Radiogenic Isotopes & Geochronology
Geochronology: Dating Capability
The UT Chron Lab houses three state-of-the-art, all metal, ultra-high vacuum noble gas extraction and purification lines for measuring 4He as well as a a Thermo Helix SFT magnetic sector mass-spectrometer with dedicated UHV extraction and purification line for 4He/3He and low 4He yield samples.
Also included are facilities for picking and grain measurement, as well as rapid, fully automated cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging in the E-Beam Lab for trace element zoning prior to ablation.
- Contact Daniel Stockli for details.
Radiogenic Isotope Facilities
Two facilities are linked to PIs Jay Banner and John Lassiter.
- The MC-ICP-MS Lab features a Nu Instruments Nu Plasma 3D multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spetrometer (MC-ICP-MS) with 6 high-sensitivity Daly detectors and an Elemental Scientific Laboratories (ESL) NWR 196 excimer laser.
- The TIMS Lab is a state-of-the-art facility capable of measuring Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd, Re-Os, U-Th-Pb and U-series isotopes in a variety of materials, with the goal of resolving fundamental questions in the fields of geology, hydrology, archaeology and environmental science.
- Additional capabilities include Lu-Hf analysis, laser ablation Hf analyses, and Li analyses.
- Contact Aaron Satkoski and Staci Loewy for details.
Fission Track Thermochronology
Fission Track Thermochronology Laboratory enables analysis of fission tracks in apatite and zircon to constrain the low-temperature time-temperature (t-T) history of sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks.
- Contact Richard Ketcham for details
Clean Rooms
Dedicated clean rooms include:
- Banner Lab for preparation of rock, mineral, soil, plant and water samples for chemical and isotopic analysis under low-contamination conditions. Contact Staci Loewy for details.
- Lassiter Lab allows ultra-clean sample preparation and ion-exchange chromatography for isotopic analysis. Contact Aaron Satkoski for details.
- Two additional laboratories with HEPA-filtered work stations for sample preparation and ion-exchange chromatography.