The (U-Th-Sm)/He lab is equipped with an Alphachron automated system for helium measurement. We routinely measure 2 laser pans of 24 aliquots each in automatic mode in 1 week. We collaborate with PD Dr. Johannes Glodny in section 3.1 at the German Research Centre for Geosciences; he is responsible for sample dissolution and analysis of U, Th and Sm using ICP-MS. At present, we analyze both apatites and zircons.

The Institute for Geosciences at the University of Potsdam has a laboratory for stereoscopic projection and analysis of three- or multidimensional data (3D laboratory). The laboratory focuses on the spatial projection of complex data sets in order to visually analyse data structures and their internal relationships. Simultaneously, sonification and haptic techniques will be used to detect spatio-temporal patterns.
The laboratory comprises a computer cluster and a visualization platform. The …

The Potsdam ⁴He/³He Thermochronology Laboratory at the University of Potsdam, Germany is dedicated to high-precision measurement of ⁴He and ³He noble gas abundances and isotopic ratios (i.e. ⁴He³He) in U-bearing accessory minerals such as apatite.
The laboratory is equipped with a Helix SFT Thermo Scientific mass spectrometer recently acquired and funded by the European Research Council (ERC). The Helix SFT is connected to a Thermo extraction and purification Prepline dedicated to mineral …

An anaerobic chamber allows the investigation of reactive matter transport in laboratory scale also for anoxic or anaerobic environmental conditions. The chamber is operated with nitrogen or forming gas. The oxygen concentration can be regulated between 0 - 20%. For reaching oxygen concentrations below 0.5% a catalytic converter has to be instrumented and the chamber is operated with forming gas. A detachable front panel allows for the instrumentation with big experimental setups.

The ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating method is a modification/improvement of the ⁴⁰K-⁴⁰Ar method. The utilised decay system is the electron capture by a ⁴⁰K parent nuclide and the production of a ⁴⁰Ar daughter nuclide with a decay constant (Λe) of 0.581 x 10⁻¹⁰. In addition, beta-decay of ⁴⁰K to ⁴⁰Ca also occurs with a decay constant (Λb) of 4.96 x 10⁻¹⁰, but this branch is not used. For the K-Ar method, direct determination of potassium concentrations on sample aliquots is necessary. In contrast, for …

Cathodoluminescence microscopy is a technique to visualize in minerals and materials heterogeneities and internal structures that are invisible using pure optical methods (reflected and transmitted light microscopy). Internal structures of minerals become visible and are indicative of growth zoning, trace element zoning and structures allowing processes such as mineral growth, resolution and alteration to be reconstructed. Furthermore, it helps to rapidly distinguish optical similar minerals, …

We maintain a facility for cosmogenic nuclide sample preparation for meteoric and in situ ²⁶Al and ¹⁰Be. This includes heavy liquid separation and cleaning of sample material with hydrochloric acid and hexasilicafluorid acid (HCl SiF₆) on shakers. Further leaching is carried out in low-concentrated hydrofluoric acid on hot dog rollers and in ultrasonic baths. Digestion of quartz-rich material is done on shaker tables and in a microwave digestion oven that ensure save operation. Ion-exchange …

The Electron Microprobe lab offers non-destructive chemical analyses of solids using a JEOL JXA-8200 Electron Probe Microanalyzer (EPMA) with an EDX detector. The microprobe is capable of quantitatively measuring the abundance of all elements from C to U using five wavelength-dispersive spectrometers (WDS) and an energy-dispersive X-Ray spectrometer (EDX) for rapid analyses. This analytical technique combines micron-scale chemical analyses with scanning electron microscopy and is capable of …

By using this elemental analyzer (Euro EA 3000) it is possible to determine the concentration of nitrogen, carbon and hydrogen in solid samples. The substance to be analysed is digested by an oxidative combustion of samples packaged in tin foil. The combustion takes place explosively in a highly oxygen enriched He atmosphere. Gases that generated during the combustion are led by the carrier gas (helium) into the separation column. CO₂, H₂O, N₂ and SO₂ are separated chromatographically within …

The lab is equipped with a Leica DMR microscope with a drawing tube, a Kinetek computer-driven stage, a Calcomp digitizing tablet, and FT Stage software. A video camera is mounted on the triaxial head of the microscope, allowing a group of people to observe a slide simultaneously. At present, we are only analyzing apatites. However, we plan on analyzing zircons in the future.