Metal Abundances as a Diagnostic of the Cluster History

The high sensitivity and capability of imaging spectroscopy with XMM-Newton and Chandra allows us to trace the abudance of several metals in the intracluster medium of galaxy clusters. While the element composition provides information on the production origin of the metals, their distribution gives insight into the enrichment history and subsequent transport and mixing processes in clusters. In Particular XMM-Newton studies of some nearby cluster provide a detailed picture on the ages and enrichment histories of the cluster central regions. The implications of these studies on the effect of cluster mergers, cooling flows, and other processes are discussed.