Acquisition of LA-ICP-QQQ-MS equipment for in situ trace element and isotopic research and training at the University of Maine

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This project will enable the University of Maine to acquire a mass spectrometer for geoscientists to investigate Earth system processes, such as crustal subduction and paleoclimate. The instrument is capable of measuring minute concentrations of elements over distances the thickness of a human hair to learn how rocks are cycled deep into the earth and then back to the surface as magma. The mass spectrometer adds the dimension of time by obtaining the ages of rocks at time scales ranging from days to billions of years. The versatile analytical capability of the mass spectrometer is used in the study of past climates and ocean conditions by making the same type of measurements in rocks and fossils from places as diverse as beneath oceans and in caves. The mass spectrometer will serve as a regional facility, promoting and stimulating collaborations at colleges throughout the state of Maine.The acquisition of a laser-ablation inductively-coupled-plasma triple-quad mass spectrometer (LA-ICP-QQQ-MS) by the University of Maine will further research into Earth system processes that cut across the geosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, and biosphere, The state-of-the-art instrument will measure trace element and isotopic data at the micro-scale to examine the geologic archive, such as daily growth bands in foraminifer shells, or zones within single zircon crystals spanning billions of years of Earth history. Diffusion and geodynamical modeling integrate the geochemical data with field observations whose spatial and temporal scales range from microns to kilometers and days to billions of years. These data will enhance understanding of tectonic processes and terrestrial and marine paleoclimate records. The research projects include petrology and geochemical studies of rocks that are the origin of subduction-zone magmas and the reconstruction of past climate and ocean conditions. The mass spectrometer will provide extensive training and research opportunities and enhance the analytical and technological literacy for a diverse group of students from a variety of STEM disciplines at the University of Maine and a number of other colleges in the state of Maine.