Stable Isotope Geochemistry

轻元素氧、碳、氢和氮的同位素丰度的自然变化将用于研究各种地球化学和宇宙化学问题。同位素分馏的基本热力学基础将通过额外的实验室实验和理论计算得到扩展。这些结果将应用于确定火成岩和变质岩的热史。将特别强调来自地幔的岩石，以便评估地壳岩石再循环进入地球内部的程度。地球的起源及其原料的性质将通过陨石中的氧同位素丰度来研究。芝加哥大学开发的三同位素方法是一种非常强大的工具，可以在早期太阳系的各种组成部分之间建立遗传关系。这种方法表明，目前流行的地球形成模型是不正确的，或者充其量是不完整的。

9526747 Clayton Natural variations in the abundances of isotopes of the light elements oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen will be used to study a variety of geochemical and cosmochemical problems. The fundamental thermodynamic basis of isotopic fractionation will be expanded by additional laboratory experiments and theoretical calculations. These results will be applied to the determination of thermal histories of igneous and metamorphic rocks. Particular emphasis will be given to rocks from the Earth's mantle in order to assess the degree of recycling of crustal rocks into the interior. The origin of the earth and the nature of its raw materials will be studied through oxygen isotope abundances in meteorites. The three-isotope method, developed at the University of Chicago, is a very powerful tool for establishing genetic relationships among the various constituents of the early Solar System. This approach has shown that currently popular models for formation of the Earth are incorrect, or, at best, incomplete.