Facility Support: Multi-User Facility Support for U-Th-Pb Geochronology and Complementary Geochemistry at the Arizona LaserChron Center

设施支持：亚利桑那州 LaserChron 中心的 U-Th-Pb 地质年代学和补充地球化学多用户设施支持

• 批准号: 1032156
• 负责人: George Gehrels
• 金额: $ 73.23万
• 依托单位: University of Arizona
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-02-15 至 2014-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1032156&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Facility; Support; Multi; User; Th

Innovations in experimental methods and instrumentation are revolutionizing the acquisition and application of geochronologic information in Earth Science research. Some of the most exciting advances are being driven by Laser-Ablation Multicollector ICP Mass Spectrometry (LA-MC-ICPMS), allowing one to determine U-Th-Pb ages with micron-scale spatial resolution. This technique is fundamentally changing the way that geochronologic information is utilized, with impacts that cover the span of structural geology, tectonics, stratigraphy, paleontology, petrology, economic geology, and geochemistry.The Arizona LaserChron Center (ALC) is a multi-user facility that utilizes LA-MC-ICPMS to provide the NSF-supported Earth Science community with U-Th-Pb geochronologic information and training. Primary goals of the ALC are to (1) generate high quality/low cost U-Th-Pb geochronologic information for NSF-supported researchers, (2) use every aspect of facility operation as an opportunity to train student and faculty researchers in geochronologic theory and methodology, and (3) drive the development of new techniques and applications that take advantage of the strengths of LA-MC-ICPMS.The funding will provide support for ALC staff members to assist NSF-supported researchers in acquiring geochronologic information and to drive the development of new analytical techniques, for maintenance and modernization of instrumentation, and for students to be able to conduct research in the laboratory. This support will enable the ALC to provide geochronologic information NSF-EAR awardees. This collaborative research will drive important new developments in studies of the growth of continents, processes of mountain building, generation and dispersal of sediment through space and time, formation of mineral and hydrocarbon resources, history of evolutionary changes, chronology of early hominids, and genetic linkages between climate and tectonics.

实验方法和仪器的创新正在使地球科学研究中地质年代学信息的获取和应用发生革命性的变化。一些最令人兴奋的进展是由激光烧蚀多接收器ICP质谱（LA-MC-ICPMS）驱动的，允许以微米级的空间分辨率确定U-Th-Pb年龄。这项技术从根本上改变了地质年代学信息的利用方式，其影响涵盖了构造地质学、构造学、地层学、古生物学、岩石学、经济地质学和地球化学。亚利桑那州激光年代学中心（ALC）是一个多用户设施，利用LA-MC-ICPMS为NSF支持的地球科学界提供U-Th-Pb地质年代学信息和培训。ALC的主要目标是（1）为NSF支持的研究人员提供高质量/低成本的U-Th-Pb地质年代学信息，（2）利用设施运行的各个方面作为培训学生和教师研究人员地质年代学理论和方法的机会，以及（3）推动利用LA-MC优势的新技术和应用的开发，ICPMS.资金将为ALC工作人员提供支持，以协助NSF支持的研究人员获取地质年代学信息，并推动新分析技术的开发，仪器的维护和现代化，以及学生能够在实验室进行研究。这一支持将使ALC能够向国家科学基金会获奖者提供地质年代学信息。这项合作研究将推动大陆生长研究的重要新发展，造山过程，沉积物在空间和时间上的产生和扩散，矿物和碳氢化合物资源的形成，进化变化的历史，早期原始人的年代学以及气候和构造之间的遗传联系。