Negligible sulfur isotope fractionation during partial melting: Evidence from Garrett transform fault basalts, implications for the late-veneer and the hadean matte

The concept of sulfide melts segregating from the mantle, sinking and being added to the core during planetary differentiation was termed the 'Hadean Matte'. The segregation of sulfides from the mantle to the core during planetary differentiation could account for various geochemical features of the Earth's mantle. Based on S isotopic mass balance, we derive a lower and upper limit for the hadean matte. While the lower bound corresponds to a virtually negligible hadean matte, the upper limit is 3.36×1024gS (i.e. ∼10% of the bulk terrestrial S), which remains 5 to 10 times lower than previous estimates. This upper bound nonetheless requires high mantle S content >1000 ppm S before the extraction of the hadean matte. This suggestion would have chronological requirements, requiring any sulfide melt to have formed after the core extraction but before late accretion of the highly siderophile elements.