State-of-the-art LA-ICPMS facility for microanalysis of Earth materials

Recent advances in microanalysis of Earth materials using laser-ablation inductively-coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS) have a decisive role in major discoveries in all fields of Earth Sciences. Prominent examples where LA-ICPMS microanalysis has changed our view on deep Earth processes are element recycling processes in subduction zones, the feedbacks between magma chamber dynamics and supervolcano eruptions, the importance of magmatic vapors in the formation of supergiant gold and copper ore deposits, and the role of hydrothermal processes in the evolution of the early hydrosphere and atmosphere of the Earth. With modern LA-ICPMS instrumentation, it is now possible to analyze the trace element composition of minerals and other solid materials with a spatial resolution of several micrometers, and also to determine the major and trace element composition of fluid and melt inclusions, very small samples of the mobile phases that drive processes in the deep Earth. The project will establish a state-of-the-art LA-ICPMS laboratory at the University of Helsinki. The LA-ICPMS laboratory will be capable of analyzing the major and trace element concentrations (main rock-forming elements, trace ore metals, sulfur, halogens etc.) in fluid and melt inclusions with excellent precision and detection limits, and will also be set up for trace element analysis of rock-forming minerals and other solid materials. The new laboratory will be one of only about 10 facilities worldwide that have dedicated instrumentation and capabilities for fluid and melt inclusion microanalysis. The new LA-ICPMS facility at the University of Helsinki will be extensively used by several research groups from the Department of Geosciences and Geography, the Department of Physics and the Finnish Museum of Natural History. It will also serve the broader Finnish, Nordic and international research community by providing access to advanced microanalytical techniques for current and future research projects in Earth Sciences, and by providing hands-on training in LA-ICPMS analysis and data processing for researchers and doctoral students.