Nickel Isotopes in High Temperature Rocks

This project focuses on using the fractionation of stable Ni isotopes in high temperature rocks to investigate compositions of mantle sources and mantle mixing. We use double spike to correct for instrumental mass bias.

Rock samples are dissolved in acid and then purified over several days using a series of ion exchange columns until only Ni remains. The pure Ni sample is analysed with a MC-ICPMS, and the amounts of the different isotopes are measured and compared to the same isotopes in a standard.

The resulting isotopic composition can be used to identify how materials with distinct Ni compositions mix and react to Earth processes, such as melting and mineral segregation.  Understanding such processes on Earth can allow us to apply that understanding to other planetary bodies, such as our own Moon. Formation of the Moon and understanding the differences between the Earth and the Moon have been of interest to Science for generations, and the more tools we can use to investigate, the better!