Isotope geochemists at Berkeley Lab develop and use isotopic ratio methods to study fundamental Earth processes, and environmental and energy problems of national interest. Facilities in the Center for Isotope Geochemistry (CIG) offer gas source, radiogenic and non-traditional isotope mass spectrometry.
Environmental Tracers:
- Subsurface Contaminant Transport
- Aerosol Transport
- Element transport in the Vadose zone
Nanoscale and molecular processes and isotopic fractionation
- Ca, Mg, and Fe isotopic fractionation factors and mineral precipitation processes
- Isotope fractionation by diffusion in liquids
- U isotope fractionation in redox reactions
Field scale behavior of isotopic tracers and geochronology
- Isotopic monitoring of diagenesis and serpentinization
- Modeling studies of isotopic behavior in inhomogeneous rocks and soils
- Isotopic models of the formation and evolution of redox interfaces
- Timescales of sediment deposition and transport using uranium series isotopes
Geothermal Technologies
- Isotopic models to quantify fracture attributes
- Isotopic tracers for geothermal exploration
- Monitoring scale formation and permeability evolution