Dear All,

 

I would like to bring to your attention a short course on SIMS with emphasis on applications in the Earth and Planetary Sciences that will be held at the Joint Assembly Meeting (American Geophysical Union (AGU), Geological Association of Canada-Mineralogical Association of Canada (GAC-MAC), which will be held in Toronto, Ontario Canada, May 22-23, 2009.  For a list of invited speakers and topics please see attachment.  

 

Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry in the Earth and Planetary Sciences: Gleaning the Big Picture from a Small Spot

 

Obtaining a quantitative and predictive understanding of geological systems requires knowledge of the age of origin and subsequent thermal history of the system over geological time.  While analysis of mg-size materials is routine, important geologic information preserved in features such as zoned minerals and cemented intergranular regions requires in situ measurements at the micron scale.  An important breakthrough in this regard was the development of the secondary ion mass spectrometer (SIMS).  SIMS is capable of performing precise and accurate (i.e., ? to sub-?) in situ measurements of most elements and their isotopes with ca. 10 mm resolution.  

            This course will introduce SIMS analytical techniques and assess their applications in the earth and planetary sciences as well as biogeochemistry.  Topics include, light stable and non-traditional isotope analysis, radiogenic isotope analysis and geochronology, NanoSIMS, ion imaging and biogeochemistry, and cosmochemistry.

 

Best regards,

 

Mostafa Fayek