Analysis of lava erupted by the Hawaiian volcano Kilauea in 1959 is providing scientists with new tools to investigate planetary origins, says a report in ScienceDaily today. Nicolas Dauphas of the University of Chicago and his associates are publishing their findings in Science on 20 June.

A close examination of iron isotopes–the slight variations the element displays at the subatomic level–can tell planetary scientists more about the formation of crust than they previously thought … As the lava in Kilauea Iki crater cooled and solidified, the content of its iron isotopes evolved with time. “A good analogy is putting a bucket of salty water in your freezer and monitoring what happens to the salt concentration in the water as the ice forms,” Dauphas said.

The finding contradicts the widely held view that isotopic variations occur only at relatively low temperatures, and only in lighter elements, such as oxygen. But Dauphas and his associates were able to measure isotopic variations as they occur in magma at temperatures of 1,100 degrees Celsius (2,012 degrees Fahrenheit).

Previous studies of basalt found little or no separation of iron isotopes, but those studies focused on the rock as a whole, rather than its individual minerals.

Lavas From Hawaiian Volcano Contain Fingerprint Of Planetary Formation – ScienceDaily, 19 June 2008