Geochemical and Mineralogical Laboratories (WG5)

• WG5. Geochemical and Mineralogical Laboratories

Coordination: Pedro Ferreira, LNEG
Institutions: FCUL, FCUP, FEUP, LNEG, UA

^{Working group that includes a set of geochemical laboratories that routinely use various instrumental analytical techniques for mineralogical and chemical characterization of geological materials.}

^{Aims to promote (inter-institutional) actions that facilitate access to geochemical and isotopic analysis laboratories, and to create synergies for the viability of activities such as the elementary and isotopic characterization of geological materials, as well as the identification and characterization (chemical and structural) of the minerals that make up the rocks.}

+ SERVICES

• Quantification of major and trace elements
  by X-ray Fluorescence (XRF, complemented by loss on ignition determination)

• Identification of unknown crystalline materials (e.g., minerals, inorganic compounds)
  by X-ray Difraction (XRD)

• Punctual (at the 1-10 micrometer scale) chemical characterization of geological materials (minerals, fused beads/pearls of rock samples)
  by Electron Microprobe

• Determination of 87Sr/86Sr isotopic ratios in waters, silicate rocks, carbonated rocks and fossil material, including sample digestion and chromatography separation.
• Measurement of Rb and Sr concentrations in rocks and minerals, by isotopic dilution.
  all measurements by Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry (TIMS)

• Determination of the 143Nd / 144Nd ratio, including sample digestion and chromatographic separation
• Measurement of the Sm and Nd concentrations in rocks, by isotopic dilution.
  all measurements by Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry (TIMS)

• Separation, identification and quantification of organic compounds
  by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS)

• Chemical analysis of rocks
  (incl. Si, Ag, Cd, Cr, Co, Ni, Fe, K, Na, K, Pb, Sn, Al, Cu, U, Mn, Mo, Zn, In, As, W, Au, Li, Ga) by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS)

• Structural-Chemical characterization of crystalline or amorphous materials, in solid, liquid or gaseous states
  by Microscopic Raman Spectroscopy

(top)

+ In-house SOFTWARE

• Application program for calculation of structural formulas of most mineral groups, directly using the output of the microprobe analysis

(top)

+ EQUIPMENT

Check more EQUIPMENT available via C4G.

(top)