Major changes occurred in the heavy isotope group, the major one being funding and purchase of a new $800K mass spectrometer, and design of a new laboratory to house this instrumentation. Funding for this major undertaking came from NASA, NSF, the university, and Department gift funds. The new mass spectrometer, called a MC-ICP-MS (Multi-Collector Inductively-Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer), will allow analysis of high-ionization potential elements that are not easily done with the current TIMS instrument (Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometer), including elements such as Iron, Hafnium, Osmium, and Thorium. Major new research projects that this new instrumentation will be applied to include searching for extraterrestrial life and early life on Earth using Fe isotopes as a "biosignature", combining U-Pb geochronology and the "genetic-tracer" information of Hf isotopes on single zircons to evaluate large-scale terrane models, using Os isotopes to trace intra-crustal recycling in primitive orogenic arcs, and determining magma residence times using Th isotopes. Continuing work on the old (and still very useful) mass spectrometerincluded Fe isotopes, studies of volcanic rocks in the Great Basin, and sedimentary provenance studies with Alan Carroll's group. Visitors to the lab included Mike Gerdinich (Univ. Michigan) and Bernie Sani-Edukat (Univ. ND).
These projects have been pursued by the essential Dr. Brian Beard, new post-doc Joe Skulan, and graduate students Ron Schott, Garret Hart, Tim Zeichert, Meredith Rhodes, and Jeff Pietras.
News from:
