9406499 Rhodes This award provides 59 % of the funding necessary to acquire a new x-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer that will be installed and operated in the x-ray analytical facility in the Department of Geology and Geography at the University of Massachusetts. The University is committed to providing the remaining 41% of the cost of acquiring this instrument system. The new XRF spectrometer will be used to obtain multielement quantitative chemical composition of geological samples, covering both major and trace elements. The University of Massachusetts x-ray analytical facility provides analyses for research and teaching projects in the geosciences and serves the needs of regional, national, and international research groups, as well as those of the Principal Investigator and University of Massachusetts colleagues. ***
