The labGEOTOP Service, Laboratory of Elemental and Isotopic Geochemistry for Petrological Applications, carry out multi-disciplinary research in Solid Earth Sciences using an established core of world class equipment and laboratories, and expertise in the technical and applied aspects of their use. The service plays a key role in catalysing leading edge cross-disciplinary research within the CSIC and into Spain. The labGEOTOP service provides a central mass of equipment that enables significant scientific collaboration on a regional, national and international scale. We undertake a wide variety of analytical work for scientific institutions and industry. The labGEOTOP offer elemental and isotopic analysis of solids and liquids covering the range of elements determined by high resolution-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry.
The Service focuses on the analytical needs of R&D projects on:
- Compositional structure and evolution of Earth’s mantle: mantle geochemistry mainly through the open window of the volcanic rocks; origin of mantle plumes.
- Compositional structure and evolution of the lithosphere: geochemical processes at the margins of tectonic plates.
- Geochemical evolution of magmatic and metamorphic processes.
- Sedimentary geology and paleoclimate reconstruction: geochronology and processes related to climate change.
- Volcanism: temporal evolution of pre- and syn-eruptive magmatic processes: geochemical flows related to volcanic activity.
- Experimental petrology and mineralogy.
- Environmental geochemistry and hydrogeochemistry (major and trace elements in waters and sediments and delta11Boron in waters)
The analytical services provided by the LabGEOTOP go beyond the GEO3BCN needs and represent a significant breakthrough in the analytical services required by the Spanish and international scientific community on element and isotope geochemistry for process modelling in both whole rock and high resolution single mineral analysis.
The labGEOTOP is a Project co-financed by ERDF through the Scientific and Technological Infrastructure National Program in the National Plan for Scientific Research, Development and Technological Innovation (R & D) of the former Ministry of Science and Innovation, Reference CSIC08-4E-001.
Facilities
- High Resolution Mass Spectrometer (HR-ICP-MS), Thermo Scientific Element XR.
- Laser Ablation Microprobe, New Wave Research UP-193 Excimer Laser Ablation System.
- Sample preparation facilities for crushing (jaw crusher, rock saws, tungsten carbide percussion mortars), powdering (ring mill with agatha and tungsten carbide containers), drying (ovens), and separating (binocular picking microscopes, sieves, balances, Franz magnetic separator, heavy liquids) geological samples. Supporting sample preparation laboratories house two special perchloric acid fume hoods, two evapoclean systems, high-temperature muffle furnaces for loss on ignition (LOI) determinations, and a Millipore water purification system (Elix + MilliQ Advantage A10 + QPod Element Merck Millipore).
