This project is to continue a series of Re-Os isotopic investigations designed to address the formation of Archean cratons; the composition and age of lithospheric mantle, the interaction between the lithosphere and asthenosphere and the chemical evolution of the mantle. Diverse samples of different ages will be analyzed: 1.8 - 3.3 Ga komatiites to basalts; 2.7-3.8 GA trondhjemites-tonalite-granodiorites; peridotitic mantle xenoliths; orogenic lherzolites; and continental mafic and alkalic lavas. Partitioning experiments for Re and Os between carbonatite-silicate liquids will be conducted to understand the behavior of Re and Os during mantle enrichment processes. The research will combine Re-Os isotopic data with data from one or more of these conventional isotopic systems (plus major and trace element data). Re and Os abundances and Os isotopic compositions will be analyzed at DTM by negative thermal ionization mass spectrometry (NTIMS). The results should not only shed new light on crust-mantle relationships, but also contribute significantly to the development of a new and exciting analytical technique.
