New isotope tracers for core formation in terrestrial planets (ISOCORE)

Basic data for this project

Description

The project 'New isotope tracers for core formation in the terrestrial planets (ISOCORE)' will investigate the differentiation and volatile accretion history of the Earth. The two main research themes are (i) the mechanisms and timescales of accretion and core formation in the Earth, Moon and Mars, and (ii) the origin of Earth's volatiles (including water) with a particular focus on the time of volatile delivery to the Earth. The key concept of ISOCORE is to combine precise measurement of stable isotope fractionations in natural samples with a calibration of the fractionations in high temperature metal-silicate equilibration experiments. The work on the project will be subdivided into five strongly interlinked subprojects, all of which share the overarching goal of constraining core formation and volatile accretion on Earth and other planetary bodies.