MRI: Acquisition / replacement of an electron microprobe

University Of Alaska Fairbanks Campus, Fairbanks AK

Investigators

Abstract

Funds from NSF's MRI program will be used to purchase a new electron microprobe at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). The new instrument replaces an aging instrument and will allow continued teaching and research in several core fields of Alaskan and global importance. Worldwide demand for precious and industrial metals is accelerating, but fundamental processes that lead to ore concentrations are poorly understood. Furthermore, Alaska's basic geology is still being worked out. UAF research in collaboration with the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys is continually refining the understanding of Alaska's geology and mineral resources. The new instrument will enhance cutting-edge research in how metals, such as gold in arsenopyrite, are concentrated in Earth's rocks. This type of research leads to more efficient precious-metal beneficiation. On a more fundamental level, analyses that determine the pressures and temperatures at which rocks form and deform are helping to create models that explain how magma moves in time and space, and how deeply exhumed rocks flow in fault zones. One of the most societally important roles of the UAF microprobe is through its link with the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO). Understanding active volcanism in Alaska is of international importance because of ground, airborne, and climatic effects from Alaska's 52 active volcanoes. The existing microprobe has played a crucial role in providing the AVO with rapid analyses of new volcanic materials during eruption crises. UAF's research on active magmatic systems requires high-quality elemental analyses of volcanic rocks on a microscopic scale, which will be possible with the new instrument. Studies of eruptive products will elucidate past eruptions and help predict the nature of potential future eruptions. Biologists will use the new instrument to reconstruct life histories of fish - many species of which are important in commercial, sport, or subsistence fisheries - through analysis of otolith growth rings. The new instrument, the only facility of its kind in the state of Alaska, will be broadly available to researchers and students and will enhance UAF's research enterprise through novel applications and by fostering national and international collaborations.