Research :

PhD thesis : Reconstruct the evolution of the silicate Earth thanks to the study of the La-Ce and Sm-Nd systematics

PhD advisors : Maud Boyet and Régis Doucelance (LMV)

Funding : ERC H2020 program, grant agreement 682778 – ISOREE (Maud Boyet)

The long-lived La-Ce isotope systematics (T1/2 = 295.5 billion years) is composed of 138La (parent) and 138Ce (daughter). Unlike the 147Sm-143Nd systematics (T1/2 = 106 billion years), it has not been extensively studied. Lathanum, cerium, samarium and neodymium are rare earth elements (lanthanides). They behave similarly during geological processes and are concentrated in the mantle and the crust because of their lithophile and incompatible behaviours during partial melting. We couple 138La-138Ce and 147Sm-143Nd systematics in order to study specifically the silicate Earth (without the core) and bring to light new hypotheses about the processes involved in its formation and evolution.