School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Facilities
Cosmogenic Nuclide Geochronology Laboratory:
The cosmogenic nuclide geochronology laboratory allows researchers to prepare 26Al and 10Be targets for cosmogenic nuclide geochronology. Analysis of samples by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) will be performed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry in collaboration with Dr. Robert Finkel. All facilities necessary for the preparation and extraction of 10Be and 26Al from quartz are available in the Ford Environmental Science and Technology Building. A ~250 square-foot rock sample preparation facility, including a Bico jaw crusher, pulverizer, and dust collector, as well as a Ro-Tap sieve shaker and one rock saw are available for the pre-processing (crushing) of samples. In addition, a dedicated ~600 square-foot cosmogenic nuclide geochronology laboratory includes the following: three six-foot fume hoods (one for percholoric acid, one for hydrofluoric acid, and one for hydrochloric/nitric acid), two custom 60 liter Branson ultrasonic tanks for quartz purification, two Barnstead water purification systems, one oven, two high-precision Mettler-Toledo balances, one centrifuge, one high-temperature furnace, ion-exchange chromatography columns, one glove box for target loading, and all necessary laboratory safety equipment (calcium gluconate gel, acid spill kits, eye wash stations, and emergency showers).
If you have a project that could benefit from cosmogenic nuclide geochronology, please contact me (kurt.frankel@eas.gatech.edu) I am always interested in collaborations that can make use of my lab to help investigate interesting earth science problems!
Laboratory Operating Procedures (downloadable PDF of our sample processing procedures)
Geophysics Computer Lab:
The Geophysics group at Georgia Tech maintains a computer lab in a collaborative workroom. This workspace allows researchers access to high-performance desktop PCs for data and image analysis. Software available to researchers in this lab includes ArcGIS, Matlab, Illustrator, SigmaPlot, and Surfer. In addition, a scanner, black and white printer, color printer, and large-scale color "plotter" are available.
Field Equipment:
A full array of equipment is available for researchers conducting field work. Field supplies include (or will soon include):
Trimble GeoXH differential GPS system
Impluse laser rangefinder (with tripod, azimuth unit, and data recorder)
stereoscopes, map boards, Brunton compasses, rock hammers, soil color charts, clinometers, shovels, picks, hand-held GPS units, satellite phone, high-resolution digital camera, solar panels, camping equipment (stoves, coolers, lanterns, cookware), etc.
"ruggedized" tablet notebook computer
