An oxygen isotope perspective on the break-up of the Rodinia supercontinent

Oxygen isotopes are essential tracers of crustal evolution. Low-δ¹⁸O values of igneous rocks, which are significantly lower than the value of mantle-derived magma, are relative scarcity in the Earth. This scarcity is likely due to the special formation of low-δ¹⁸O rocks, which requires high-temperature interactions between meteoric water or seawater and protoliths with high water-to-rock ratios. Numerous mid-Neoproterozoic low-δ¹⁸O silicic magmas have been found on Earth, coinciding with the break-up of the Rodinia supercontinent. Researching the Neoproterozoic low-δ¹⁸O magmatic aids the understanding of the break-up mechanism of the Rodinia supercontinent. Our work shows that Neoproterozoic low-δ¹⁸O magmatic rocks occur in South China, the Malani Igneous Suite in north-western India, the Imorona-Itsindro Suite in Madagascar, Seychelles, Zealandia, and the Leeuwin Complex in southwestern Australia. Neoproterozoic low-δ¹⁸O signals were generated by the exchanging of oxygen between rocks and surface water during high temperatures at shallow depths in an extensional regime related to rifting. Such findings provide a zircon oxygen isotope framework for assessing the break-up and reconstruction of the Rodinia supercontinent.