The UW-Madison Rare Gas Geochronology Laboratory is a state-of-the-art ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating facility capable of addressing questions spanning nearly the entire 4.55 billion year history of the Earth. The laboratory is directed by Dr. Brad Singer, who, along with his research group, concentrates on advancing methods for precise⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating of Quaternary lava flows and ash falls. We also use ²³⁰Th^-238U dating to explore time scales of magma storage, evolution, and transport within the lithosphere. Several students from other universities have undertaken thesis research in our laboratory.

The rock record continually stimulates ideas about Earth processes. The ability to quantify these processes and to rigorously test specific cause-effect relationships requires a chronometric scale. Hence, geochronology—the science of using isotopes to determine the ages of Earth materials—now plays a major role in many branches of the Earth Sciences.
 
We use field observations, laboratory measurements, and theoretical modeling to advance research in: (1) igneous petrology-volcanology, (2) geodynamo behavior and paleomagnetism, and (3) evolution of ancient lacustrine and marine basins. Laboratory techniques are continually refined to provide the precise geochronology needed for each project. The goal of our research program is to broadly train students for careers that will impact the future of Earth Sciences.