Acquisition of Equipment to Establish a U-Th-He Geochronology Facility at MIT and Enhance Existing Laser Extraction Capabilities

Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

9985357 Hodges This award provides sixty-seven percent partial funding support for the acquisition of a helium gas extraction system and mass spectrometric analysis facility that will be installed in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The remaining funds necessary for the acquisition is to be provided by the Institute. Recent experimental and empirical studies suggest that the radiogenic 4He content of accessory minerals can be used to explore the low-temperature thermal evolution of orogenic belts. In particular, U-Th-He thermochronometry of apatites allows mapping of near-surface temperature structures as a function of time. Because these structures are largely dictated by topography, the method is rapidly becoming a valuable tool for reconstructing the evolution of topography during the development of mountain ranges. ***