Course Meeting Times

Lectures: 2 sessions / week, 1 hour / session

Labs: 2 sessions / week, 2.5 hours / session

Prerequisite

Permission of instructor.

This course focuses on analytical facilities that are used to determine elemental and isotopic abundances in soils, rocks, minerals, and fluids. Emphasis is on isotopic ratios Sr, Nd, and Pb, whose isotopic ratios can be used for geochronology, and abundances of trace elements such as Rb, Sr, Cu, Cd, Hg, rare-earths, Pb, Th, and U. Analytical techniques include mass spectrometry, emission spectrometry, atomic absorption, neutron activation, and electron microprobe. A major lab project utilizes these techniques to address specific environmental and geologic problems.

Reference Books

Gill, R., ed. Modern Analytical Geochemistry. New York, NY: Longman Publishing, 1994. ISBN: 9780582099449.

Potts, P. A Handbook of Silicate Rock Analysis. New York, NY: Blacke and Sun (Chapman and Hall in U.S.A.), 1987. ISBN: 9780412008818.

Grading