Quantifying mass-dependent isotope fractionation and nuclear field shift effects for the light rare Earth elements in hydrous systems

Abstract

The improving sensitivity of mass-spectrometers has opened the potential of using stable isotope signatures of the rare Earth elements (REE) as geochemical tracers. However, thus far only limited studies have utilised REE stable isotopes, despite resolvable variations having been observed in a range of systems. An interesting but poorly explored area remains variations in aqueous environments across a range of temperatures including seawater, marine sediments, ion adsorption deposits or hydrothermal systems. Furthermore, the magnitudes and competing effects of mass-dependent isotope fractionation and mass-independent nuclear field shift effects, which can be significant factor for heavy elements especially at high temperatures, remain poorly understood.