MRI: Acquisition Of A Modern Electron Microprobe At The University of Maine

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0116235GuidottiThis award, made through the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program, provides support for the acquisition of a state-of-the-art electron microprobe (EMP) for the microchemical characterization of geological materials. A new EMP will replace an aging (vintage 1981) ARL SEMQ in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Maine. The instrument will facilitate research on a range of topics in metamorphic petrology including, the speciation of Fe and distribution of OH- in metapelites, and light element (i.e. Li, B, Be) partitioning in granulite facies rocks. Research in paleoclimatology will also be enhanced by this instrument. The probe will be used to analyze volcanic glass shards in ice core samples for trace and major element compositions. Coupled with analyses of suspected source tephras, such chemical analyses offer the strong possibility of verifying the provenance of ice core tephra and therefore relating these discrete events to climate proxies also recorded simultaneously in ice cores. This facility will be the only modern EMP in the state of Maine and will serve not only the needs of faculty and students from several departments at the University of Maine , but also the needs of faculty and students from nearby regional institutions (i.e. Bowdoin, Univ. of Southern Maine, Bates).***