Princeton University Astrophysical Sciences 2015 Spitzer Lecturer Seminar - ADDED

In terrestrial system, iron has a very complex and interesting chemistry. It is present as metallic Fe0 in Earth’s core, as Fe2+ in the mantle, and as Fe3+ in surface oxidative environments. It is also present in the wide diversity of minerals; metal alloys, silicates, oxides, sulfides, and carbonates. This rich chemistry has made iron the focus of many studies interested in documenting iron stable isotope variations in igneous rocks. However, the field is still in its infancy and quantitative interpretations of iron isotope variations are often missing. I will present work from my lab aimed at understanding how iron oxidation state affects iron isotopic fractionation in magmatic systems and how diffusive transport in olivine can fractionate iron isotopes. This work demonstrates that iron isotopes can be used to tease out the roles of growth and diffusion in zoned minerals and it can help constrain the redox conditions of mantle melting and differentiation.