# Hawaiian plume melt inclusions show δ13C of –1 ± 2‰, a possible isotopic signature of core carbon

- Published: 2026-11-11 08:11 UTC
- Section: Planet › Earth sciences
- Tags: δ13C, Hawaiian plume, melt inclusions, core–mantle boundary, shield-stage lavas, rejuvenated-stage lavas, carbonaceous chondrites, origin of Earth's carbon
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-e91560142613c1566f96b012_hawaiian_plume_melt/

**Melt inclusions from shield-stage Hawaiian lavas are richer in 13C than normal mantle. The authors link this to carbon exchanged from the core into the mantle.**

![Hawaiian plume melt inclusions show δ13C of –1 ± 2‰, a possible isotopic signature of core carbon](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/43b04b0e63269cc6.jpg)
*Brocken Inaglory, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0*

Researchers report high-precision δ13C measurements of melt inclusions from Hawaiian plume lavas in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The inclusions were entrapped before significant degassing and sample distinct mantle sources [1].

Inclusions from shield-stage lavas, interpreted to sample the plume's central axis, converge toward a primary δ13C of –1 ± 2‰ [1]. The axis is inferred to be rooted in the core–mantle boundary thermal boundary layer. Inclusions from rejuvenated-stage lavas, derived from entrained mantle at the plume's periphery, record –7 ± 2‰, a normal mantle signature [1].

The authors interpret the uniquely 13C-rich shield-stage signature as the isotopic fingerprint of carbon exchanged from the core into the mantle [1]. They point to 13C-rich carbonaceous chondrites as the primary source of Earth's carbon [1]. The core's isotopic composition had long been presumed beyond observation.

## Sources

1. [Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences](https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2610912123)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-e91560142613c1566f96b012_hawaiian_plume_melt/