Employing the 40Ar/39Ar dating method focusing on volcanism in both the marine and terrestrial environments
Introduction
In our OSU Argon Geochronology Lab we employ the 40Ar/39Ar geochronology method to determine how hotspots evolve and interact with the lithosphere, in quantifying rates at which large igneous provinces are constructed, in deciphering the early history of the Earth and Moon, in tracking transport pathways of terrigenous sediments from rivers to deep-sea sediments, and more.
Instruments
Our lab is equipped with two noble gas mass spectrometers for carrying out 40Ar/39Ar age determinations with two Thermo Scientific ARGUS VI Multi-Collector Instruments outfitted with five fixed Faraday detectors and one ion-counting CuBe electron multiplier. The high sensitivity of the ARGUS-VI allows us to run less material and focus on separating the best dating material possible.
Publications
Since 1977 investigators, students and post-docs in our laboratory have produced 40Ar/39Ar age data that appeared in more than 380 Peer-reviewed Publications and in 31 Senior, MSc and PhD Theses. This long list of papers could not have been possible without the more than 100 visitors over the last decades and our numerous national and international collaborators.
Marine Volcanism
Our lab specializes in 40Ar/39Ar geochronology of all types of marine volcanic samples, with unique expertise in obtaining reliable age data from altered ocean basalts, as well as from low-potassium ocean crust and large igneous province samples.
Ore Exploration
Our lab offers 40Ar/39Ar geochronological services specifically adapted to the requirements of critical mineral deposit characterization. We apply rigorous analytical techniques to date the large suite of minerals associated with ore-forming processes.
Geological Surveys
Our lab is equipped to process large sample sets required for regional geological mapping and stratigraphic correlation projects. We deploy efficient workflows that maintain analytical quality while accommodating high sample throughput.
