Acquisition of an X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometer

x射线荧光光谱法作为一种精确测定岩石和其他物质中主要和许多微量元素浓度的方法，在地球科学中得到广泛应用。利用这笔资金，我们将获得一台最先进的波长色散x射线荧光光谱仪，以取代杨百翰大学地质科学系已有17年历史的仪器。知识价值：岩石的主要元素和微量元素组成为岩石的起源和演化提供了基本线索，对大多数现代地质研究至关重要。这些数据通常由学生使用XRF光谱法获得，因为它相对容易使用，对许多元素的精度很高。具体研究领域包括超级火山喷发的性质和成因，与热点和裂谷相关的基性岩浆演化，岩浆作用与基底和贵金属矿床的关系，沉积盆地凝灰岩矿床的地球化学和年代学，以及南亚、新英格兰和北美西部构造演化的多学科研究揭示的大陆生长。更广泛的影响：从对岩浆演化的纯科学理解到火山灾害和寻找金属矿床的应用领域，该仪器的使用对社会产生了益处。新的XRF光谱仪还将为本科生和研究生提供广泛的教育机会；他们将作为下一代分析师的一部分接受培训。通过他们自己的分析，而不仅仅是？送样品？到外部实验室，学生将能够理解数据的局限性，因为他们亲自处理分析问题，样品制备问题以及数据中的错误来源。这个XRF实验室也将对杨百翰大学以外的教育和研究产生重大影响，这是我们与其他学院以及犹他州地质调查局和美国地质勘探局合作的结果。其中两所机构最近从初级学院改为授予地质学学士学位的大学。在这些新兴的项目中，很少有分析仪器可用，所以使用这些设备将为这些大学的学生提供新的体验。

X-ray fluorescence spectrometry is widely used in the geosciences as a precise method to determine major and many trace element concentrations in rocks and other materials. With this grant, we will acquire a state of the art wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer to replace the 17-year-old instrument in the Department of Geological Sciences at Brigham Young University.Intellectual Merit: The major and trace element compositions of rocks provide fundamental clues to their origin and evolution and are vital to most modern geological studies. Such data are commonly acquired by students using XRF spectrometry because of its relative ease of use and high precision for many elements. Specific research areas include the nature and causes of super eruptions, the evolution of mafic magmas related to hot spots and rifts, the relationship of magmatism to base and precious metal deposits, the geochemistry and chronology of tuff deposits in sedimentary basins, and the growth of continents as revealed by multi-disciplinary studies of the tectonic evolution of southern Asia, New England, and western North America.Broader Impacts: The benefits to society stemming from use of this instrument range from purely scientific understandings of magma evolution to the applied fields of volcanic hazards and the search of metallic ore deposits. A new XRF spectrometer will also provide extensive education opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students; they will be trained as part of the next generation of analysts. By doing their own analyses and not just ?sending samples off? to an external lab, students will be able to understand the limitations of the data because they have personally dealt with analytical problems, sample preparation issues, and with the sources of error in their data. This XRF lab will also have major impacts on education and research beyond BYU, as a result of our collaboration with other colleges and with the Utah Geological Surve, and USGS. Two of these institutions recently changed from junior colleges to BS granting universities with geology degrees. Few analytical instruments are available in these emerging programs, so access to this facility will provide new experiences for students at these colleges.