Analytical Facilities
The laser ablation ICP-MS lab at CODES / SES was established in 1998. It specialises in in-situ analyses of minerals, glasses and fluid inclusions. The lab houses 3 different laser types (213 nm and 193 nm solid state lasers and 193 nm Excimer lasers) and three different quadrupole mass spectrometer models. Laser microprobes are equipped with specialized laser cells allowing for fine-scale imaging of trace element distribution within mineral grains. The lab undertakes research into the laser ablation process and development of new applications. The laboratory welcomes external users, please contact Leonid Danyushevsky.
More information about the laboratory
CODES / SES XRF lab houses an Axios Advanced 4.0kW X-ray fluorescence spectrometer by Panalytical. The instrument is capable of fast throughput of samples for major and trace element analysis with its automated sampling system. The lab has all of the sample preparation facilities for making lithium borate disks for major element analysis and pressed powder pellets for trace element analysis. The laboratory welcomes external users.
More information about the laboratory
The facility at CODES houses a class 100 clean room for processing samples in an ultra pure environment. The lab is equipped with a PicoTrace high pressure digestion system allowing for full dissolution of rock samples with resistant phases. Ultrapure Seastar grade reagents are used to ensure low blank levels and high data quality. Samples are analysed on an Agilent 7700 ICP-MS with a 3rd Generation Octopole Reaction System. . The laboratory welcomes external users.
The facility is equipped with state of the art polishing and thin-section making equipment. There are numerous saws for cutting core, thin-sections, laser mounts, and polished sections, allowing for rapid turnaround time for sample submissions. Lapidary welcomes external users. For enquiries please contact Leonid Danyushevsky.
A wide range of analytical facilities such as electron microscopy, stable isotope ratio analysis, vibrational spectroscopy and elemental analysis are located within University's Central Science Laboratory
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Experimental Facilities
The fluid inclusion facility uses a Linkam MDS600 motor driven stage with a temperature range -196degC to 600degC. The stage is PC controlled using LinkSys software. The attached Olympus BX60 microscope has transmitted (visible), reflected, fluorescent and IR transmitted light capabilities. The melt inclusion facility is equipped with a custom-manufactured, microscope-mounted, low-inertia high-temperature Vernadsky heating stage.
Lab measurements on drill core of petrophysical properties like density, resistivity and seismic velocity provide a vital link between rock samples and geophysical field surveys. The UTAS facility has the complete range of standard petrophysical instruments with the addition of rock thermal property instruments important in characterising rocks for geothermal energy exploration.
Geophysical Facilities
The School of Earth Sciences has a near complete range of geophysical field equipment for student and research use including gravimeters, magnetometers, ground penetrating radar and electromagnetic induction instruments for applied, environmental and archaeological geophysics. Passive seismic instruments are also used by staff and research students for technique development and tectonic studies.
Second and third year units in geophysics and computing taught within the School of Earth Sciences introduce students to a wide range of image processing and mapping software. This section contains ‘HOWTO’ guides for frequently undertaken tasks that are taught to undergrads and used throughout many geoscience careers.
Many industry standard, commercial geoscience data analysis programs are available for research use within the School of Earth Sciences and CODES. This section contains an introduction to this evolving facility including ‘HOWTO’ guides for getting started with a new program.
For those who want the flexibility and power of combining their own computer programs with inversion and other data inference codes for research computational geophysics. Researchers within the School of Earth Sciences test and develop a variety of different codes.