Acquisition of a scanning electron microscope optimized for elemental analysis for geologic research and teaching at Northern Arizona University

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0421452SampleWith support from this Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) grant, the Department of Geology at Northern Arizona will install a scanning electron microscope (SEM) optimized for elemental imaging and chemical analysis of rocks and minerals. This SEM will significantly enhance the existing geologic research capabilities in the Department. Faculty members in the Department of Geology will manage the facility, and a technician supported by the Department will provide maintenance and training for researchers and students. The Department has a successful program with 16 faculty members. Ten faculty members and their students use an SEM as part of their research program. The SEM will be an important tool for making more demanding analytical research (isotopic analysis by mass spectrometry, electron microprobe analysis) efficient and thorough, and in developing new avenues of research not practical with existing instrumentation at NAU. These research programs include investigations of magma chamber processes, fluid-rock interactions in fault zones at active margins, pressure-temperature-time evolution of orogenic belts, volcanic processes and eruptive fabrics, tectonics and sedimentary provenance of formations in the North American Cordillera, chemical and faunal evolution of cold seep systems at continental margins, and biostratigraphy and evolution of micro-vertebrates.Besides benefiting the strong research programs of Geology faculty members and their students, the SEM will be a valuable, user-friendly training tool for all graduate and undergraduate students interested in quantitative analysis of geological materials. This instrument will be used in educational and research training in at least 4 undergraduate and 12 graduate classes, impacting dozens of students in a large geology program. The SEM will provide the students graduating from NAU Geology with analytical skills that will help to ensure their success as they pursue more advanced degrees. The facility will provide important outreach capabilities for the Department to bring more students from the large rural Arizona, Native American, and Hispanic populations served by NAU, into a career in geoscience. In these ways, the SEM will serve a university whose mission is to be a premier undergraduate residential institution integrated with professional and graduate programs. The instrument will be housed in the Department of Geology where the proximity and fee structure will be favorable for innovative teaching- and research-related usage.