This award to George Mason University's Department of Geology is made in response to a proposal submitted to the National Science Foundation's Research in Undergraduate Institutions Program. The award will provide one-half of the funds needed to acquire a cathode luminoscope system. The University is committed to providing the other half required. The equipment will be used to expand the capabilities of the Geology Department in teaching and research involving microscope studies of rocks. Cathode luminescence is induced in certain minerals when they are bombarded by electrons. The exact nature of the visible radiation induced in a particular mineral depends on details of its crystalline defects and chemical impurities. Consequently, the study of catholuminescence is very useful in the study of the provenance, or origin, of the mineral grains in sedimentary rocks. The system at George Mason University will be used in studies of the reconstruction of the Appalachian area during the mountain building episode in the Ordovician time period.
