The isotopic composition of the noble gases (He, Ne, Ar, Kr and Xe) have found myriad uses in the geosciences. Among a wide range of uses, they provide widely used geo- and thermochronometers, they can be used to determine the source and interaction history of fluids in the crust, trace physical and biogeochemical processes in the oceans, investigate mantle degassing and volcanic activity and track climate history in groundwaters and the ice core record. The low abundance of noble gases in fluids and minerals makes the measurement of their isotopic composition a challenge. In recent years an array of new instrumentation has become available that has allowed significant improvement in ratio precision that has resulted in significant improvement in our understanding of solid Earth-atmosphere evolution and the development of more precise chronometers.
In this session we aim to bring together established practitioners and young researchers in order to define the state-of-the-art in the field. We seek abstracts that deal with both new applications and significant technical developments. The session will be held in honour of our colleague Pete Burnard (CRPG, Nancy) who died in Summer 2015. Pete was a formidable analyst, researcher and mentor to many young geochemists.
This session is co-sponsored by the European Association of Geochemistry.