Experimental study of silicon isotope dynamic fractionation and its application in geology

Silicon shows no variation in its chemical valence in nature and exists mainly in the form of silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, so very small silicon isotope thermodynamic fractionation occurs and the resultant silicon isotope variation is limited. Dynamic fractionation of Si isotopes during precipitation of SiO2 from a solution is a main factor leading to substantial variations in silicon isotopes in nature. In this experimental study, we determined the dynamic fractionation factorα for silicon isotopes during precipitation of SiO2 from the solution. And in combination of α, a theoretical explanation is presented of the considerably low δ30Si values of black smokers on modern seafloor, Archean banded magnetite-quartzite and clay minerals of weathering origin, and of clearly high δ30Si values of siliceous rocks in shallow-sea carbonate platforms.