Laboratory Technician Support: For a new (U-Th)/He dating lab in the Department of Geology, UIUC

热年代学是地球系统科学中的重要工具，它使地球科学家能够量化岩石随时间的热演化。许多地质过程扰乱了上地壳岩石的温度，包括山带的抬升和侵蚀、与矿产资源有关的热液流动，以及产生碳氢化合物的地区的岩石埋藏。该项目将帮助伊利诺伊大学香槟分校(UIUC)建立一个新的热年代学实验室，方法是资助一名实验室技术人员监督实验室的日常运行-S。这个实验室将专注于一种特定类型的热年代学？？(铀-钍)/氦测年？并将向来自全国其他科学机构的来访研究人员和合作者开放。这些参观者将包括寻求在一个重要的地质学研究领域进一步培训的本科生和研究生。尽管(U-Th)/He测年方法的流行、前景和需求很大，但目前美国只有少数几个实验室被设计并配备了适当的人员，可以定期接受来访的研究人员。因此，来自该奖项的资金将使更多的(U-Th)/He研究人员能够更多地接触到寻求推动这项技术及其应用的(U-Th)/He研究人员。(U-Th)/He测年方法包括一个多步骤过程，新技术人员将对其进行监督。他或她的职责包括培训和协助来访者进行目标矿物颗粒的选择、制备和脱气方法，以获得测量结果，并监督用电感耦合等离子体质谱仪对溶解等分进行U、Th、Sm、Ca和Zr分析。这些方法需要大量的时间投入，通过加入UIUC实验室，这名技术人员将扩大S实验室的研究能力，增加样品产量，并允许实验室利用资金容纳更多的PI使用热年代学。这笔赠款将使UIUC的(U-Th)/He实验室能够加强正在进行的合作，并开发新的合作项目，这些合作包括以下项目：1)利用锆石(U-Th)/He年龄与有效铀(Eu)之间的相关性来约束元古代或深部时代？造山带和克拉通的热历史，2)卡林型金矿床(CTGD)碧玉中氧化铁(U-Th)/He测年的发展，以约束与成矿有关的流体过程，以及3)通过对锆石中的辐射损伤退火过程进行参数化，改进了锆石(U-Th)/He方法。在这种支持下，UIUC实验室作为(U-Th)/He测年主要中心的现有或未来外部合作者的其他项目现在将成为可能。

Thermochronology is a vital tool in Earth systems science that allows geoscientists to quantify the thermal evolution of rocks through time. Many geologic processes perturb the temperatures of rocks in the upper crust including the uplift and erosion of mountain belts, hydrothermal fluid flow related to mineral resources, and the burial of rocks in regions that generate hydrocarbons. This project will help establish a new thermochronology laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), by providing funding for a laboratory technician to oversee the lab?s daily operations. This lab will focus on a particular type of thermochronology?(Uranium-Thorium)/Helium dating?and will be open to visiting researchers and collaborators from other scientific institutions around the country. These visitors will include undergraduate and graduate students who seek to further their training in an important field of geologic study. Despite the prevalence, promise, and demand for the (U-Th)/He dating method, only a handful of labs in the U.S. are currently designed and properly staffed to accept visiting researchers on a regular basis. The funding from this award will therefore allow greater access to a wider pool of (U-Th)/He researchers that seek to advance the technique and its applications.The (U-Th)/He dating method consists of a multiple step process, which the new technician will oversee. He or she will have responsibilities that consist of both training and assisting visitors in target mineral grain selection, preparation, and degassing methods necessary to obtain He measurements, and supervising U, Th, Sm, Ca, and Zr analysis of dissolved aliquots by ICP-MS. These methods require significant time commitments and by joining the UIUC lab, the technician will expand the lab?s research capabilities with increased sample through-put, and allow the lab to host additional PIs with funding to use thermochronology. This grant will allow the (U-Th)/He lab at UIUC to strengthen ongoing and develop new collaborations that include projects focused on: 1) The use of correlations between zircon (U-Th)/He age and effective uranium (eU) to constrain Proterozoic or ?deep-time? thermal histories for orogens and cratons, 2) The development of Fe-oxide (U-Th)/He dating in jasperoids from Carlin-Type Gold Deposits (CTGD) to constrain fluid processes related to ore-formation, and 3) Advancing the zircon (U-Th)/He method by parameterizing the process of radiation damage annealing in zircon. Additional projects with current or future external collaborators where the UIUC lab serves as the main center for (U-Th)/He dating will now be possible with this support.