Application of Radiogenic Isotopes in Geosciences: Overview and Perspectives

Abstract

The pace of revolution in analytical chemistry in the field of Geosciences has been dramatic over the recent decades and includes fundamental developments that have become common place in many related and unrelated disciplines. The analytical tools (nano to macro-scale from stable to radioactive isotopes to synchrotron imaging) used have been applied to wide-ranging applications from inorganic to organic geochemistry, biodiversity and chronological tools, to build an understanding of how the Earth system evolved to its present state. This book will provide an essential guide to exploring the earth’s natural resources and changing climate by detection science. Individual chapters bring together expertise from across the globe to present a comprehensive outlook on the analytical technologies available to the geoscientist today. Experienced researchers will appreciate the broad treatment of the subject as a valuable reference, while students and those new to the field will quickly gain an appreciation of both the techniques at hand, and the importance of constructing, and analysing, the complex data sets they can generate.