Sediments, Serpentinites, and Subduction: Halogen Recycling from the Surface to the Deep Earth

Halogens are important elements that participate in a variety of biogeochemical processes and influence the solubility of metals in subduction-zone fluids. Halogens are powerful tracers of subducted volatiles in the Earth’s mantle because they have high abundances in seawater, sediments, and altered oceanic lithosphere but low concentrations in the mantle. Additionally, Br/Cl and I/Cl ratios, as well as Cl-isotope ratios, have characteristic ranges in different surface reservoirs that are not easily fractionated in the mantle. Current data suggest that subduction of serpentinised lithosphere is a major source of halogens in the Earth’s mantle.