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Geology Department

Research Facilitites

CMU's Geology Department is very well equipped to support research in geology. All instruments listed below are available for use by our undergraduate students for classroom and independent research projects.

Each faculty member has an assigned laboratory space that is used to support teaching and research. These labs were designed to meet needs in the following areas:

  • environmental geochemistry and hydrogeology
  • mineralogy and ion chromatography
  • paleontology and palynology
  • igneous and metamorphic petrology and geochemistry
  • sedimentology, stratigraphy and fluid inclusion studies
  • structrual geology and geophysics.

The research capabilities of the department are further enhanced by the following:

 

• Electron Microprobe: An ARL-SEMQ electron microprobe equipped with three scanning WDS spectrometers and a Kevex EDS system is housed in the department. This instrument is equipped with a modern, PC-based stage/spectrometer automation and data reduction system, a beam current regulator, and a digital imaging system. A collection of over 100 rock and mineral standards enhances the quantitative capability of the lab.

Go to the Electron Microprobe Page...

• ICP-MS Instrument: A VG-Plasmaquad (PQ-2s) ICP-MS intrument is part of the analytical inventory of the Geology Department. Our ICP-MS is capable of determining concentrations of most elements in solutions over the range of 0.01ppb to 10 ppm. Rocks dissolved in dilute solutions may be analyzed for elements heavier than Fe (e.g., all rare-earth elements, U, Th, Pb, etc.). This instrument is also capable of determining the isotopic ratios of selected elements at precisions ~1%, which is useful for reconnaissance work.

• X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer: A Bruker S4 Explorer XRF was installed in November 2002. The XRF is capable of non-destructive geochemical analysis of most solid and liquid samples. It is especially useful for determining elements not easily analyzed by ICP-MS and so broadens our overall analytical capabilities. The XRF is used primarily for major and trace-element (>0.1ppm) analysis of rocks, minerals and natural waters. It has also been used for materials characterization and bioremediation studies.

• Fluid Inclusion Laboratory: The department houses a Fluid Inc. convective heating-freezing stage mounted on a Leitz Labour-Lux polarizing microscope. The stage is equipped with an autocontroller for inclusion fluid analyses and fluid inclusion decrepitation studies.

• Ion Chromatograph: The DX-320 Ion Chromatograph (IC) analyzes anions (e.g. F, Cl, Br, PO4 and SO4) and cations (e.g. Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, Mg, Ca, Sr, and Ba) in various types of aqueous samples. Installed in 2001, this system provides the highest levels of chromatographic ion separation and conductivity detection available. The IC system is fully automated and complements the other analytical instruments available in the department. It can determine concentrations from a few parts per billion to a few weight % in very small sample volumes (0.2 ml).

314 Brooks Hall, Mt Pleasant, MI 48859 (989) 774-3179