Changes in these processes during the course of Earth history are of particular interest. The group's research approach involves the study of trace metal abundances and isotopic compositions in natural materials, because the chemistry of these elements is sensitive to the environmental conditions. As a result, trace metals can be used as powerful probes of past environmental conditions. The research also improves our understanding of the behavior of these elements in the modern environment. The primary analytical method employed is a plasma ionization mass spectrometry.
Samples are prepared in a trace metal cleanlab.
The Anbar group is addressing this deficiency by examining the distribution and chemical forms of the PGE in the modern environment, in both pristine and polluted settings. In addition, PGE abundances are being determined in the oldest known sediments to place constraints on past environmental conditions, and on the flux of extraterrestrial material to the early Earth. The oxidation state of the atmosphere and ocean through time has had a profound influence on the origin and evolution of life, and reflects climate conditions. Natural fractionations of transition metal isotopes, such as those of Cu, Zn, Fe, and Mo, have seldom been studied because of analytical difficulties. This is in contrast to fractionations of the isotopes of lighter elements, such as H, O, C, N, and S, which are extremely useful probes of the environmental and geochemical processes.