Geocheminar spring-2012

Stable isotope geochemistry and experimental petrology have been combined in a novel way through the implementation of the three-isotope technique in piston-cylinder experiments. First done by Matsuhisa et al. in 1978, this technique allows the experimentalist to determine the equilibrium fractionation between two phases by extrapolation from experiments run at varying lengths of time, freeing one from having to actually reach equilibrium, which might be unrealistic in the lab. The method was revived at UCLA in 2008, where we continue to integrate isotope geochemistry with experimental petrology to explore new tools for tracing chemical pathways relevant to Earth's formation and evolution. I will survey the methods and applications of the technique, including past, present, and future studies at UCLA and beyond. The isotopic systems discussed here will be Fe, Ni, Si, and the most recent system investigated, Mg.