High precision iron isotope measurements of meteoritic material by cold plasma ICP-MS

Abstract

The first cold plasma ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer) Fe isotope study is described. Application of this technique to the analyses of Fe isotopes in a number of meteorites is also reported. The measurement technique relies on reduced temperature operation of the ICP source to eliminate pervasive molecular interferences from Ar complexes associated with conventional ICP-MS. Instrumental mass bias corrections are performed by sample-standard bracketing and using Cu as an external mass bias drift monitor. Repeated measurements of a terrestrial basalt reference sample indicate an external reproducibility of ± 0.06 ‰ for δ 56Fe and ± 0.25 ‰ for δ 58Fe (1 σ). The measured iron isotopic compositions of various bulk meteorites, including irons, chondrites and pallasites are identical, within error, to the composition of our terrestrial basalt reference sample suggesting that iron mass fractionation during planet formation and differentiation was non-existent. Iron isotope compositions measured for eight chondrules from the unequilibrated ordinary chondrite Tieschitz range from −0.5 ‰ < δ 56Fe chondrules < 0.0 ‰ relative to the terrestrial/meteorite average. Mechanisms for fractionating iron in these chondrules are discussed.