This project aims to develop quantitative methods, including full uncertainty budgets, for analysis of a range of mineral matrices, and covering a wide range of major and trace elements. The successful outcome of this project would allow performing quantitative LA-ICP-MS analyses without a requirement for data on mineral major element contents obtained by a different analytical technique.

Testing of the approach has been performed by comparing the results of measurements of 300 grains of plagioclase and 100 grains of apatite conducted at variable energies of the laser beam. This has demonstrated that variations in energy are capable of affecting the obtained concentrations of elements in these minerals, thus confirming the need for identifying optimal analytical conditions in addition to choosing optimal reference materials when developing fully-quantitative LA-ICP-MS methods. A new project has started aimed at developing a quantitative method for LA-ICP-MS analysis of alunite.

Two keynotes were delivered during the year describing the earlier outcomes of this project at the Goldschmidt Conference in Barcelona, Spain, and at the North American Workshop on Laser Ablation in Austin, Texas.

This project aims to develop quantitative methods, including full uncertainty budgets, for analysis of a range of mineral matrices, and covering a wide range of major and trace elements. Successful outcome of this project would allow performing quantitative LA-ICP-MS analyses without a requirement for data on mineral major element contents obtained by a different analytical technique.

During the year work began on developing quantitative methods of analysis of apatite and plagioclase. Suitable quantities of mineral specimens of apatite and bytownite plagioclase (approximate composition of An60) were acquired. The specimens have been crushed to 1–3 mm fraction and their homogeneity in major and minor element contents assessed using electron microprobe at the CSL. Splits of the specimens have been milled to powder and submitted for bulk analysis by XRF and solution ICP-MS at CODES Analytical Laboratories. LA-ICP-MS method development for these two minerals will commence in 2019.