Facilities
Lindgren Library
Mineral Physics Lab
Plasma Mass Spectrometry
Electron Microprobe
Isotope Geochemistry and Geochronology
Neutron Activation Analysis
Laboratory for Noble Gas Geochronology
Organic Geochemistry Laboratory
ACES: Alliance for Computational Earth Science
Synoptic Laboratory
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics (GFD) Laboratory
MIT Paleomagnetism Laboratory
Lindgren Library
Located on the second floor of Building 54, the library’s collection
is focused on the earth system, planetary sciences, and solar system
astronomy. In addition to hard copy and on-line reference material,
the library also has an extensive collection of geologic and topographic
maps.
Mineral Physics Lab
The Mineral Physics Lab is designed to study the phase diagrams and
the physical properties of materials at in situ high pressure and
high temperature. Several types of diamond anvil cells and SiC anvil
cells are available to generate pressure to 200 GPa (2,000,000 Bars).
The samples in the high pressure cells can be heated to 3000 kelvin
using a Nd:YLF laser heating system. An imaging spectrometer is attached
to the heating system to measure temperature of the sample. Two Raman
systems enable measurement of vibration spectra for a variety of materials
at wide pressure and temperature ranges. High-pressure sample preparation
facilities are available, including micro-drill systems, stereomicroscopes,
a glove box, and a gas loading system.
Plasma Mass Spectrometry
EAPS operates quadrupole and multicollector sector mass spectrometers
under the direction of Professor Ed Boyle. These instruments use a
high temperature argon plasma to ionize elements from aqueous and
gaseous samples prior to mass spectrometric analysis. The Micromass
IsoProbe multicollector mass spectrometer is used to rapidly determine
precise isotope ratios for lead, iron, hafnium, uranium, thorium,
and other refractory elements. Its efficient hexapole transmission
allows it to be used for highly sensitive (e.g. parts per trillion)
analysis of trace elements in environmental samples with a minimum
of interferences. Our VG PQ2+ quadrupole mass spectrometer is used
for elemental analysis of environmental samples such as river and
seawater and geological specimens.
Electron Microprobe (EMP)
The EMP facility is a part of EAPS’s Center for Geochemical
Analysis. It is open to the entire MIT and WHOI (Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution) research community, with occasional use by external personnel.
With its two JEOL JXA-733 Superprobes, the EMP provides a complete
quantitative analysis of microscopic volumes of solid materials through
x-ray emission spectrometry, and it provides high-resolution scanning
electron and elemental x-ray images (also known as concentration maps).
There are two types of scanning electron images: backscattered electron
images, which show compositional contrast, and secondary electron
images, which show enhanced surface and topographic features. In addition,
scanning cathodoluminescence images, which is an image formed by light
emission in response to electron interaction with the sample, can
also be obtained.
Isotope Geochemistry and Geochronology
Work in the Isotope Geochemistry and Geochronlogy Lab has three themes:
timescale calibration, evolution of continental crust, and environmental
geochemistry. The research group is directed by Professor Sam Bowring.
- Uranium-Lead: Our laboratory is centered around a VG Sector 54
mass spectrometer and a Micromass Isoprobe-T which are housed in
a temperature controlled “clean room” equipped with
laminar flow stations. The Sector 54 instrument is equipped with
seven Faraday cups and an ion-counting Daly detector for small ion
beams. The Isoprobe T is equipped with nine Faraday collectors,
an ion-counting Daly, and a WARP filter. U-Pb zircon analyses are
performed using a mixed 205Pb-235U-233U spike, with total procedural
blanks that are routinely 0.4-1.5 picograms for lead and less than
0.1 picograms for U. Using single collector ion-counting with peak
jumping, we achieve high-precision analyses of samples with as little
as 5-10 picograms of radiogenic Pb; at present, our minimum sample
size is blank limited.
- Samarium-Neodymium: Nd and Sm analyses are routinely done in
dynamic analysis mode with external reproducibility of isotope ratios
over 10 years better than 20 ppm (2 sigma). La Jolla Nd analyses
over the same period yield 143Nd/144Nd = 0.511854 ± 0.000009
(2 sigma) for 144Nd = 1.5 X 10-11 amp analyses. Samarium is typically
analyzed in static multicollector mode with precision better than
0.01% (2 sigma).
- see
website
Neutron Activation Analysis
The EAPS neutron activation laboratory does gamma-ray spectroscopy
of samples subjected to a high flux of thermal neutrons in the MIT
Nuclear Reactor. Most samples are analyzed by Instrumental Neutron
Activation Analysis (INAA); i.e., no chemical processing is done.
This approach provides precise abundance data at the parts per million
level for Na, Cs, Sc, Cr, Co, Hf, Ta, La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb, Yb,
Lu, and Th. The important aspects of this technique are that the sample
is not destroyed, and there is no contamination of the sample by impurities
in chemical reagents. The gamma-ray spectroscopy is done with Ge semi-conductor
detectors interfaced to multichannel analyzers, under the control
of a DEC MicroVax computer using the software reduction package TEABAGS.
Although a wide range of materials—from spec-pure graphite and
SiO2 to blood serum and lichen—have been analyzed, most of the
samples studied are powdered rocks. In addition to INAA, precise data
for a wide variety of other elements, such as platinum group metals,
can be obtained by utilizing chemical procedures to isolate elements
or groups of elements prior to gamma-ray spectrometry.
Laboratory for Noble Gas Geochronology
The Noble Gas Geochronology Laboratory supports researchers from MIT
and collaborating institutions with analytical facilities for 40Ar/39Ar
and (U-Th)/He geochronology and thermochronology. Current research
themes for MIT users range from landscape evolution in orogenic systems
to high-resolution dating of volcanic sequences. The facility is under
the direction of Dr. Bill Olszewski.
- 40Ar/39Ar: Currently, 40Ar/39Ar analyses are performed using
a Mass Analyser Products 215-50 magnetic sector mass spectrometer
fitted with both a faraday collector and an electron multiplier.
Two gas extraction lines are connected to the instrument, one for
samples degassed in a resistance furnace and the other for samples
degassed with lasers. The furnace line is used for conventional
step-heating analyses of samples and Ar diffusion studies. However,
most of our focus is on laser-microprobe 40Ar/39Ar geochronology.
Two laser microprobes are available for use in the facility: a 10W
Ar-ion instrument used for heating and fusion of small groups of
crystals, single crystals, and crystal fragments; and an ArF excimer
laser used for high-spatial resolution ablation and isotopic mapping
of single crystals.
Organic Geochemistry Laboratory
The Organic Geochemistry Laboratory supports research in geobiology
and biogeochemistry. There are two GS-MS systems based on an Agilent
mass selective detector and a Micromass Autospec double focusing mass
spectrometer. A water Q-TOF Micro LC_MS system enable analysis of
intact polar lipids and pigments. Carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen isotope
analyses of bulk materials and individual organic compounds are made
with a Thermo-Finnigan Delta Plus XL instrument.
ACES: Alliance for Computational Earth
Science
ACES focuses on developing and deploying advanced computational technologies
to address challenging problems of earth science. As a platform for
cross-disciplinary collaboration between MIT researchers in earth
science and computer science, ACES develops applications to address
a wide spectrum of questions about how planetary systems work. To
answer these questions, substantial computational resources must be
deployed and efficiently harnessed. Participants in ACES are engaged
in both the development of novel compute environments and in their
application to problems in earth science.
Synoptic Laboratory
The synoptic laboratory, sited on the 16th floor of EAPS, comprises
a cluster of interconnected workstations, mass-store devices and a
large hyperwall used to analyse and display synoptic data. The laboratory
provides access to real-time meteorological observations, analyses
and forecasts, and specialized custom diagnostics. The synoptic lab
is used in both teaching and reasearch.
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics (GFD) Laboratory
Situated on the 15th floor of EAPS, the recently refurbished (2006)
GFD laboratory consists of several rotating fluid turntables with
cameras providing a birds-eye view in the rotating frame of reference
– see http://paoc.mit.edu/cmi/applications/fluidlab.htm.
The camera is connected to display and analysis devices. Observations
of dye and particles under motion are made using laser sheets to illuminate
surfaces of interest. The lab is extensively used in undergraduate
and graduate education - see here: http://paoc.mit.edu/labweb/experiments.htm.
MIT Paleomagnetism Laboratory
Research in the MIT Paleomagnetism Laboratory focuses on interdisciplinary problems in planetary science, geology and geobiology. Current topics include the evolution of the Martian dynamo and climate, the nature and origin of lunar magnetism, the earliest history of Earth's magnetic field, the fossil record of magnetotactic bacteria, Neoproterozoic and Cambrian global change, and the origin of magnetization in carbonate rocks. The lab has two magnetically shielded shielded class 10,000 clean rooms which contain a variety of equipment for measuring the magnetic records and magnetic properties of natural samples. Tha lab has a variety of magnetometers including a superconducting rock magnetometer equipped with a 200-sample automated rock magnetic and degaussing system and the unique Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) Microscope which makes high resolution (100-micron spatial resolution) magnetic field maps of thin sections.
