The Geo- and Thermochronology lab at the University of Calgary is fully equipped to conduct U-Pb, (U-Th)/He, and fission track analysis. Visit our Lab website

Fission Track Lab

Fission-track analysis is conducted using a Zeiss AxioImager M2m microscope equipped with transmitted and incident light, digital camera and a motorized x-y-stage system from Autoscan. This setup allows fission-track counting on the microscope as well as on the live image on the computer screen. The motorized microscope together with the TrackWorks program allow us to measure the lengths of tracks that are not horizontal to the sample surface.
We regularly conduct apatite and zircon FT dating on bedrock, basin strata and modern sediment.
ASI Alphachron

Automated He extraction and measurement system with diode laser chamber for the degassing of whole mineral grains. Connection to UHV ablation cell allows for the use of the excimer laser to degas a portion of a mineral grain, a fundamentally different way of acquiring U-Th-Sm/He dates. Dramatically reduced cost and elimination of sampling bias are just two of the benefits of this emerging method.
ASI Resochron

Modern, fully automated laser ablation system employing a 193 nm excimer laser. Two ablation cells are employed; 1) a Lauren-Technic design M50 flow-through cell with a working area of 50 mm x 50 mm used in conjunction with the mass spectrometer for UPb geochronology and trace element concentration determinations, and 2) a UHV cell connected to the Alphachron helium line to do cutting edge laser ablation U-Th-Sm/He thermochronometry. Excellent ICP-MS stability, stage repeatability and automation allow for long automated sequences to be performed with no operator input, facilitating time-intensive operations such as large-n detrital zircon geochronology and trace element mapping.
Agilent 7700x

The Agilent 7700 quadrupole mass spectrometer offers great stability and sensitivity with low operating costs. Fast stabilisation times allows for the rapid acquisition of data across a wide range of masses. Laser ablation and solution sample introduction through the integrated autosampler and peltier-cooled spray chamber allows for diverse applications. We routinely use the Agilent 7700 to measure U/Pb ratios for U-Pb zircon geochronology and use isotope dilution mass spectrometry to quantify actinide concentrations in whole grains for U-Th-Sm/He dating.
Optical CL Microscope
​
Technosyn 8200 Mk II Cold Cathode Luminescence microscope facilitates CL image acquisition. Cold-CL allows to identify compositional zoning within a single mineral grain or to distinguish between different minerals based on their true luminescence colours.
Stereomicroscope

Mineral inspections for U-Th/He dating as well as cleaning of mineral separates in preparation for FT dating is conducted on a Zeiss SteREO Discovery.V20 that is equipped with transmitted and incident light. The microscope is equipped with a digital camera that allows the capture of images and the measurements of the grain dimensions.
Zygo ZeScope

Optical interferometer for the quantification of surface roughness and topography. With a vertical resolution ~2 nm and a variety of objective lenses and magnifications the profilometer can measure everything from very small (a few 100 µm) to large (a few cm^2) areas. Applications include the measurement of volume of material eroded from a surface, the roughness of fracture surfaces in cores, the surface roughness of materials from glass to corneas and the quantification of ablation pit volume. Automated data acquisition and processing streamlines data acquisition.
Mineral Separation and Sample Preparation

Our fully-equipped mineral separation facility is optimized for the concentration of heavy minerals from sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks. Mineral separation workflows for detrital zircon geochronology, (U-Th-Sm)/He thermochronology of apatite and zircon ensure maximum recovery with minimal sampling bias. Our equipment includes a jaw crusher, disc mill, water table, heavy liquids (including MI, Bromoform and LST), Wig-L-Bug and a Frantz magnetic separator.
Innovative sample mounting procedures, developed at the University of Calgary, allow for efficient mounting, polishing and loading of samples into the LA-ICP-MS system. The ability to load 12 mounts into the M50 cell facilitates the efficient use of natural and synthetic reference materials in U-Pb geochronology and the measurement of >6 samples/day at high-n (~300 measurements per sample). A new composite aluminum-FEP mounting system facilitates the introduction of samples into the UHV cell for laser ablation U-Th-Sm/He dating.
For apatite and zircon fission track dating we are using a STRUERS polishing machine that allows us to process 6 samples at the same time. Each sample is pressed separately onto the polishing pad by compressed air, allowing an optimum of polishing quality.