Upgrade of JEOL JXA 8600 electron microprobe at the University of Georgia

Swanson

0947187

This award provides $181,586 in NSF funding over 12 months to acquire three major electron microprobe components; the energy dispersive analytical spectrometer (EDS), the Tracor Northern spectrometer automation system and the PAC X-ray counting electronics which all need replacing on the institution?s EMP. This upgraded instrument will be used for petrologic studies and analyzing archaeological materials. Ultramafic rocks from the Blue Ridge (southern Appalachian Orogen) will be assessed for origin. The PIs will also use the instrument to study fin-grained anhydrites from the Redoubt Volcano, granitic rocks from western North Carolina, crustal melts from South America, hydrous and volatile phases, planetary materials, and metasomatic fluids in the Earth?s mantle. Additionally, the upgrade EMP will be used for understanding mineral composition, zoning and phase proportions. Institutional and outside collaborators will also be analytically-supported. This requested equipment is needed to keep the facility up and running. Historically, the EMP lab has led to approximately 100 research papers, numerous abstracts and more than 30 M.S. theses and Ph.D. dissertations. The EMP facility supports Geology and Chemistry departments at UGA and other geoscience departments in the Southeast. A new initiative outlined in the proposal is to use the facility to support wider participation by students at 4-year institutions in the Southeast who do not have on-campus access to a microprobe facility. The Department of Geology provides a service contract for this instrument and supports a full-time Electron Microprobe Laboratory Coordinator. The technician works with the instrument day-to-day and provides scheduling and training for users.

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