PGE-PLANETS · Mineral scale platinum-group-element osmium isotope constraints on planet formation ‘late’ accretion

Mineral scale platinum-group-element osmium isotope constraints on planet formation ‘late’ accretion

This Fellowship sought to develop new and transferable techniques for the study of highly siderophile elements (HSEs) in small sample fractions and at mineral scales, while preserving the crystallographic context of the the extracted materials. The work also sought to combine these approaches in novel ways with compositional mapping and major element data for studied phases. The Fellow focused on applying her new methods to meteorites to provide important new data with which to address major questions concerning the birth and evolution of planetary bodies that ultimately led to the habitable Earth. The HSEs (Ir, Pt, Pd, Ru, Rh, Os, Re, and Au) are precious metals that are critically important to the needs of society, and of high economic value thereby potentially effecting the health and wealth of millions. To enhance the impact of the research the Fellow conceived and led an international meeting attended by ~75 international delegates from all over the globe. She also led a Special Issue of a major international journal, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, the journal of the Geochemical and Meteoritical Societies that resulted in the publication of 22 research articles to further disseminate knowledge and new techniques among academic, government, and industrial scientists and other interested parties. This Fellowship concluded by successfully implementing new methods of sample preparation and study for meteorites, and producing initial data for the application of microdrilling techniques and their future development. These new methods and their related findings have been presented at an international conference and transferred to a PhD student working on rocks from Mars. The results of the Fellow's work on diogenite meteorites will overturn hypotheses that suggested that the HSE systematics of these ancient materials formed over 4.5 billion years ago provide a direct record of the mantle of the 4-Vesta asteroid. This finding is important in that it raises new questions as to the early stages of planetary formation and models of Solar System evolution. The many and varied activities undertaken during this Fellowship have successfully raised the international profile of the Fellow such that she is positioned to potentially realise highly competitive 5-year Fellowship that will propel her into a permanent position, and help her to realise a major new laboratory dedicated to HSE science through which she can address a number of further major research questions and train teams of young scholars.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union