HELGES – Helmholtz-Laboratory for the Geochemistry of the Earth Surface

In the HELGES Laboratory, sample preparation and measurements of cosmogenic nuclides (¹⁰Be, ²⁶Al) and stable isotopes of metals and metalloids (currently Li, Mg, Si, Fe, Sr, B) in geological and environmental sample materials, such as sediments, rocks, river water, soils, vegetation are performed.
Two clean labs class 1000+ with class 10 laminar flow workstations are available for sample preparation of low concentration samples. In addition, dry and wet chemistry labs provide the necessary equipment for preparation of solid and liquid samples, such as rock crushing, sieving, mineral separation, filtration of water samples, microwave assisted sample dissolution, microscopy and sample preparation for micro-analytical work by laser ablation.
The HELGES lab also accomodates analytical instruments for concentration and isotope ratio measurements on liquid and solid samples. A Thermo Neptune Multicollector Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (MC-ICP-MS) is used for isotope measurements (Li, Mg, Si, Fe, Sr, B). Concentration measurements are done by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (Varian 720 ES ICP-OES). Both ICP instruments can be coupled to an in-house built femtosecond laser ablation system (fsLA-MC-ICP-MS or fsLA-ICP-OES) for in-situ concentration and isotope ratio measurements at the micrometer scale.

Nearly all work conducted in the GFZ HELGES lab falls into one of two categories: (1) approved collaborative projects that will lead to publications in international scientific journals, and (2) research projects within the GFZ Earth Surface Geochemistry group, including development and improvement of analytical methods. All scientists wishing to use the HELGES facility or request sample analyses must submit an analysis application form. Applications are evaluated in an internal review process. Detailed information regarding the application process for isotope ratio and cosmogenic nuclide measurements are provided on the HELGES website. The terms and conditions for using the HELGES facility can be found here.
The HELGES Laboratory is a laboratory complex and consists of several sub-modules. For more details, please see the individual websites.