Noble gas chemical behavior

Vapor-melt partitioning. Noble gas solubility in basaltic melt decreases with increasing atomic mass, and is directly related to the atomic radius of the gas (Jambon et al. 1986 Lux 1987 Broadhurst et al. 1992 Shibata et al. 1998). At 1400°C the experimentally determined values for mid-ocean ridge basalt are 56, 25, 5.9, 3.0 and 

Crystal-melt partitioning. Compared to noble gas solubility in melts, much less is known about their solubility in minerals. Several different approaches can be used to determine a crystal/melt partition coefficient D (where D = weight concentration in 

Although the partitioning behavior of the noble gases between minerals and melts is 

so this depth can no longer be viewed as a strong barrier to mass transport between the upper and lower mantle. Some investigators take this as sufficient evidence for whole mantle convection. In this case, the isotopic differences between depleted MORBs and enriched OIBs might be explained by a mantle that contains large scale blobs of chemically enriched or primitive material (e.g.. Manga 1996 Becker et al. 

In some cases, most notably East Africa, the upwelling also appears to be much broader than expected for a narrow plume conduit (Ritsema et al. 1999). 

---