Lower mantle contribution to the genesis of carbonatites: the noble gases and carbon isotopic evidence

It has been demonstrated that only 20 to 40% of the subducted CO2 is extracted by decarbonatation of descending slab. This, and the fact that some carbonatites exhibit HIMU-like Pb, Nd and Sr isotopic signatures, led to models invoking a carbonatite origin by partial melting of ancient subducted carbonated oceanic crust. A recycled carbon origin for diamonds has also been suggested. However the mantle is the largest carbon reservoir of the Earth and a non-recycled (i.e. primordial) origin for the carbon in carbonatites cannot be discarded.