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College of Liberal Arts and Sciences University of Florida

Facilities

The Department of Geological Sciences houses world-class analytical facilities for internal and external research.

The ICP-MS facility is equipped with:

  • Nu Plasma 3-D multi-collector
  • Element-2 multi resolution single collector
  • Nu Plasma -1 multi-collector mass spectrometers

Sample introduction equipment includes:

  • Quintupled Nd-YAG lasers
  • Desolvating Nebulizers
  • Autosamplers
  • The facility is under positive pressure from HEPA-filtered air, contains seamless clean-room flooring, and has a wet-bench facility with laminar flow exhaust hood (class 100) for sample preparation.

Light stable isotope lab features the following mass spectrometers and laser based isotope analyzers along with a complete sample preparation facility:

  • Finnigan-MAT 252 isotope ratio mass spec with a Kiel III carbonate preparation device
  • Thermo Delta V Advantage isotope ratio mass spec with a ConFlo II interface attached to a Carlo Erba elemental analyzer
  • Thermo Delta V Advantage isotope ratio mass spec with a ConFlo IV interface attached to a Thermo IsoLink elemental analyzer
  • Thermo Delta V Plus isotope ratio mass spec with a ConFlo IV interface attached to a Thermo TC/EA and a Thermo GCC-III interface with modified HP6890 GC
  • Finnigan-MAT DeltaPlus isotope ratio mass spec with a ConFlo II interface attached to a Carlo Erba elemental analyzer
  • Picarro L2120-I Isotopic Liquid Water and Water Vapor Analyzer coupled with a Picarro A0211 High Precision Vaporizer and a CTC HTS PAL autosampler
  • Picarro G2201-i CRDS Analyzer for Isotopic CO2 and CH4
  • UIC 5017 CO2 Coulometer with autosampler.
  • Access to a shared Finnigan-MAT DeltaPlus with Gasbench II and Costech elemental analyzer.
  • 40Ar/39Ar Geochronology Laboratory
  • (U-Th)/He Thermochronology Laboratory
  • Rock Preparation Laboratory
  • Mineral Separation Laboratory
  • Thermochronology Sample Preparation Laboratory
  • Clean Laboratory
  • Optical Microscopy Laboratory

X-Ray Fluorescence Laboratory

X-Ray Diffraction Laboratory

The SEM laboratory is equipped with:

    • Zeiss EVO MA10
    • EDAX EDS spectrometer with a Gatan MiniCL detector

This instrument has variable pressure capability, allowing imaging and analysis of non-conductive surfaces without the need for carbon-coating in most situations.

The facility is located in the UF Nanoscale Instrument Center and includes:

  •  CAMECA SXFIVE-FE field emission electron probe with 4 high-resolution WDS spectrometers and EDS, capable of high precision and high spatial resolution trace element analyses of minerals
  • TESCAN/EDAX Field Emission SEM-EDS-EBSD system for mineral fabric analysis.
  • The CAMECA EPMA and TESCAN SEM instruments have integrated software and stage solutions allowing co-location of elemental and EBSD analysis as a spatial resolution of better than 1 micron.

The Paleomagnetism Lab is equipped with:

  • Discrete sample 2G Enterprises cryogenic magnetometer
  • 755-1.65 2G Enterprises U-channel magnetometer
  • Molspin discrete spinner magnetometer within a magnetically shielded room.

The lab also houses equipment for offline sample treatment including:

  • Thermal demagnetizer
  • Pulse magnetizers optimized for both u-channel and discrete samples.

For studies of rock and environmental magnetism lab users have access to:

  • Kappabridge magnetic susceptibility bridge
  • Sapphire instruments susceptibility bridge optimized for u-channels
  • Bartington magnetic susceptibility system
  • PMC MicroMag 3900 series vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM)
  • Lakeshore 8600 series VSM
  • On campus there is a Quantum Design MPMS3 housed and maintained within the Department of Chemical Engineering.

A fully equipped lab is available for analysis of surface and groundwater chemistry that includes:

  • Thermo Scientific Dionex ICS-6000 HPIC system
  • Seal Analytics AA3 Autoanalyzer
  • Agilent 7820A gas chromatograph
  • Hitachi F-7000 Fluorescence spectrometer
  • Shimadzu UV-1800 spectrometer

A fully equipped lab for analysis of organic compounds and isotopes includes:

  • Shimadzu ASI-V, TOC-V CSN, TNM-1
  • Dionex FR2000 flourescence detector, ASI auto sample injector, LC20, DD20, and GP50
  • Shimadzu AOC-2oi, GCMS-QP2010S, and GC-2010
  • Christ Alpha 1-4 LD plus freeze dryer
  • Thermoscientific TSQ8000 Triple Quadrople MS, and Trace 1310 gas chronmatograph
  • Thermoscientific Dionex Ultimate 3000 endura liquid chromatograph
  • Isotope cleanroom for radiocarbon preparation
  • Dionex ASE300 Accelerated Solvent Extractor
  • Thermoscientific Evolution 300 UV-VIS spectrometer
  • Shimadzu GC-2010 gas chromograph
  • Caliper Turbo Vap II
  • Shimadzu TOC-V CSN analyzer
  • Gerstel Fration Collector coupled with Agilent 7890B gas chromograph
  • Agilent 5977B GC/MSD coupled with a Frontier Lab Multishot Pyrolzer EGA/PY 3030D.

The Experimental Geochemistry Laboratory allows our researchers to recreate the high-temperature and high-pressure conditions inside the terrestrial planets and asteroids. The instrumentation in the laboratory includes:

  • Two Rockland End-Loaded Piston Cylinders
  • Deltech Controlled-Atmosphere Furnace
  • Preparation and Processing Equipment.
  • Portable seismometers for remote deployment
  • Magnetometer
  • Warden gravimeter
  • High-end computing workstations directly linked to UF’s Hypergator supercomputer are available for research and teaching.
  • Sampling station
  • Walk-in cold storage Geotek Multi-Sensor Core Logger with sensors for gamma density, magnetic susceptibility and P-wave velocity
  • Line scan camera.