The isotope geochemistry of Ni

Tim Elliott, Robert C. J. Steele

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

Abstract

Nickel is an iron-peak element with 5 stable isotopes (see Table 1) which is both cosmochemically abundant and rich in the information carried in its isotopic signature. Significantly, 60Ni is the radiogenic daughter of 60Fe, a short-lived nuclide (t1/2 = 2.62 Ma; Rugel et al. 2009) of a major element. 60Fe has the potential to be both an important heat source and chronometer in the early solar system. 60Ni abundances serve to document the prior importance 60Fe and this is a topic of on-going debate (see Extinct 60Fe and radiogenic 60Ni). The four other stable Ni nuclides span a sizeable relative mass range of ~10%, including the notably neutron-rich nuclide 64Ni. The relative abundances of these isotopes vary with diverse stellar formation environments and provide a valuable record of the nucleosynthetic heritage of Ni in the solar system (see Nucleosynthetic Ni isotopic variations). Ni occurs widely as both elemental and divalent cationic species, substituting for Fe and Mg in common silicate structures and forming Fe/Ni metal alloys. The Ni isotope chemistry of all the major planetary reservoirs and fractionations between them can thus be characterized (see Mass-Dependent Ni isotopic Variability). Ni is also a bio-essential element and its fractionation during low-temperature biogeochemical cycling is a topic that has attracted recent attention (see Mass-Dependent Ni isotopic Variability).
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)511-542
Number of pages31
JournalReviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry
Volume82
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2017

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