Equipment Acquisition of a Laser Ablation System and Triple-quadrupole Inductively coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (LA ICP-MS)

Understanding the evolution of the Earth relies heavily on our ability to read, understand and interpret chemical and physical evidence archived in terrestrial material, such as the rock record and organic materials. One cornerstone for almost all research projects focusing on better understanding major geologic events are chemical analyses of rock samples and minerals, as their geochemical inventory can be used to reconstruct processes at different scales, such as ore-genesis, continental-scale events like the eruption of Columbia River Flood Basalts that shaped the landscape of the Pacific Northwest, or how some of the Earth’s earliest crust has formed.

This funding will be used to acquire a state-of-the-art laser-ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry system, replacing our current instruments at the Peter Hooper GeoAnalytical Laboratory at Washington State University (WSU) founded more than four decades ago. The Lab specializes in providing research-quality geochemical data to the national (and international) earth-science community, many projects of which are funded by the NSF.

This data is used to advance our understanding of Earth’s history. To continue to fulfill our mission in the future, we need to replace our current instruments that have been in year-round operation for more than a decade, and which are no longer supported by the manufacturer. The latest generation of mass spectrometer allows for the quantification of much lower concentrations of trace elements in whole rock samples and permits the development of new approaches for reading and interpreting geochemical signatures in earth materials.

The laser ablation system coupled to the mass spectrometer allows for in-situ analysis at a micrometer-scale in minerals and an almost unlimited range of materials, allowing for use of the Lab by researchers from a wide range of disciplines, such as the earth sciences, material sciences, and biological sciences. The new instrument will be central for faculty and student research at WSU, and for the Lab’s other users.

With this state-of-the-art equipment we will be able to develop new analytical approaches and methods, furthering our ability to tackle long-standing questions about Earth’s history on multiple scales. Students will be trained on cutting edge analytical instruments and, therefore, this award will also directly positively impact the highly trained workforce in the field of analytical geochemistry and beyond.

The Peter Hooper GeoAnalytical Laboratory at Washington State University (WSU) has analyzed 12,200 bulk samples via solution Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) over the last 5-years (2016-2021), plus more than 2000 hours of Laser Ablation (LA)ICPMS analyses in the last 3-years alone. This proposal requests funds to acquire a new state-of-the-art ICPMS and LA system for continuing and expanding the high quality and reliable services of trace element analyses for the geoscience community for the next decade and beyond. (LA)ICPMS analyses, especially in combination with XRF measurements, are employed in a broad range of Earth science research including applications in geological and environmental studies.

Quantifying the composition of Earth materials, which include igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks, soils, and archeological artifacts, to name only a few, provides critical information about the samples’ origins and what processes were involved in their formation. Our analytical service employing (LA)ICPMS supplies high-quality research data to a wide range of geoscientists in North America - over 100 different institutions over the last 3-years have benefited from our services.

The GeoAnalytical Lab is considered a critical component of academic geoscience research in North America through the research-quality analytical services it provides, most notably but not exclusively for the geochemical research communities. Data produced by the Lab feeds basic research which informs decisions made by scientists and agencies addressing natural hazards, resource exploration, environmental challenges, and human impacts on climate.

The GeoAnalytical Lab also plays an important role in training highly skilled geochemists and technicians for the national workforce in the private and public sectors. These skills can only be acquired in an active research environment. The WSU GeoAnalytical Lab contributes to this educational mission in four ways: (1) through formal course instruction and hands-on training of WSU graduate students from a variety of disciplines, (2) through undergraduate research projects that use the instrumentation, (3) through training of visiting students, and (4) through employment of part-time student labor, which introduces students to the skills and responsibility required to successfully perform laboratory procedures.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.