NSF/MRI funds will be used to purchase a new generation multi-collector thermal ionization mass spectrometer. The new instrument, which will replace a 20 year old instrument, will be used for high precision U-Pb geochronology, and Nd, Sr, Pb, Li isotope tracer studies in tectonic, petrologic, sedimentologic, hydrologic, and paleoclimatologic research at Syracuse University and the State University of New York at Oswego.
Broader Significance and Importance It is difficult to overemphasize the importance of determining the isotopic composition of Earth materials to virtually all fields within the geosciences. For instance, our ability to determine precise ages of rocks has continued to increase with every new generation of scientific instrument. A geologic event that occurred over 100 million years ago can now be determined to within 0.1 million years. This ability allows us to investigate critical events in Earth history, such as testing the hypothesis that massive volcanic eruptions coincided with mass extinctions, assessing if climate change occurred in response to major mountain building events, and to correlate oil-bearing sedimentary strata over significant distances. The acquisition of a new generation mass spectrometer gives us an unprecedented ability to determine the timing of major geological events and thus understand better over four billion years of Earth history. The new instrument will also be extensively used to train the next generation of Earth scientists to collect the geochemical data needed to address issues of energy resources, climate change, natural hazards, and water resources.
