Helium Dating Workshop at Yale
2005 (HeDWaY '05)

 

 

Photos from HeDWaY 2005

 

Beth Ann Bell scrutinizing ore samples at Old New-Gate Prison and Copper Mine	Bardhyl Muceku, Grand Champion of the 2005 He Age Prediction Contest (by a long shot)	Pedro del Rio Bermejo and Jessica Chappell cogitating on basalts of the Hanging Hills in Meridan
Nellie Barnard, modeling this year's Helium Camp fashions	Matt Montario seeks good ICP-MS luck by petting the vulture	David Gombosi's my name, datin' rutile's my game...
Hilarity abounds when Mark Brandon is in the house	John Garver and a really nice bass that failed to yield reproducible He ages	Pete Reiners expounding on the amazing dipping strata of the Hartford Basin, geological wonderland

Stefan Nicolescu's miraculous banana halo	Picky, picky...	Fearless leaders hard at work digesting Lenny & Joe's delicious seafood, Hammonasset St. Pk.

 

 

 

Instructors: Peter Reiners and John Garver 

1 - 15 July 2005

Geology and Geophysics

Kline Geology Lab

Yale University

New Haven, CT

HeDWaY 2005 Info

Participants

Student Name	Institution	Project	Advisor
Jessica Chappell	Syracuse University	Thermochronology of ecolgite exhumation, Papua New Guinea	Suzanne Baldwin
Pedro del Rio	Universidad de Cadiz	Tectono-thermal evolution of the Iberian Range basins	Luis Barbero
David Gombosi	Union College	Using (U-Th)/He Thermochronology and Zirconium Concentrations in Detrital Rutile to Reconstruct Andean Provenance	John Garver
Beth Ann Bell	University of South Carolina	Evaluation of (U-Th)/He Thermochronometry for Kinematic Reconstruction of the Catalan Coastal Ranges, Spain	Dave Barbeau
Nellie Barnard	Middlebury College	The Role of Orogen Parallel Fault Systems in the Late Exhumation History of the Northern Appalachian Orogenic Belt	Dave West
Bardhyl Muceku	University of Grenoble	Thermochronology of the Albanides: Vertical Evolution, Erosion and Tectonic Denudation	Georges Mascle
Matthew Montario (Official HeDWaY Bouncer)	SUNY-Albany	Tectono-geomorphology of the Andes	John Garver

 

Rationale and general description

The goal of this workshop is to introduce undergraduate geology students to (U-Th)/He chronometry and radioisotopic dating through analysis and interpretation of their own samples and data, in the context of their own research projects. Through both hands-on analyses and interpretations, as well as daily informal lectures, students will learn fundamentals of radioisotopic dating, laboratory techniques, analytical instrumentation, basics of heat and mass diffusion modeling, and something about each others' research projects and the versatility of thermochronometry.

 

Each student's project during the workshop will focus on a small set of samples to be dated by (U-Th)/He methods. Ideally, a student's accomplishments at this workshop should complement a larger research project such as a senior thesis or other type of independent research supervised by the student's faculty advisor at his or her home institution. Examples of potential workshop projects include apatite or zircon He dating of a small group of samples (5 to 10) intended to: [a] elucidate spatial and temporal patterns of erosion or tectonic exhumation in a regional tectonic or geomorphologic study; [b] date detrital crystals in a sedimentary basin to constrain provenance or depositional age; [c] date an impact site, volcanic unit, or other thermal event. Creative and experimental applications are also encouraged; e.g., attempts to measure helium ages on phases not typically analyzed, such as pseudotachylite, glass, uraninite, magnetite, etc., or attempts to constrain timing and intensity of hydrothermal heating, or measurements of He contents in air.

 

Important points

[1] Unless other arrangements have been made, students must arrive with mineral separates already prepared and ready to pick under the microscope. We will not perform mineral separations here, so please insure that good clean mineral separates are completed and available well before the workshop starts.

 

[2] Students (and their faculty advisors) should be prepared for the possibility that their chosen samples/field area may not have usable material for (U-Th)/He dating. This is especially important for apatite He dating, as the method has stringent requirements of crystal morphology and purity. Please have a backup plan.

 

[3] There is no requirement for direct faculty involvement in the workshop, beyond general supervision of student research and help with data interpretation at the student's home institution. If faculty would like to attend and participate in the workshop however, they are certainly more than welcome at any point, to learn about the technique and to facilitate future use of the lab by other students or themselves.

 

Accomodations, food, other logistics

[1] Room and board will be covered by HeDWaY. Students will stay on campus in Jonathan Edwards College (one of Yale's 12 residential undergraduate colleges). The college is divided into entryways with a stairway or hall linking several suites. Suites usually consist of two to six single or double bedrooms sharing a common room. The rooms are simply furnished, containing a bed, dresser, desk, and chair. Additionally, guests may find furniture belonging to previous and returning Yale students in their rooms such as a couch or arm chair. A desk lamp, pillow, and blanket are provided. Students should bring twin-extra long sheets. There is no elevator in the dormitory, and no air-conditioning in the rooms, but fans will be available.

 

[1.5] Students should plan on showing up at Jonathan Edwards College, at 68 High Street, sometime between 2 and 5 pm, on June 30th. Someone will be there to let you in and make sure you get settled. I (Pete) will try to be there around 4 pm also, to make sure things are as arranged. Then let's meet at 9 am on Friday July 1st, at KGL.

 

[2] Students will eat in the cafeteria of Morse College, about ten minute jaunts from KGL or JE College. We are working on making arrangements for lunches, during the weekdays, in the School of Management Dining Room, which is much closer to KGL.

 

[3] Students will obtain a Yale NetID upon check-in, which will allow internet and email access. Computers will be available for student use in KGL, but if you have a laptop, it might be a good idea to bring it.

 

[4] We will provide a chemical and laboratory safety training the first day of the workshop, to acquaint students with lab safety and hazards. We will also have a radiation safety course, taught by Yale Environmental Health and Safety.

 

[5] There will be a one-day field trip on July 9th, to take a break from labwork and lectures, and to see some regional geology and nice areas.

 

[6] Information about travel to Yale, including maps and directions.

 

[7] If you intend to bring your own vehicle, contact Peter Reiners ASAP for information on parking. Parking is about $5/day in the Pierson-Sage garage.

 

 

Tentative schedule

The general daily routine will be a combination of laboratory work and one or two one-hour lectures, broken up by lunch.

 

After a day of orientation, lab safety training, and some general introductory stuff, we will start with sample preparation. This mostly involves sample picking under the microscopes for the first few days. Because we only have three picking microscopes, and also because no one can or wants to pick for more than a few hours at a time, students will take turns picking, and doing some library research in the first few days. As samples become ready, students will process them on the He line. This means running the laser to extract He, and operating the programs that spike, purify, and measure the gas.

 

Students will then perform wet chemistry involved with spiking, dissolution, and measurement of U, Th, and Sm on the high-resolution ICP-MS. After calculating ages from their measured data, and making corrections for alpha ejection, students will learn how to interpret He ages, in terms of forward and inverse thermal models, complexities that arise from topography, non-constant geothermal gradients, and other factors.

 

Finally, students will compile and synthesize their data and relate them to their larger project, and prepare a short presentation for the group on their results.

 

Tentative Schedule: HeDWaY 2005

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
June 26	June 27	June 28	June 29	June 30 arrive in the afternoon	July 1 intro lectures; lab safety	July 2 mineral picking; lectures
July 3 mineral picking; lectures	July 4 mineral picking; He analyses; lectures	July 5 mineral picking; He analyses; lectures	July 6 He analyses; lectures	July 7 He analyses; lectures	July 8 chemistry; lectures	July 9 FIELDTRIP
July 10 day off!	July 11 He analyses; lectures	July 12 He analyses; ICP-MS analyses; lectures	July 13 ICP-MS analyses; data interpretation	July 14 data interpretation; prepare presentations	July 15 final presentations	July 16 leave Yale

 

 

 

Back to Peter Reiners' website

Last Modified: 30 August 2005

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Helium Dating Workshop at Yale, 2004 

Instructors: Peter Reiners and John Garver 

9 - 24 July 2004

Geology and Geophysics

Kline Geology Lab

Yale University

New Haven CT

Photos from HeDWaY 2004

Original HeDWaY 2004 Info

Rationale and general description

The goal of this workshop is to introduce undergraduate geology students to (U-Th)/He chronometry and radioisotopic dating through analysis and interpretation of their own samples and data, in the context of their own research projects. Through both hands-on analyses and interpretations, as well as daily informal lectures, students will learn fundamentals of radioisotopic dating, laboratory techniques, analytical instrumentation, basics of heat and mass diffusion modeling, and something about each others' research projects and the versatility of thermochronometry.

Each student's project during the workshop will focus on a small set of samples to be dated by (U-Th)/He methods. Ideally, a student's accomplishments at this workshop should complement a larger research project such as a senior thesis or other type of independent research supervised by the student's faculty advisor at his or her home institution. Examples of potential workshop projects include apatite or zircon He dating of a small group of samples (5 to 10) intended to: [a] elucidate spatial and temporal patterns of erosion or tectonic exhumation in a regional tectonic or geomorphologic study; [b] date detrital crystals in a sedimentary basin to constrain provenance or depositional age; [c] date an impact site, volcanic unit, or other thermal event. Creative and experimental applications are also encouraged; e.g., attempts to measure helium ages on phases not typically analyzed, such as pseudotachylite, glass, uraninite, magnetite, etc., or attempts to constrain timing and intensity of hydrothermal heating, or measurements of He contents in air. If advisors and/or students do not have projects in mind, we can provide suggestions.

Preliminary student proposals for planned projects should be submitted to peter.reiners@yale.edu by 1 June 2004.

Important points

[1] Unless other arrangements have been made (e.g., we will provide samples to a student), students must arrive with mineral separates already prepared and ready to pick under the microscope. We will not perform mineral separations here , so please insure that good clean mineral separates are completed and available before the workshop starts.

[2] Students and faculty should be prepared for the possibility that their chosen samples/field area may not have useable material for (U-Th)/He dating. This is especially important for apatite He dating, as the method has stringent requirements of crystal morphology and purity. We are happy to examine separates beforehand to provide some indication of the likelihood that samples will be appropriate, but in this case the separations will have to be done well before the workshop starts.

[3] We will require a short (2-3 page) proposal from students outlining their general research plan, type of research to be conducted, and expected outcomes, to be submitted to peter.reiners@yale.edu by 1 June 2004 .

[4] There is no requirement for direct faculty involvement in the workshop, beyond general supervision of student research and help with data interpretation at the student's home institution. If faculty would like to attend and participate in the workshop however, they are certainly more than welcome at any point, to learn about the technique and to facilitate future use of the lab by other students or themselves.

Accomodations, food, other logistics

[1] Room and board will be covered by HeDWaY. Students will stay on campus in Calhoun College (one of Yale's 12 residential undergraduate colleges). The college is divided into entryways with a stairway or hall linking several suites. Suites usually consist of two to six single or double bedrooms sharing a common room. The rooms are simply furnished, containing a bed, dresser, desk, and chair. Additionally, guests may find furniture belonging to previous and returning Yale students in their rooms such as a couch or arm chair. A desk lamp, pillow, and blanket are provided. Students should bring twin-extra long sheets. There is no elevator in the dormitory, and no air-conditioning in the rooms, but fans will be available. Directions for getting to the Elm Street gate (189 Elm St.), of Calhoun College.

[2] Students will eat in the cafeteria of the Yale School of Management (SOM), and or Saybrook College, about five or ten minute jaunts from KGL.

[3] Students will obtain a Yale NetID upon check-in, which will allow internet and email access. Computers will be available for student use in KGL, but if you have a laptop, it might be a good idea to bring it.

[4] We will provide a chemical and laboratory safety training the first day of the workshop, to acquaint students with lab safety and hazards. We will also have a radiation safety course, taught by Yale Environmental Health and Safety, on July 14th.

[5] There will be a one-day field trip on July 20th, focusing on the geology of the Triassic-Jurassic rift, including a stop at Dinosaur Footprint State Park, and a bunch of nice field sites.

[6] Information about travel to Yale, including maps and directions. Or, directions to Calhoun College.

[7] If you intend to bring your own vehicle, contact Peter Reiners ASAP for information on parking. Parking is $4/day in the Pierson-Sage garage.

Participants

Tentative schedule

The general daily routine will be a combination of laboratory work and one or two one-hour lectures, broken up by lunch.

After a day of orientation, lab safety training, and some general introductory stuff, we will start with sample preparation. This mostly involves sample picking under the microscopes for the first few days. Because we only have three picking microscopes, and also because no one can or wants to pick for more than a few hours at a time, students will take turns picking, and doing some library research in the first few days. As samples become ready, students will process them on the He line. This means running the laser to extract He, and operating the programs that spike, purify, and measure the gas.

Students will then perform wet chemistry involved with spiking, dissolution, and measurement of U, Th, and Sm on the sector ICP-MS. After calculating ages from their measured data, and making corrections for alpha ejection, students will learn how to interpret He ages, in terms of forward and inverse thermal models, complexities that arise from topography, non-constant geothermal gradients, and other factors.

Finally, students will compile and synthesize their data and relate them to their larger project, and prepare a short presentation for the group on their results.

Lectures will include topics listed in the tentative schedule below. NOTE : This schedule is tentative and may change as we adjust to accommodate developing conditions.

Tentative Schedule

Our hero, Ernie R, immortalized on the New Zealand $100 note. Check out the radioactive decay and growth curves.

Back to Peter Reiners' Uof A website

Last Modified: 8 September 2004