SGER: Relocation of a Multicollector VG-354 from Lawrence Livermore National Lab to Florida International University

Florida International University, Miami FL

Investigators

Abstract

The funds provided in this award will be used to relocate a thermal ionization mass spectrometer (TIMS) from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to the Department of Earth Sciences at Florida International University. The TIMS is a very versatile and powerful instrument used to measure ratios of isotopes in natural and man-made materials, and it has applications in scores of scientific disciplines. Since its purchase by LLNL, this mass spectrometer has seen relatively light use, and it will be replaced there by a newer instrument. At FIU, the TIMS will be installed in an academic research lab where it will see heavy use from faculty and students alike involved in geological, archaological, environmental and forensic research. The faculty at FIU who will supervise the use of this instrument, including the PI, have been using TIMS machines for many years, but have had to travel to labs in far distant locations to use them. Projected uses of this instrument at FIU include: The isotopic and chemical fingerprinting of the sources of elements in ores, glasses, ceramics, metal alloys and other materials for archaeological and forensic research. Isotope ratios of several elements vary greatly in different natural sources, so that analysis of natural and man-made materials can indicate the sources from which it was made. Analyses of natural ores can reveal the original geological sources or the contained metals, and illuminate the processes that formed the ores. Analyses of archaeological artifacts such as metal alloys and ceramics can reveal where the geological raw materials were obtained that were used in their manufacture, and therefor how the technologies developed and spread. Forensic analyses of glass, metals and paint can trace the origins of materials found at crime scenes. The precise dating of rocks provides a framework for geological events such as volcanic eruptions, mountain building events and the formation of ore deposits. Such analyses are essential for understanding how many types of rocks form, when and how mountain building events have taken place, and how major deposits of metals like copper, silver and gold form and where they are most effectively found. They are also essential for providing the baseline information on the geological variability of natural materials that forms the context of archaeological and forensic studies. This instrument can also be used to determine the sources of lead contamination in soils and blood in urban areas of Miami-Dade County. Recent studies have shown that blood lead poisoning of children is a serious problem in some older areas of urban Miami-Dade County. Potential sources of this lead contamination include soil contamination from leaded gasoline, lead-based paint, and atmospheric fallout from incinerators and other remote sources. Measurement of lead isotope ratios in soils, paint, Everglades peat samples, and blood samples will allow us to determine the isotopic fingerprint of each source, and which source is the dominant contributor to blood lead contamination.