9316467 Kyle This award provides one-half the funding necessary to acquire an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer system (XRF) to be installed and operated in the Department of Geosciences at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. The institution is committed to providing the remaining funds needed for the purchase. The new XRF system will be used primarily in research projects needing the accurate multi-element chemical composition analysis capability of the instrument for geological materials. These active projects, directed by the Principal Investigator and colleagues at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, include research in the areas of crustal evolution, petrology and volcanology, Quaternary studies, and environmental studies. The instrument will also be made available to qualified users both on-campus and off- campus, statewide and regionally. ***