MRI: Acquisition of a New Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometer for High-Precision Isotope Chronology and Chemistry

University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill NC

Investigators

Abstract

With assistance from this award, the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) will acquire a new thermal ionization mass spectrometer to perform high-precision measurement of isotope ratios. The instrument will be used for high precision age determination to investigate the rates of geologic processes, and the analysis of isotopes as tracers to address questions in plate tectonics, petrology, paleoclimatology, environmental geology and archaeology. Specific research in the laboratories by the PIs includes investigation into the rates of magma accumulation associated with "supervolcanoes"; the connections between magmatism and economic gold, silver and molybdenum mineralization; ancient climates as recorded in the sediments of the US middle Atlantic coastal plain; and the carbon sequestration potential of oceanic crustal rocks. Our research is integrated with many geochronologic techniques and is playing a significant role in intercalibration of techniques. The lab will continue a strong history of teaching graduate and undergraduate students from both UNC-CH and elsewhere. We fully support external users (PIs and students, mostly supported by NSF) by providing data, but more importantly, by training them in techniques for sample preparation, data acquisition and analysis. The lab actively participates in the NSF-funded Increasing Diversity and Enhancing Academia (IDEA) program by sponsoring and training undergraduate students drawn from underrepresented groups in the geosciences. The lab is a participant in the national EARTHTIME initiative and regularly contributes data to national and international geologic databases including NAVDAT and EarthChem.