First-principles investigation of equilibrium iron isotope fractionation in Fe1-xSx alloys at Earth's core formation conditions

Iron is one of the most abundant non-volatile elements in the solar system. As a major component of planetary metallic alloys, its immiscibility with silicates plays a major role in planetary formation and differentiation. Information about these processes can be gained by studying the equilibrium Fe isotope fractionation between metal alloys and molten silicates at conditions of core formation. In particular, recent attention has been paid to Fe-56/Fe-54 equilibrium isotope fractionation at conditions relevant to Earth's core formation and the influence that light elements (O, H, C, Ni, Si and S) have had in this process. Most of these experimental studies relied on the measurement of Fe isotope fractionation from quenched phases of silicate melts and molten iron alloys. The experimental works are extremely challenging, and may suffer different drawbacks. To overcome this, we use ab-initio computational methods to perform a systematic study of the Fe-56/Fe-54 equilibrium isotope fractionation in molten and solid Fe(1-x)S(x)alloys at conditions of the core formation (60 GPa, 3000 K). We show for the first time, that equilibrium isotope fractionation factors from solid systems can be used as proxies for molten systems with differences between these two methods less than 0.01 parts per thousand at the relevant P-T conditions. Additionally, we discuss the effect of sulphur concentration on the equilibrium Fe isotope fractionation and show that although there are some structural changes due to atom substitutions, the wide range of studied concentrations produces beta-factors that are constant within similar to 0.02 parts per thousand. Finally, we discuss the implications of our results for the interpretation of recent experiments and the understanding of core crystallisation processes. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study investigates the equilibrium Fe isotope fractionation between metal alloys and molten silicates under core formation conditions, showing that equilibrium isotope fractionation factors from solid systems can be used as proxies for molten systems. The influence of light elements on this process is discussed, and the effect of sulfur concentration on equilibrium Fe isotope fractionation is also explored. The results have implications for interpreting recent experiments and understanding core crystallization processes.