TS: Advancing and Broadening Access to Laser-Ablation (U-Th)/He Thermochronlogy

该项目将为CU TRaIL（科罗拉多大学博尔德分校-热年代学研究和仪器实验室）的人力基础设施支助提供资金，以帮助将高空间分辨率LA-（U-Th）/He热年代学从全世界只有少数地质年代学家能够使用的专业方法转变为可供国家地球科学界广泛使用的技术。（U-Th）/He定年法现在是限制热历史的基本工具，应用于构造、构造、地貌、沉积、岩石学、火山成因和行星研究。几乎所有现有的（U-Th）/He数据都是常规的全晶体分析。激光烧蚀（LA）-（U-Th）/He定年法，其中对晶体的一小部分进行一次或多次分析，具有丰富各种研究的巨大潜力。CU TRIL目前是美国地球科学界全晶体（U-Th）/He数据和培训的主要来源。该项目将通过加速TRIL的LA-（U-Th）/He开发活动并提供更广泛地提供这种强大技术所需的资源，为TRIL的LA-（U-Th）/He数据和培训创建社区资源。应用领域包括更有效地生成大氮碎屑（U-Th）/（He-Pb）双日期数据集，多点（U-Th）/He日期剖面以约束基岩热历史，单颗粒晶内（U-Th）/He图，可以与其他类型的颗粒内数据（例如，拉曼）、原位岩石年代学以及常规方法所面临的矿物分析挑战。新的TRIL团队成员还将建立新的并参与现有的以BAJEDI为重点的活动，包括与丹佛79%的少数民族，以STEM为重点的公立高中建立新的合作伙伴关系，首次参与实验室在CU UENUS研究计划中，该计划在STEM研究项目中吸引代表性不足的少数民族，并与代表性不足的少数民族学生互动，他们通过RESESS在TRIL获得夏季研究经验该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project will provide funds for human infrastructure support in the CU TRaIL (University of Colorado Boulder - Thermochronology Research and Instrumentation Lab) to help transform high-spatial resolution, LA-(U-Th)/He thermochronology from a specialty method accessible to only a handful of geochronologists worldwide into a technique available for widespread use by the national geoscience community. (U-Th)/He dating is now a fundamental tool for constraining thermal histories, with applications across a spectrum of tectonic, structural, geomorphic, sedimentary, petrologic, volcanogenic, and planetary studies. Nearly all existing (U-Th)/He data are conventional whole-crystal analyses. Laser ablation (LA)-(U-Th)/He dating, in which one or more analyses are acquired on a small portion of a crystal, holds tremendous potential to enrich a wide variety of research. The CU TRaIL currently serves as a major source of whole-crystal (U-Th)/He data and training for the U.S. Earth science community. This project will similarly create a community resource for LA-(U-Th)/He data and training in TRaIL, by accelerating TRaIL’s LA-(U-Th)/He development activities and providing the resources necessary to offer this powerful technique more widely. Areas of application include more efficient generation of large-N detrital (U-Th)/(He-Pb) double-date datasets, multi-spot (U-Th)/He date profiles to constrain bedrock thermal histories, single-grain intracrystalline (U-Th)/He maps that can be integrated with other types of intra-grain data (e.g., Raman), in situ petrochronology, and analysis of minerals for which analytical challenges are posed by the conventional method. The new TRaIL team member will also establish new and engage in existing BAJEDI-focused activities that include a new partnership with a 79% minority, STEM-focused public high school in Denver, involvement of the lab for the first time in the CU Uplift Research Program that entrains underrepresented minorities in STEM research projects, and interacting with underrepresented minority students who are obtaining a summer research experience in TRaIL through the RESESS (Research Experiences in Solid Earth Science for Students) program.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.