Acquisition of a noble gas mass spectrometer and development of a multi-user facility for 40Ar/39Ar geochronology at the University of Vermont

佛蒙特大学购买惰性气体质谱仪并开发 40Ar/39Ar 地质年代学多用户设施

• 批准号: 1028991
• 负责人: Laura Webb
• 金额: $ 50.8万
• 依托单位: University of Vermont & State Agricultural College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-09-01 至 2015-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1028991&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Acquisition; noble; gas; mass; spectrometer

This award is supporting the development of a multi-user facility for 40Ar/39Ar geochronology at the University of Vermont. The 40Ar/39Ar technique, based on the radioactive decay of 40K to 40Ar, is one of the most versatile geochronologic methods available to Earth Scientists. Because potassium-bearing minerals are common in igneous and metamorphic rocks, the technique can be used to date minerals ranging in age from thousands to billions of years. In addition, depending on whether a mineral grows above or below its closure temperature for the isotopic system and the rate of cooling, the potential exists to both date relatively discrete events and to elucidate thermal histories of rocks. Thus a wide variety of applications for the technique exist, spanning high resolution time scale calibrations to tracking rates of exhumation and orogenic erosion, to burial and diagenesis and faulting in the upper crust. The primary research foci for this facility is generalized by themes that include: 1) the investigation of large scale tectonic processes, the evolution of orogenic belts, and constraining timing and rates of slip on faults and shear zones through the record of progressive deformation and overprinting relationships; and 2) placing temporal constraints on basin evolution and upper crustal processes, investigating linkages between faulting, tectonics, and sedimentation, and surface expressions of deep Earth processes.The laboratory is supporting the research program of an Early Career faculty member at the University of Vermont as well as providing access to a 40Ar/39Ar analytical facility for researchers at nearby universities and colleges and for researchers at government and state agencies. Many of these institutions that utilize this facility, including the University of Vermont, have a strong emphasis on undergraduate research; therefore teaching and training at the undergraduate through graduate level is an important component of the laboratory mission and culture. Development of the facility is providing significant opportunities for the integration of research and education through hands on use of the laboratory by students for independent research projects and, as appropriate, as part of the department curriculum. The facility is presenting new opportunities for national and international collaborations and for PI and her colleagues to attract post-doctoral scholars. Data generated by the facility is being made broadly available to the scientific community through publication in international journals and through the GEOCHRON system hosted at EarthChem.

该奖项支持佛蒙特大学40Ar/39Ar地质年代学的多用户设施的开发。40Ar/39Ar技术基于40K到40Ar的放射性衰变，是地球科学家可用的最通用的地质年代学方法之一。由于含钾矿物在火成岩和变质岩中很常见，这项技术可以用来测定矿物的年龄，年龄从数千年到数十亿年不等。此外，根据矿物生长是高于还是低于其同位素系统的关闭温度和冷却速度，存在测定相对离散事件和阐明岩石热历史的可能性。因此，这项技术存在着广泛的应用，从高分辨率的时间尺度校准到追踪挖掘和造山侵蚀的速率，再到上地壳的埋藏和成岩作用和断层作用。该设施的主要研究重点概括为以下主题：1)调查大规模的构造过程，造山带的演化，通过记录逐步变形和叠加关系，限制断层和剪切带上滑动的时间和速度；2)对盆地演化和地壳上部过程施加时间限制，调查断裂、构造和沉积之间的联系，以及地球深部过程的表面表现。实验室正在支持佛蒙特大学一名早期职业教员的研究计划，并为附近大学和学院的研究人员以及政府和州政府机构的研究人员提供访问40Ar/39Ar分析设备的机会。许多利用这一设施的机构，包括佛蒙特州大学，都非常重视本科生研究；因此，本科生到研究生的教学和培训是实验室使命和文化的重要组成部分。该设施的发展通过学生将实验室用于独立研究项目，并酌情将其作为系课程的一部分，为研究和教育的整合提供了重要机会。该设施为国内和国际合作以及Pi和她的同事吸引博士后学者提供了新的机会。该设施产生的数据正通过在国际期刊上发表和通过设在EarthChem的GEOCHRON系统向科学界广泛提供。