Professor Dr. Andreas Pack

Research Areas

Our research applies stable isotope geochemistry, with a particular focus on high-precision triple oxygen isotopes, to investigate processes in the early Earth, the atmosphere, the biosphere, and the Solar System. A further emphasis is the development of novel analytical techniques and geochemical proxies.

Triple Oxygen Isotope Geochemistry
Development and application of high-precision methods for measuring ¹⁶O, ¹⁷O and ¹⁸O in rocks, minerals, carbonates, biological materials, atmospheric CO₂, and extraterrestrial samples. Our research focuses on both mass-dependent and mass-independent isotope fractionation and their application to quantitative studies of geological and planetary processes.

Atmosphere, Biosphere and the Carbon Cycle
Reconstructing the evolution of atmospheric oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations and the interactions between the atmosphere, biosphere and solid Earth. This includes studies of tooth enamel, bioapatite, carbonates, cosmic dust, and sedimentary archives.

Paleoclimate and Paleoenvironment
Development of isotope-based proxies for reconstructing temperature, precipitation, humidity, seawater composition and atmospheric CO₂. Applications include cherts, carbonates, corals, mammalian and dinosaur tooth enamel, as well as hydrothermal and diagenetic minerals.

Early Earth and Ocean Evolution
Reconstructing the chemical and isotopic evolution of the Earth from the Archean to the present day. Major research topics include the oxygen isotope composition of ancient seawater, hydrothermal alteration, early marine ecosystems, the carbon cycle, and the links between climate and tectonic evolution.

Cosmochemistry and Solar System Formation
Investigation of meteorites, micrometeorites, and returned asteroid samples, particularly from Ryugu, to understand accretion, condensation, aqueous alteration, planetary differentiation, and material transport in the early Solar System, as well as the origin of Earth's volatile elements.

Origin and Early Evolution of the Earth–Moon System
Application of high-precision isotope measurements to questions concerning the origin of the Moon, the isotopic relationship between Earth and Moon, late accretion, and the origin of Earth's water and other volatile components.

Experimental Isotope Geochemistry
Experimental investigations of isotope exchange, reaction kinetics and equilibrium fractionation during mineral–fluid and gas–water interactions, providing the quantitative framework for interpreting natural isotope signatures.

Analytical Method Development
Development of novel analytical methods for high-precision oxygen and silicon isotope measurements, including laser fluorination, mass spectrometry and laser absorption spectroscopy, complemented by the development of reference materials, measurement standards and automated analytical systems.