This grant provides partial support of the costs of acquiring a wavelength-dispersive, automated X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer system that has the capability of producing high-precision analyses of major, minor, and trace elements in bulk samples of rocks and soils. The instrument will be an integral part of several NSF-funded research projects being conducted by our faculty. These include the studies of Paleozoic paleosols by Steven Driese and Claudia Mora, of mantle xenoliths from the Siberian craton by Lawrence Taylor, and of the southern Appalachian granitoids and associated rocks by Robert Hatcher. The instrument will also provide critical analytical support for other active research projects in the Department -- studies of the southern Appalachian mafic-ultramafic rocks and the host rocks associated with mineral deposits by Kula Misra, investigation of contaminant and colloid transport in saprolites by Steven Driese and Larry McKay, analysis of geologic materials and pottery from the Karak Plateau of Jordan by Otto Kopp, and evaluation of high P-T fluid-rock interactions by Theodore Labotka. Potential users from other units in the University, who have indicated a need for the analytical capabilities offered by this instrument and will support its maintenance, include faculty from Plant and Soil Sciences, Anthropology, Chemistry and Materials Science and Engineering. ***
