Earth and Planetary Science

Arizona Nobel Gas Laboratory

The Arizona Noble Gas Laboratory studies noble gases in a diversity of geological samples as rock, mineral, and water samples, for geochronologic and geochemical studies in Earth, planetary, and environmental science. The lab is equipped with two new multi-collector gas-source sector mass spectrometer and two sample extraction and purification lines including devices for gases extracting using induction furnace and laser heating, crushing of fluid-inclusions, and exsolution from fluids.

Arizona LaserChron Center

The Arizona LaserChron Center is an NSF Community Facility that is designed to address problems in Earth Science through the generation of U-Th-Pb geochronologic data and complementary geochemical information by Laser Ablation ICP Mass Spectrometry. The main instruments utilized at the Arizona LaserChron Center include a Nu Plasma multicollector ICPMS, a Thermo Element2 single-collector ICPMS, a Teledyne Iridia laser and two Analyte G2 lasers, and a Hitachi 3400N SEM, all of which are dedicated to ALC research.