Zinc Isotope Fractionation as an Indicator of Geochemical Attenuation Processes

Sulfur Isotope Fractionation as an Indicator of Biogeochemical Processes in an AMD Passive Bioremediation System

Sulfate, the main dissolved contaminant in acid mine drainage (AMD), is ubiquitous in watersheds affected by coal and metal mining operations worldwide. Engineered passive bioremediation systems (PBS) are low-cost technologies that remediate sulfate contamination by promoting (1) precipitation of sulfate-bearing compounds, such as schwertmannite and gypsum; and (2) microbially-mediated sulfate ...

Isotope Fractionation Processes of Selected Elements

The foundations of stable isotope geochemistry were laid in 1947 by Urey’s classic paper on the thermodynamic properties of isotopic substances and by Nier’s development of the ratio mass spectrometer. Before discussing details of the naturally occurring variations in stable isotope ratios, it is useful to describe some generalities that are pertinent to the field of non-radiogenic isotope geoc...

Isotope Effects, Isotope Separation and Isotope Fractionation

Review of the Lithium Isotope System as a Geochemical Tracer

Lithium isotopes have many advantageous characteristics as geochemical tracers for a wide range of geological processes, covering fluid/melt-mineral interactions from the Earth’s surface to the mantle. The latest developments in Li isotope geochemistry, in terms of measuring techniques, major geochemical reservoirs, the contrasting behaviors during near-surface weathering, and crust/ mantle cyc...

Kinetic and equilibrium mass-dependent isotope fractionation laws in nature and their geochemical and cosmochemical significance

The mass-dependent fractionation laws that describe the partitioning of isotopes are different for kinetic and equilibrium reactions. These laws are characterized by the exponent relating the fractionation factors for two isotope ratios such that 2/1 3/1 . The exponent for equilibrium exchange is (1/m1 1/m2)/(1/m1 1/m3), where mi are the atomic masses and m1 m2 m3. For kinetic fractionation, th...