Microsampling Device for Geochemical Analysis of Earth and Planetary Materials

通过仔细研究岩石样品和陨石中发现的矿物，我们可以了解到许多关于地球、其他行星和小行星在其整个历史上是如何形成和修改的。今天，大多数实验室做两件事中的一件：粉碎岩石并分离出不同的矿物；或者使用激光或离子束分析抛光岩石表面的矿物颗粒。第一种方法(称为矿物分离)最能给我们提供最详细的信息，但它不能保存矿物颗粒是如何生长在一起的(岩石纹理)；第二种方法不那么详细，但它保留了纹理，以便我们获得的信息可以放在上下文中。我们计划购买一种名为微型磨粉机的新型设备，它将使我们能够钻出岩石中的微小矿物样本。因为样品是以粉末的形式钻出来的，所以可以用最好的方法(通常用于矿物分离)进行分析；因为样品直接从小于人类头发宽度的斑点中取出，而不是粉碎岩石，所以岩石的纹理被保留下来。通过这种方式，该设备弥合了当今实验室使用的两种方法之间的差距，并使新的研究领域成为可能。该设备将直接支持艾伯塔省两所大学的5名研究人员的研究项目，从钻石、矿藏和陨石的形成，到将碳重新放回地壳的方法。这些设备也将提供给艾伯塔省和全国其他研究领域的其他研究人员。

We can learn a lot about how the Earth, other planets and asteroids were formed and modified throughout their history by the careful study of minerals found in rock samples and meteorites. Most labs today do one of two things: crush up the rock and separate out the different minerals; or analyze the mineral grains in a polished rock surface using a laser or ion beam. The first method (called mineral separation) is the best for giving us the most detailed information, but it does not preserve how the mineral grains have grown together (the rock texture); the second method is less detailed, but it preserves the texture so that the information we get can be put into context. We propose to purchase a new type of equipment, called a micromill, that will allow us to drill out tiny samples of minerals within rocks. Because the samples are drilled out as powder, they can be analyzed using the best methods (the ones usually used with mineral separation); because the samples are removed directly from spots less than the width of a human hair instead of crushing up the rock, the rock texture is preserved. In this way the equipment bridges the gap between the two methods used in labs today, and makes new areas of research possible. The equipment will directly support the research programs of 5 researchers at two Alberta Universities, in everything from how diamonds, ore deposits and meteorites form, to ways of putting carbon back into the Earth's crust. The equipment will also be available to other researchers in other areas of study in Alberta and nationally.