The Phosphorus Budget of the Silicate Earth Based on an Updated Estimate of the P/Nd Ratio

Abstract

AbstractCalculating the phosphorus (P) budget of the bulk silicate Earth (BSE) is necessary to understand the global P cycle and the origin and evolution of life. Covariations of P and neodymium (Nd) contents suggest that P is 1.1–1.4 times more incompatible than Nd during mantle melting and magmatic differentiation. As such, the P/Nd ratios of mantle sources can be estimated using inverse modeling, and the P budget of the BSE can be calculated from the P/Nd ratios of the continental crust, mid‐ocean ridge basalts (MORBs), and ocean island basalts (OIBs). The P/Nd ratios for the MORB and OIB mantle sources and continental crust are 62.5 ± 0.8 (2σm), 57.0 ± 0.5 (2σm), and 28.4 ± 12.0 (2σm), respectively. These reservoirs have different P/Nd ratios due to subduction, magmatic differentiation, and mineralogy. Subduction can significantly affect the global P and Nd cycles. Magmatic differentiation, especially in the continental crust, may redistribute P by changing the contents of garnet, apatite, and other minerals. The fractional contributions of these global reservoirs suggest the modern BSE has a P/Nd ratio of 57.7 ± 3.0 (2σm), equating to ∼3.1 × 1020 kg of P in the BSE.