Congratulations to Mauricio and George for their new award! MRI: Acquisition of a Multicollector – Inductively Coupled Plasma – Mass Spectrometer at the University of Arizona for Earth and Planetary Science Research, Education and Outreach
This award provides funding to acquire a next-generation Multicollector – Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (MC-ICPMS) equipped with a collision/reaction cell and MS/MS mass filter. The instrument will be housed within the Arizona LaserChron Center (ALC), an NSF-supported Community Facility at the University of Arizona (UA) that supports research in Earth Sciences. It will be co-managed between ALC and the Arizona Heavy Isotopes Laboratory (AHIL). Science questions pursued by ALC and AHIL researchers include reconstructing the igneous evolution of Earth, Moon, Mars, and other planetary materials; the timing of volcanic eruptions; tectonic evolution and uplift of mountain ranges; transport and accumulation of sediments; formation of base metal deposits and other strategic and energy resources; reconstructing the history of Earth’s climate, including patterns of ice sheets and tracing of aeolian (loess) deposits. The new instrument will directly support the research efforts of ~350 faculty members, professional geologists, and students that visit the ALC each year, by making state-of-the-art analytical methods accessible to the broader Earth Science community. Furthermore, the instrument will provide new opportunities for students and researchers to learn the theory and methods of mass spectrometry; data acquisition and processing; and offer educational and outreach activities for a broad user base including participants from under-represented minority groups in STEM.