Non-conventional Light Stable Isotope Geochemistry
This MIT OpenCourseWare graduate seminar looks at isotope systems beyond the traditional oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur set, covering elements such as iron, copper, zinc, silicon, and mercury and what their isotopic ratios reveal about processes in the ocean, atmosphere, and solid Earth. The course is built around primary research literature: each session assigns recent papers that students read and discuss, tracing how these isotope systems are used to trace nutrient cycling, redox conditions, biological uptake, and planetary differentiation. Materials include a syllabus, weekly reading lists, and discussion questions rather than recorded lectures, so the format suits students who already have a grounding in geochemistry and want to engage directly with the current literature. No cost is required to access the materials, which are published under MIT's open license.