Ion Micro-Probe Facility (IMF)

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The ability to precisely and accurately measure the chemical and isotopic compositions of materials on very fine scales, down to only a few thousanths of a metre, is critical for understanding and evaluating the whole spectrum of Earth and environmental earth system processes, and hence finding ways to solve or manage the societal issues that arise from them. This ability - quantitative microanalysis - is central to modern Earth System Science.Processes that occur on Earth often dictate particular behaviours in elements and isotope ratios. Precise determinations of these sensitive elements that occur in very, to extremely, low abundances in minerals, glasses, organic remains and skeletal materials allow geoscientists to investigate the effects of processes on different timescales. Current applications include, for example, evaluating the conditions of mineral and ore deposit formation, reconstructing the evolution of past volcanic eruptions in order to constrain future hazard, determining fluctuations in seawater surface temperatures over time and their relationships with global climate change, and even monitoring of long-term climatic variations from cave deposits.Accurate and precise isotopic measurements of stable and radiogenic isotopes further enable geoscientists to measure ocean acidification associated with global climate change, quantify the amounts and types of sources for fluids involved in a large variety of important earth processes from the surface to the deepest mantle, and determine the ages of ancient and recent rocks and minerals formed at both low- and high-temperatures.This proposal is to provide continued UK science community support for a world-class laboratory that enables the UK to excel in the quantitative microanalysis of Earth materials, and explore fundamental questions that have consequences for the planet, the environment and its population: the Edinburgh Ion Microprobe Facility.