Establishment of a Microanalytical Laboratory for Research in the Earth and Materials Sciences

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EAR-0320995SpearThis MRI grant will fund a new electron microprobe (EMP) to be used for the analysis of natural and synthetic geologic materials in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The new microprobe will far exceed the capabilities of our present JEOL 733 by providing greater stability, higher sensitivity, better analytical precision, and better software/hardware integration. These new capabilities, and especially the higher count rates promised by new spectrometer design and diffraction crystal size, are essential for a number of ongoing and proposed research projects. These projects include (1) analysis of trace element distributions in metamorphic rocks as monitors of reaction (and tectonic) history; (2) analysis of experimental run products to constrain diffusivities in mantle and meteoritic samples; (3) analysis of porosity and permeability in synthetic rocks to constrain geochemical mobility in the crust and mantle; (4) and chemical dating of monazite in rocks from metamorphic belts to constrain timing and rates of orogeny. This instrument will be housed in a facility that will be available to all researchers and students at Rensselaer and other academic institutions. The proposed laboratory will enhance the research infrastructure at Rensselaer and the upstate New York region and will serve as an instructional facility for undergraduate and graduate students.