfordian pelitic parent rocks that cap a deltaic sandstone unit were locally transformed into pyrophyllite, 2M1 illite, R3 illite–smectite, chlorite, and berthierine at the Ueffeln quarry. The pyrophyllite‐bearing metapelites lack bedding‐parallel preferred orientation of sheet silicates and experienced peak temperatures of about 260–270°C consistent with microthermometric data on quartz veins in the underlying silicified sandstones. The presence of expandable layers in illite–smectite and high Kübler Index values indicate that the thermal event was rather short‐lived. K‐Ar dating of the <0.2 μm fraction of the pyrophyllite‐bearing Ueffeln metapelite yields a maximum illitization age of 117 ± 2 Ma. Lower trapping temperatures of aqueous fluid inclusions in quartz veins and the absence of pyrophyllite in metapelites of the Frettberg quarry in a distance of about 2.5 km from the Ueffeln quarry infer maximum paleotemperatures of only 220°C. The highly localized thermal anomaly at Ueffeln suggests fault‐controlled fluid migration and heat transfer that provided a thermal aureole for pyrophyllite formation in the metapelites rather than metamorphism due to deep burial. A pH neutral hydrothermal fluid that formed by devolatilization reactions or less likely by mixing of meteoric and marine waters that interacted at depth with shales is indicated by the low salinity (3–5 wt. % NaCl equiv.) of aqueous inclusions, their coexistence with methane–carbon dioxide‐dominated gas inclusions as well as carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen isotope data. The upwelling zone of hydrothermal fluids and the thermal maximum is centered on a gravimetric anomaly interpreted as an igneous intrusion (‘Bramsche Massif’) providing the heat source for the intrabasinal hydrothermal system.

The origin of volatiles in the Moon’s interior is debated. Scenarios range from inheritance through a Moon-forming disk or “synestia” to late accretion by meteorites or comets. Noble gases are excellent tracers of volatile origins. We report analyses of all noble gases in paired, unbrecciated lunar mare basalts and show that magmatic glasses therein contain indigenous noble gases including solar-type He and Ne. Assimilation of solar wind (SW)–bearing regolith by the basaltic melt or SW implantation into the basalts is excluded on the basis of the petrological context of the samples, as well as the lack of SW and “excess 40 Ar” in the magmatic minerals. The absence of chondritic primordial He and Ne signatures excludes exogenous contamination. We thus conclude that the Moon inherited indigenous noble gases from Earth’s mantle by the Moon-forming impact and propose storage in the incompatible element-enriched (“KREEP”) reservoir.

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