Interpretation of the variation in the seawater strontium isotope ratio with time is important in many studies of the ancient Earth system. However, a fundamental difficulty is that this ratio is controlled by a large number of time-varying factors and so a unique interpretation is not possible. However, this problem is under-constrained rather than unconstrained. Although, there are an infinite number of ways to interpret the data, all solutions have properties in common and it is possible to find the minimum variation in any given parameter that could have produced the observed seawater strontium isotope curve. This is the analysis performed by the calculator below. For further details, see Waltham & Grocke, 2006
From Sand Grains to Solar Systems
