Upgrade of the Scanning Electron Microscope Lab at the Arizona LaserChron Center

亚利桑那州 LaserChron 中心扫描电子显微镜实验室升级

• 批准号: 2153415
• 负责人: George Gehrels
• 金额: $ 40.04万
• 依托单位: University of Arizona
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-08-01 至 2023-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2153415&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Upgrade; Scanning; Electron; Microscope; Lab

This award provides funding to acquire three new instruments that will be used to determine the chemistry and structure of minerals which record a variety of geologic events and processes. The instruments will be utilized in the Arizona LaserChron Center (ALC), which is an NSF-supported community facility that supports research in Earth Sciences. Science questions addressed by ALC researchers focus on reconstructing the history of igneous activity (e.g., volcanic eruptions), formation of ore deposits, uplift of mountain ranges, accumulation of sediment and formation of associated hydrocarbon resources, evolutionary changes, early evolution of the Earth, Moon, meteorites, and Mars, history of Earth’s climate (e.g., patterns of ice sheets), and archaeological trade routes. The new instruments will be utilized to support the research of ~350 faculty members, professional geologists, and students per year. Supported activities include generating the images and analyses that are needed for NSF-funded projects, providing opportunities for researchers to learn the theory and methods of instrument operation, and offering educational and outreach activities for under-represented minority participants. The requested instruments consist of (1) an Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) detector, (2) an Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) detector, and (3) a Raman spectroscopic system. The EDS and EBSD detector systems will replace the outdated systems which were acquired with our Scanning Electronic Microscope (SEM) in 2009. These instruments, combined with the new “AZtec Live/HKL” software included with the Instruments, will provide the chemical and structural information needed for ALC researchers to conduct cutting-edge research in geochronology, petrochronology, and thermochronology. New capabilities in microstructural analysis will also be enabled. The Raman system, combined with the “Correlate” software package offered by the manufacturer, will provide powerful new capabilities of chemical mapping and phase identification. Collectively, these enhanced capabilities will provide the images and analyses needed by ALC researchers more efficiently, at lower cost, and with enhanced resolution, and will also allow ALC researchers to explore exciting new science applications regarding: (1) the spatial context of in situ geochronometric minerals, (2) 4D evolution of shear zones, (3) use of baddeleyite for chronologic and chemical studies of mafic rocks, (4) processes of Pb loss in minerals, (5) provenance of detrital minerals, (6) many processes that control modal abundances, sizes, shapes, and orientations of minerals in various rock types, and (7) application of elastic thermobarometers to study a variety of geologic processes.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该奖项提供资金，用于购买三种新仪器，用于确定记录各种地质事件和过程的矿物的化学和结构。这些仪器将在亚利桑那州激光中心（ALC）使用，这是一个由NSF支持的社区设施，支持地球科学研究。ALC研究人员解决的科学问题集中在重建火成岩活动的历史（例如，火山爆发），矿床的形成，山脉的隆起，沉积物的积累和相关碳氢化合物资源的形成，演化变化，地球、月球、陨石和火星的早期演化，地球气候的历史（例如，冰盖的模式）和考古贸易路线。新仪器将用于支持每年约350名教师，专业地质学家和学生的研究。支持的活动包括生成NSF资助项目所需的图像和分析，为研究人员提供学习仪器操作理论和方法的机会，并为代表性不足的少数民族参与者提供教育和宣传活动。所要求的仪器包括（1）能量色散光谱（EDS）检测器，（2）电子背散射衍射（EBSD）检测器和（3）拉曼光谱系统。EDS和EBSD探测器系统将取代我们在2009年购买的扫描电子显微镜（SEM）的过时系统。这些仪器，结合新的“阿兹特克现场/HKL”软件包括与仪器，将提供所需的化学和结构信息，ALC研究人员进行尖端的研究，在地质年代学，岩石年代学和热年代学。还将启用微观结构分析的新功能。该拉曼系统与制造商提供的“相关”软件包相结合，将提供强大的化学绘图和相位识别的新能力。总的来说，这些增强的功能将以更低的成本和更高的分辨率更有效地为ALC研究人员提供所需的图像和分析，并使ALC研究人员能够探索令人兴奋的新科学应用：（1）原地地质年代学矿物的空间背景，（2）剪切带的四维演化，（3）斜锆石用于镁铁质岩的年代学和化学研究，（4）Pb在矿物中的损失过程;（5）碎屑矿物的物源;（6）控制各种岩石类型中矿物的模态丰度、大小、形状和取向的许多过程;（七）该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值进行评估而被认为值得支持和更广泛的影响审查标准。