A Review on the Development of Re-Os Isotopic Dating Methods and Techniques

A review on the development of Re-Os isotopic dating methods and techniques are presented in this paper. The authors briefly introduce the development history of the Re-Os isotope dating system and the focuses are put on the principles of Re-Os dating and isotope tracing techniques, basic chemical properties, distribution in nature, geochemical behaviors, modes of occurrence of Re and Os, as well as the problems in geological sampling. Combined with the over 10 year experience in the research on Re-Os isotopic dating system in author's laboratory, sample digestion methods, separation and enrichment techniques for Re and Os, along with the principles of Re-Os isotope ratio measurement by N-TIMS and ICP-MS instruments are also systematically described. Furthermore, the recent progress in research on standard isotope tracers and Re-Os standard reference materials are also introduced.