Acquisition of a Mass Spectrometric System for K/Ar Dating by the 40Ar/39Ar Method

Broecker 9413834 This award supports the development of a 'geochronology laboratory' at Columbia University, specifically to carry out dating using K-Ar and Ar39-Ar40 dating techniques. The laboratory will be based around a new mass spectrometric system, and will be integrated into the existing noble gas laboratory at Lamont-Doherty Earth Obsepvatory. It will include an all metal noble gas mass spectrometer with Faraday Cup and ion counting capability, as well as a gas extraction line with a resistance furnace and laser system for bulk and detailed sampling. It will be applied to a broad range of applications including igneous petrology, stratigraphy, structural geology, geomorphology and paleoceanography, and will promote interdisciplinary research among the researchers at Lamont-Doherty and collaborators at other institutions. Half of the funding for this facility will be provided by Columbia University, with the remainder provided by NSF through the Academic Research Infrastructure program. ***