Arizona LaserChron Center

The Arizona LaserChron Center is designed to address problems in Earth Science through the generation of high quality U-Th-Pb geochronologic information. Our primary goals are as follows:

• Maintain a facility that generates U-Th-Pb ages of the best precision and accuracy available from a Laser-Ablation Multicollector ICP Mass Spectrometer.
• Provide opportunities for researchers from around the world (and especially NSF-supported scientists) to use our instruments and expertise to address geologic problems.
• Push the development of new applications of laser ablation mass spectrometry.
• Provide opportunities for researchers to learn the theory and analytical techniques of U-Th-Pb geochronology while acquiring geochronologic information.

The main instrument utilized at the Arizona LaserChron Center is a Multicollector Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (GVI Isoprobe) coupled to a 193 nm Excimer laser ablation system (New Wave Instruments and Lambda Physik). These instruments were purchased in 2000 and have been continuously upgraded as new hardware and software became available.

Support for the Arizona LaserChron Center is provided by the NSF Instrumentation and Facilities Program. The center is a multi-user facility, available to all NSF-supported researchers as well as students and researchers from around the world. NSF funding allows us to reduce the cost of NSF-supported research by ~50%, with additional support available to subsidize research conducted by students. We also welcome researchers who are not supported by the National Science Foundation.

What's New:

-- We have placed an order for a Nu Plasma MC-ICPMS which will be dedicated to geochronological and geomchemical research in the ALC. The instrument is being constructed during summer 2008, will be tested in August, and should be delivered during September. We have worked closely with Nu Plasma engineers to design a new collector block that will allow for analysis of U-Th-Pb and Hf isotopes in the same acquisition, from the same laser pit. Twelve faraday collectors will be arranged to measure 238U, 232Th, and 180-171 (for Hf, Lu, and Yb), whereas four low-side ion counters will measure 208-204Pb. A New Wave UP193HE laser, already on site, will be connected to the Nu ICPMS.

-- Two new post-docs will join the ALC in summer 2008: Stuart Thomson during July and Antoine Vernon during August. Stuart and Antoine will work both in the ALC and in Pete Reiners (U-Th) /He lab, applying geochron and thermochronologic to a variety of problems and also developing new analytical techniques.