Characterization of Earth Materials

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MOGK 9809752 Educational modules will be developed which demonstrate the characterization of Earth materials using a variety of modern analytical techniques. Each module will simulate authentic research experiences through presentation of a hierarchy of research-related questions and integrated datasets of images and analytical results will be accessed by students to develop their own tests and interpretations. Each module will include information on the geologic context, capabilities and limitations of analytical techniques, research-related questions, images that range in scale from mesoscopic to atomic embedded analytical results (e.g. X-ray diffraction data, compositional and chemical data, etc.), and links to similar projects that have been reported in the literature. The modules will promote discovery-based learning as students will focus their own observations and choose appropriate tests. Earth materials that will be presented in these modules will include samples from common rock types and soils (representing a variety of Earth processes), materials of interest to industry (e.g., mineral and energy exploration; environmental remediation), and exciting new fields of investigation such as geomicrobiology and the surface chemistry of minerals. The analytical instruments that will be used are housed in the Imaging and Chemical Analysis Laboratory at Montana State University, and include scanning electron microscope equipped with back-scattered electron detector, cathodoluminescence detector with spectrometer, energy dispersive spectrometer, and cryo-preparation stage; X-ray powder diffraction; Auger Electron Spectrometer; X-ray photoelectron spectrometer; Time-of-flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer; and Atomic Force Microscopes. All images and spectra will be digitized and distributed through the WWW. Development of the multi-media educational modules will be done with the assistance of the Burns Telecommunications Center at Montana State University.