Production, Release and Transport of Noble Gases in the Continental Crust

Abstract

Noble gases within the crust originate from three main sources: the atmosphere, introduced into the crust dissolved in groundwater; the mantle, in regions of magmatic activity; and those produced in the crust by the result of radioactive decay processes. The continental crust contains approximately 40% of the terrestrial radioelements (Rudnick and Fountain 1995) that produce noble gases and, after the mantle and the atmosphere, forms the third major terrestrial noble gas reservoir (neglecting the core). In addition to these sources, contributions from interplanetary dust particles (IDP), cosmic ray interaction with the crustal surface and anthropogenic noble gases can...