Laser Ablation ICP-MS

The Department of Earth Sciences houses a RESOlution S-155-LR (20 Hz max) 193nm Excimer laser ablation system and two ICP-MS instruments: an Agilent 7700x quadrupole ICP-MS and a recently installed (October 2021) Agilent 8900 QQQ ICP-MS  The S-155 cell, designed by Laurin Technic Pty, is a two-volume small volume ablation cell that provides unmatched efficiency and signal stability. We also use a Bruker M4 Tornado micro-XRF (dual detector) instrument to support routine major and minor-element mapping over large areas. Other lab equipment is described below

The instruments are housed in a purposed-built laboratory with tightly controlled air conditioning and ventilation to guarantee minimal instrument drift. 

Major funding for this facility was provided by CFI (Leaders Opportunity Fund), NBIF (Research Innovation Fund and Equipment Fund), Xstrata Zinc, Freewest Resources, Elmtree Resources, Wolfden Resources, Puma Resources, NB DNR and UNB Faculty of Science

Lab bookings are managed through Mr. Brandon Boucher, the lab's research technician. A fee structure is listed at the bottom of this page.

Since commissioning these instruments in 2010, we have established a number of analytical procedures with applications to geochemistry, geochronology, geo-metallurgy, and tracer-isotope studies. The information below describes some of the pertinent components of the system

Instrumentation and sample preparation

Techniques

Usage fees

1. Conventional geochronometers with negligible common-Pb: zircon, monazite & xenotime
2. Conventional geochronometers with common-Pb: Allanite, titanite, rutile, apatite
3. Unconventional geochronometers under development: garnet, uraninite, cassiterite, carbonates
4. Micro-XRF mapping
5. Trace-element measurements and mapping
6. Pb-Pb isotopes in galena and Kfeldspar
7. Optical cathodoluminescence
8. Micro-CNC milling
9. Whole rock geochemistry using nano-milled pressed pellets (NPP)
10. Magnetic separation
11. Sample preparation facilities