Acquisition of a noble gas mass spectrometer and development of a multi-user facility for 40Ar/39Ar geochronology at the University of Vermont

佛蒙特大学购买惰性气体质谱仪并开发 40Ar/39Ar 地质年代学多用户设施

• 批准号: 1028991
• 负责人: Laura Webb
• 金额: $ 50.8万
• 依托单位: University of Vermont & State Agricultural College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-09-01 至 2015-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1028991&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Acquisition; noble; gas; mass; spectrometer

This award is supporting the development of a multi-user facility for 40Ar/39Ar geochronology at the University of Vermont. The 40Ar/39Ar technique, based on the radioactive decay of 40K to 40Ar, is one of the most versatile geochronologic methods available to Earth Scientists. Because potassium-bearing minerals are common in igneous and metamorphic rocks, the technique can be used to date minerals ranging in age from thousands to billions of years. In addition, depending on whether a mineral grows above or below its closure temperature for the isotopic system and the rate of cooling, the potential exists to both date relatively discrete events and to elucidate thermal histories of rocks. Thus a wide variety of applications for the technique exist, spanning high resolution time scale calibrations to tracking rates of exhumation and orogenic erosion, to burial and diagenesis and faulting in the upper crust. The primary research foci for this facility is generalized by themes that include: 1) the investigation of large scale tectonic processes, the evolution of orogenic belts, and constraining timing and rates of slip on faults and shear zones through the record of progressive deformation and overprinting relationships; and 2) placing temporal constraints on basin evolution and upper crustal processes, investigating linkages between faulting, tectonics, and sedimentation, and surface expressions of deep Earth processes.The laboratory is supporting the research program of an Early Career faculty member at the University of Vermont as well as providing access to a 40Ar/39Ar analytical facility for researchers at nearby universities and colleges and for researchers at government and state agencies. Many of these institutions that utilize this facility, including the University of Vermont, have a strong emphasis on undergraduate research; therefore teaching and training at the undergraduate through graduate level is an important component of the laboratory mission and culture. Development of the facility is providing significant opportunities for the integration of research and education through hands on use of the laboratory by students for independent research projects and, as appropriate, as part of the department curriculum. The facility is presenting new opportunities for national and international collaborations and for PI and her colleagues to attract post-doctoral scholars. Data generated by the facility is being made broadly available to the scientific community through publication in international journals and through the GEOCHRON system hosted at EarthChem.

该奖项支持佛蒙特大学40AR/39AR年代学的多用户设施的开发。 40AR/39AR技术基于40K至40AR的放射性衰减，是地球科学家使用的最通用的测量方法之一。由于含有钾的矿物质在火成岩和变质岩石中很常见，因此该技术可用于日期的矿物质年龄从数千万到数十亿年。此外，根据矿物的生长在同位素系统的闭合温度之上还是低于其闭合温度以及冷却速率，潜在的存在与日期相对离散的事件以及阐明岩石的热历史。因此，存在多种应用，存在着高分辨率的时间尺度校准，以跟踪挖掘和造山学侵蚀的速率，以埋葬和成岩作用以及上层外壳的断层。该设施的主要研究灶是由包括：1）大规模构造过程的研究，造山带的演变以及通过渐进变形和剪切区的限制时间和剪切区域的限制；和2）将时间限制放在盆地的进化和上层地壳过程上，调查故障，构造和沉积物之间的联系以及深层地球过程的表面表达。该实验室正在支持佛蒙特大学的早期职业教师的研究计划，并为40AR/30AR分析师提供了研究人员和附近的研究人员和学院，并为研究人员提供了研究。许多利用该设施的机构，包括佛蒙特大学，都非常重视本科研究。因此，通过研究生层面的本科教学和培训是实验室任务和文化的重要组成部分。该设施的开发为通过动机使用实验室进行独立研究项目的实验室以及作为部门课程的一部分而提供了重要的机会。该设施为国家和国际合作提供了新的机会，以及PI和她的同事吸引博士后学者。该设施生成的数据通过国际期刊和通过Earthchem托管的Geochron系统在科学界广泛地提供给科学界。