This grant provides two years of partial salary support for a technician to work in the ICP-MS lab in the Department of Geology, University of Maryland. This is a Phase II technician support award under the Instrumentation and Facilities program and follows three years of Phase I support (EAR- 9711008) that was awarded when the PI's were at Harvard University. The PI's Rudnick and McDonough recently joined the faculty at Maryland (8/2000) after a long stint at Harvard University where they, together with technician Dr. Ingo Horn, were responsible for much of the early development of laser-based ICP-MS trace element analyses of geological materials. Since arrival at the University, the PI's have also been successful in garnering NSF funds for a new magnetic sector ICP-MS and UV laser for in situ trace element and isotopic analyses of deep crustal and mantle rocks and phases. Continued support of an ICP-MS technician for this team at the University of Maryland will also serve a large and active faculty and a strong graduate and undergraduate program in the geosciences for research in igneous, metamorphic and carbonate petrology, surface and groundwater geochemistry, economic geology, experimental petrology, and radiogenic isotope geochemistry. The University has committed to full support of this position for a minimum of two years beyond expiration of this grant. ***
