Establishment of a Facility for 40Ar/39Ar Geochronology

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This award provides funding for the acquisition of a mass spectrometer to be installed and operated in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Houston. The instrument will be devoted primarily to isotopic analysis of argon gas in order to determine ages of formation and the chronology of heating-cooling cycles in igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks using potassium-argon radioactive decay techniques. An ability to determine temperature-time histories in crustal rocks is the key to understanding a variety of tectonic problems, evaluating fossil fuel and geothermal energy sources, and deciphering the pattern of volcanism in active volcanic provinces. This laboratory facility will also be available for use by researchers at Rice University and other regional research organizations.