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Laboratorio de Los ZappatistasEl Laboratorio de Los Zappatistas is the laser ablation (LA)-ICPMS facility at UTEP located in the Dept. of Earth, Environmental, and Resource Sciences (Geology building rm. 205). The main instrumentation is a Teledyne Iridia laser ablation system (193 nm, ArF2 excimer) connected to a ThermoFisher iCAP Q-ICPMS. The instrumentation and lab are part of the broader Center for Earth and Environmental Isotope Research (CEEIR), which also includes UTEP faculty members Lin Ma, Mark Engle, and Lixin Jin. CEEIR has a NuPlasma MC-ICPMS (Dr. Lin Ma), however, we generally do not connect the laser to that instrument (e.g., for zircon Lu-Hf analyses). The lab primarily supports the research of UTEP faculty and students (both graduate and undergraduate), but we routinely work with collaborators from all over the world who either send their samples to UTEP or visit the lab in person to perform analyses together. I typically train and employ 2-3 UTEP students a year to assist with mineral separation and sample preparation (epoxy mounting, polishing, SEM imaging, etc.) and I perform all LA-ICPMS analyses and subsequent data reduction (usually using Iolite4) myself. Contact me for more information: [email protected]
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TYPES of ANALYSES: The vast majority of analyses performed are standard zircon U-Th-Pb dating (25 micron spot) using FC-1 as the primary standard and Plesovice and 91500 as the secondary standards. We have also worked on titanite and calcite U-Pb dating and have matrix-matched standards for those materials. Besides geochronology, we routinely analyze minerals (e.g., zircon, apatite) and glasses for trace elements (mostly REE), including XRF beads. We also make trace element maps (e.g., from a thin-section). Because the lab is a small operation, we are always working on method development and open to trying new things with students and collaborators. For example, we recently investigated trace element compositional changes across tree rings.
The small size of the operation also means that we are not continuously running. We typically accumulate samples over ~3 months and then have a ~2 week-long laser session with another week of data reduction and additional analyses if there were any issues or if more data is needed. In between laser sessions, we swap out the laser system for an autosampler to run solutions (Dr. Lin Ma) for trace elements, including analyses of water samples and dissolved rock/mineral samples. |
In situ (thin-section) LA-ICPMS Dy map of metamorphic garnet
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COSTS and RATES: We generally do not do contract laser work for industry, but we analyze samples for academic collaborators all the time, often at very low rates or for free. Analyses are also typically free for UTEP students. In addition to education and training, part of the mission of the Laboratorio de Los Zappatistas is to increase collaboration and bring people together. Science is more fun with friends - please reach out and lets chat. If we are working on a project together, we can make it happen!
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