Our research group currently operates three Class 350 clean rooms, one dedicated to chemistry, the second predominantly an instrument lab, and a new lab dedicated to low level U-Th-Pb analysis (chemistry and instrument in one space). Chemical separation and mass spectrometry procedures have been established for the isotopic analysis of many elements of interest e.g., Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, Nd, Sm, Lu, Hf, Pb, Th and U. In addition, full trace element characterisation can be performed by quad ICPMS, with either bulk or in situ sampling.

The core analytical instrumentation comprises two Nu Plasma  MC-ICPMS (Nu Instruments, U.K) and an Agilent 7700 quadrupole ICPMS (which recently replaced our original Varian instrument). One of the MC-ICPs and the quad ICP are coupled to deep UV 193nm excimer laser ablation systems - see the ICPMS section of our website for more details. The new Nu Plasma instrument, installed in 2010, is dedicated to low level U-Pb and U-series geochronology and incorporates an innovative new detector array.

Other equipment available within the group includes a state-of-the art melt inclusion facility based around a modified ‘Vernadsky’ heating stage, mineral separation, microscopy, and micro-drilling equipment. As members of the School of Earth Sciences researchers also have access to a wide range of other instrumentation and techniques including XRF, SEM, electron probe, Ar-Ar geochronology, noble gases, cosmogenic isotopes, U-Th-He thermochronology, fission track thermochronology, supercomputing etc…