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Osmium isotopic evidence against an impact at the Frasnian-Famennian boundary

G. W. Gordon^*,**,, M. Rockman^**,, K. K. Turekian^** and J. Over

^* School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 871404, Tempe, Arizona 85287-1404, USA; formerly G. A. Williams
^** Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, P.O. Box 208109, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8109
Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544
Department of Geological Sciences, SUNY College at Geneseo, Geneseo, New York 14454

Corresponding author: Gwyneth.Gordon{at}asu.edu

Two sections across the Frasnian-Famennian boundary were analyzed for Re and Os concentrations and ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios to evaluate evidence for a meteoritic input coincident with this boundary and its associated mass extinction. These sections are from a siltstone and shale sequence at Irish Gulf in New York, US and a calcareous shale and ferromanganese oxide sequence at La Serre in France. The Irish Gulf section, with an initial ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os of about 0.49, does not show the characteristic meteoritic Os imprint with an ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os of about 0.13. The integrity of the section with regard to Re and Os retention is indicated by the construction of an isochron with an age of 388 ± 41 Ma, consistent with independently determined ages for the Frasnian-Famennian boundary. Although the La Serre section, with Os concentrations as high as 33 ppb and Re concentrations ranging from 1.4 to 7.4 ppb, might be expected to show excellent evidence for a meteoritic contribution, the highly radiogenic isotopic composition (¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os 2.42-3.61) instead suggests recent massive Re loss or addition of radiogenic Os. These possibilities prevent the reconstruction of an initial ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os value for the boundary for this site. Assuming reasonable Re concentrations prior to loss, the Os isotopic composition is inconsistent with a large meteoritic component. This inconsistency emphasizes that platinum group element (PGE) concentrations are not reliable indicators of extraterrestrial addition.