Acquisition of instrumentation for volatile analyses in Earth Sciences

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0743540Fischer This proposal seeks funding to acquire a dual-detector gas chromatograph and a quadrupole mass spectrometer. The GC and QMS systems will be used for He, Ne, Ar, N2, O2, H2, CH4, CO, CO2, and H2S analyses and will expand the analytical tools available at the Volcanic and Hydrothermal Fluids Analyses Laboratory at the University of New Mexico. The major advantage of the proposed instrumentation is greater sensitivity allowing smaller sample sizes and more rapid analyses. A general expansion of capabilities is proposed. Several research efforts will be enhanced through this acquisition. Highlighted projects include using CO2, N2, He, and Ar abundances to understand mantle volatile composition in back-arc glasses and arc phenocrysts, analyzing the mantle xenolith formation by assaying trapped volatiles in metamorphic fluid inclusions, analyzing gases (H2, H2S, CO2, CH4 and CO) from hot spring waters to investigate chemolithoautotrophy associated with hydrothermal systems, and other microenvironmental geochemistry analyses over a broad discipline range. The instrument will be housed in a newly renovated space with full sample prep capabilities. A PhD student will be involved with instrument installation and configuration. All support personnel (electronics engineer, stable isotope geochemist, mass spec support tech and computer network specialist) are provided by the University. Students and post-docs will be heavily involved in running the instrument. The laboratory supports multiple students ? several visiting from other institutions. About 10 UNM graduate students have used the facility for their thesis work and two undergraduates have used VHFAL data in their honors work. Associated outreach includes E&PS senior thesis project support, the Alliance for Minority Participation (Crossey is PI) and ongoing GK-12 efforts. The instrument will be integrated into a volcanology summer field course.***