Missing molybdenum and the composition of the continental crust inferred from molybdenum isotopes
Tian, Yamei, Huang, Feng, Xu, Jifeng, Li, Jie, Zeng, Yunchuan, and McCoy-West, Alex J. (2025) Missing molybdenum and the composition of the continental crust inferred from molybdenum isotopes. Nature Communications, 16. 11436.
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Abstract
Accurately constraining the molybdenum (Mo) isotope composition (δ<sup>98/95</sup>Mo) of Earth’s major reservoirs is essential for understanding its evolution. However, δ<sup>98/95</sup>Mo of the continental crust (CC), particularly the middle and lower crust, remains poorly constrained. Here we show the Mo isotope data for the Gangdese arc section in combination with published data from ultramafic-mafic, intermediate and felsic intrusions, representing the lower, middle and upper CC, respectively, constrain variability within the CC. Mass balance calculations using several crustal depth models generate an average δ<sup>98/95</sup>Mo of the bulk CC of −0.116 ± 0.011‰ (2 s.d.), resolvably heavier than the bulk silicate Earth. Global scale mass balance modeling demonstrates that the Mo isotope compositions of the CC and the depleted mantle are presently near balanced. Lower crustal delamination is an additional mechanism capable of contributing to the subchondritic Mo isotope composition of the depleted mantle. Over the course of Earth’s history, new crustal growth and destruction have reached dynamic equilibrium.
| Item ID: | 90599 |
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| Item Type: | Article (Research - C1) |
| ISSN: | 2041-1723 |
| Copyright Information: | © The Author(s) 2025. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. |
| Funders: | Australian Research Council (ARC) |
| Projects and Grants: | ARC DE210101395 |
| Date Deposited: | 04 Aug 2026 01:05 |
| FoR Codes: | 37 EARTH SCIENCES > 3703 Geochemistry > 370303 Isotope geochemistry @ 70% 37 EARTH SCIENCES > 3705 Geology > 370503 Igneous and metamorphic petrology @ 30% |
| SEO Codes: | 28 EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE > 2801 Expanding knowledge > 280107 Expanding knowledge in the earth sciences @ 100% |
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