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Denver Radiogenic Isotope Lab

The GEC Science Center supports a laboratory facility that includes sample preparation labs, class-10,000 or better clean labs for chemical processing, and an instrument lab with multiple thermal ionization mass spectrometers (TIMS).  

DRIL Facilities

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The GEC and G3 Science Centers jointly support a laboratory facility located in Building 95 of the Denver Fed Center that includes sample preparation labs, two class-10,000 or better clean labs for chemical processing, and an instrument lab for thermal ionization mass spectrometers (TIMS).  The lab is effectively shared between Science Centers and provides a model for efficient use of space and communal resources.  

 

USGS class-10,000 clean lab
Class-10,000 clean lab used to separate and purify elements of interest from samples of powdered rocks, minerals, and water.

 

Instruments in USGS Denver Radiogenic Isotope Lab
Shared instrument lab housing solid-source, multi-collector, thermal-ionization mass spectrometers.  The shared space also houses USGS GSIL (GGG-Stable Isotope Laboratory) instruments in the background.

 

The facility maintains two multi-collector TIMS instruments, including an IsotopX Phoenix (installed July 2017) and Thermo Finnigan Triton (installed 2004).  These instruments are capable of running in fully automated modes or remotely through a secured internet connection.  Both have moveable faraday cups allowing static or dynamic simultaneous multi-collection of large ion beams. Small ion beams are measured by single-collector peak-hopping methods using either a discrete-dynode electron multiplier or Daly-knob /photomultiplier collector.  

 

Loading a sample turret for Pb analysis at the Denver Radiogenic Isotope Lab
Rick Moscati loading a sample turret for Pb analysis on the Phoenix thermal-ionization mass spectrometer.

 

 

thermal-ionization mass spectrometer
The Triton thermal-ionization mass spectrometer. 

 

 

Prior to TIMS analyses, chemical processing is required to separate and purify the element of interest. This typically involves acid-digestion and evaporation followed by ion chromatographic exchange on small, resin-filled columns. The clean labs include multiple HEPA-filtered work stations and evaporation boxes that provide class-1000 or better work spaces.  As a result, samples are exposed to minimal environmental contamination during processing allowing analyses of very small samples.  

 

 

Denver Radiogenic Isotope Lab portion of Class-10,000  clean lab hood
Portion of the Class-10,000 clean lab with HEPA-filtered laminar-flow hoods (left) used for chromatographic column separations and four-tier, ULPA-filtered exhausting dry-down boxes with Teflon-coated hotplates for sample digestion and evaporation.

 

Ion-chromatographic columns loaded with anion resin
Ion-chromatographic columns loaded with anion resin and used to separate and purify uranium and thorium prior to isotope analysis
Lab worker loading strontium samples on a turret with 21 individual filament locations
Hannah Tompkins loading strontium samples on a turret with 21 individual filament locations.

 

 

Staff

The Denver Radiogenic Isotope Lab is cooperatively run by the principal investigators, researchers, and staff scientists:

 

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