Acquisition of a Laser Furnace System to Develop U-Th-He Dating in the UCLA Noble Gas Laboratory

激光加热金属包裹的辅助矿物已成为实现高通量、低空白和易于跟踪的氦分析（U-Th）/He定年的最可行技术。 该奖项将为CW TEMoo模式，Nd-YAG激光器和自动光束衰减的光学机械设备提供资金，以开发用于UCLA惰性气体实验室氦气分析的温度控制，激光加热炉系统。 该激光系统将成为新翻新的VG 3600提取线的重要组成部分，该提取线现在用于进行3 He同位素稀释测量。 新开发的（U-Th）/He测年能力将支持一些NSF赞助的项目，这些项目需要对磷灰石和异戊烯进行有效的（U-Th）/He分析。 这些调查的大部分是结构研究，依赖于低温热年代学检测和表征的规模和晚新生代地壳变形的时间。 计划的活动路线广泛，从间歇泉热液系统从水向蒸汽为主的条件过渡的时间研究到构造活动区边界盆地的碎屑热年代学研究。 在所有这些活动中，一个首要的考虑因素是我们希望开发自洽的解释模型，将40 Ar/39 Ar钾长石和（U-Th）/He磷灰石和铼热年代计，以获得几乎连续的热历史从中地壳到地表条件。

EAR-0132997GroveLaser heating of metal-encapsulated accessory minerals has emerged as the most viable technique for accomplishing high-throughput, low-blank, and readily-tracked helium analysis for (U-Th)/He dating. This award will provide funds for a CW TEMoo mode, Nd-YAG laser and optomechanical equipment for automated beam attenuation to develop a temperature controlled, laser-heated furnace system for helium analysis in the UCLA noble gas laboratory. The laser system will become an essential component of the newly refurbished VG3600 extraction line that is now set up to perform 3He isotope dilution measurements. The newly developed (U-Th)/He dating capabilities will support a number of NSF-sponsored projects that require efficient (U-Th)/He analysis of apatite and sphene. The majority of these investigations are structural studies that rely upon low-temperature thermochronology to detect and characterize the magnitude and timing of Late Cenozoic crustal deformation. The itinerary of planned activities is broad and ranges from studies of the timing of the transition from water to steam-dominated conditions at The Geysers hydrothermal systems to detrital thermochronology in basins that border tectonically active areas. An overarching consideration in all this activity is our desire to develop self-consistent interpretive models that incorporate both 40Ar/39Ar K-feldspar and (U-Th)/He apatite and sphene thermochronometers to derive nearly continuous thermal histories from middle crustal to surface conditions.