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Rhenium-Osmium Isotope System

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  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Geochemistry

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

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Definition

The Re-Os system is a long-lived radiogenic isotope system system based on two siderophile (iron-loving) elements. With a 187Re half-life of ~42 Ga, the system can potentially be used for dating rocks and minerals ranging from the age of the solar system to high Re/Os minerals <1 Ma. Because of the highly variable Re/Os ratios in different types of rocks, the system is also valuable for tracing crustal recycling into the mantle, and anthropogenic contributions of heavy metals to waterways, among numerous other applications.

Introduction

The 187Re-187Os system has relevance to a wide range of cosmochemical and geochemical applications. The isotope 187Re decays by β− emission to 187Os with a decay constant of 1.67 × 10−11year−1 (t½ = 41.6 × 109 years), with an approximately ±1 % uncertainty (Smoliar et al., 1996). Both Re and Os are highly siderophile and under some conditions also chalcophile . The system has been used...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA

    Richard J. Walker

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  1. Richard J. Walker
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Correspondence to Richard J. Walker .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth, Cornell University Department of Earth, Ithaca, New York, USA

    William M. White

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Walker, R.J. (2016). Rhenium-Osmium Isotope System. In: White, W. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geochemistry. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39193-9_128-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39193-9_128-1

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-39193-9

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