Geochemistry – Institute of Mineralogy – Leibniz University Hannover

Research Group Geochemistry

Prof. Dr. Stefan Weyer

The focus of the Geochemistry Group is the development and application of new research approaches. We develop protocols for the analysis of "non-traditional isotope systems" in the Earth sciences. Our fields of research include the origin and differentiation of the Earth and other terrestrial planets, the evolution of the early Earth, diffusional isotope fractionation and time scales of magmatic processes.

Lab technology

We explore the geochemistry of metals in modern and past oceans, magmatic systems, during deposit formation and in the environment. We are particularly specialised in the analysis of stable metal isotope systems, such as iron or uranium. Notably, we can measure many stable isotope systems such as lithium, magnesium, Iron, Copper, Antimony and Tin also in situ with high precision, enabling us to analyse e.g. zoned crystals with high spatial resolution. For these analyses we utilize a femtosecond laser ablations system coupled to MC-ICP-MS (Multi Collektor– Inductively Coupled Plasma – Mass Spectrometry).