This award will provide one-half the cost of acquiring a laser fusion source mass spectrometer system for argon 40/39 dating in earth sciences research. The instrument will be operated and maintained in the Berkeley Geochronology Center of the Institute of Human Origins. The Institute of Human Origins is committed to providing the remaining funds required. The single-crystal laser fusion mass spectrometer will be the second such instrument available to the earth science community in the U.S. The capabilities of this system constitute a dramatic improvement in the precision and accuracy of dates for geological and anthropological samples.
