The Role of C-O-H-F-Cl Fluids in the Making of Earth’s Continental Roots

The Role of C-O-H-F-Cl Fluids in the Making of Earth’s Continental Roots | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article The Role of C-O-H-F-Cl Fluids in the Making of Earth’s Continental Roots Sally Gibson, Charoltte Jackson, James Crosby, Jason Day This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5849744/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 22 Aug, 2025 Read the published version in Nature Communications → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The deep cratonic ‘roots’ of Earth's major continents extend over 160 km and have remained stable for more than 2.5 billion years. This longevity is primarily due to the presence of low-density, refractory peridotites (harzburgites) that formed by extensive mantle melting in the Archean. However, mantle harzburgites from some global cratons (e.g., Kaapvaal, Siberia, Slave, Rae and Tanzania) often show unusual enrichments in orthopyroxene and silica, alongside titanium depletion, which cannot be explained by simple melting processes. The proposed origins of the orthopyroxene-rich harzburgites are highly controversial and include high-pressure melting residues, komatiite interactions, or subduction-related silicic melts and fluids. The uncertainty primarily arises because of the inherent difficulties involved in reconstructing the tectonic settings responsible for the stabilisation of early Earth. To investigate further, we analysed volatile (H₂O, F, Cl) contents in Kaapvaal craton peridotites. Our new results show that harzburgites rich in orthopyroxene, including a diamond-bearing sample, also have higher volatile concentrations. This suggests infiltration by super-critical C-O-H fluids -- rich in silica, fluorine and chlorine fluxed from subducted oceanic lithosphere (carbonated pelites and serpentinites) -- was important in driving olivine-to-orthopyroxene transformation and diamond formation under reduced conditions during the Archean. These findings highlight the role of C-O-H-F-Cl bearing fluids in shaping cratonic lithosphere and offer a new framework for understanding craton evolution, mantle metasomatism and diamond genesis in early Earth. Earth and environmental sciences/Solid Earth sciences/Geochemistry Earth and environmental sciences/Solid Earth sciences/Petrology Earth and environmental sciences/Solid Earth sciences/Geodynamics Earth and environmental sciences/Solid Earth sciences/Tectonics Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SupplementarymaterialGibsonetal.pdf SupplementaryTable1.xlsx Supplementray Table 1 SupplementaryTable2LAICPMSstandards.xlsx Supplementary Table 2 SupplementaryTable3.xlsx Supplementary Table 3 SupplementrayTable4Phlogopite.xlsx Supplementary Table 4 Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 22 Aug, 2025 Read the published version in Nature Communications → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5849744","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":410441999,"identity":"38cad2c5-4dfe-47e3-ae91-d49a3756d8a2","order_by":0,"name":"Sally 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