Research Projects

The projects carried out in the Non-Traditional Isotope Laboratory vary from low-temperature continental weathering to high-temperature magma differentiation, from the change of seawater composition to formation of the Moon, from laboratory dissolution of minerals to sample collections from volcanos. Examples of ongoing projects include:

Cosmochemistry: Formation and differentiation of the Moon, Mars and other extraterrestrial bodies by studying isotopic compositions of lunar samples, Martian meteorites, chondrites and achondrites.

Major Reservoirs: Composition, differentiation and evolution of the bulk Earth and its major reservoirs through studies of isotopic compositions of peridotites, komatiites, basalts, arc lavas, granites and seawater.

Global Elemental Cycling: Interactions among hydrosphere, crust and mantle through isotopic studies of river water, sedimentary rocks, weathering profiles, seafloor alteration and metamorphic rocks.

Paleo2: Paleoceanography and paleoclimate through isotopic and elemental studies of coral samples, speleothem, loess and lake sediments.

Isotope Geochemistry: Geothermometry and geospeedometry through studies of equilibrium and kinetic isotope fractionation in igneous and metamorphic minerals, theoretical predications and lab experiments.

Isotope Biogeochemistry: Studies of isotope fractionation during biogenic processes through laboratory experiments and by using natural samples