Friday Flotsam

Another fun weekend for me analyzing zircon on the SHRIMP-RG at Stanford University! I really know how to live it up during the summer.

Some news bits:


The 2009 dome at Redoubt in Alaska steaming on July 2, 2009. Image taken by Cyrus Read, courtesy of USGS/AVO

More like this

That's funny - I've seen bits and pieces of SHRIMP in various workshops but I've never seen an assembled machine (although I know of 2 in proximity). So what's the big deal with SHRIMP; I haven't met anyone who could tell me. :}

By MadScientist (not verified) on 11 Jul 2009 #permalink

I'm not a scientist, but I got curious about the Shrimp RG. Here is what I found at http://shrimprg.stanford.edu/page2frame.html

âThe SHRIMP RG has capabilities that are common to most ion microprobes, that is the direct sampling of a target through sputtering a small volume of material. The special feature of the SHRIMP RG is the capability of extremely high mass resolution which allows the exclusion of more isobaric interferences. Trace element analysis is being carried out at high mass resolution rather than using the energy filtering technique. We are currently working on the development of a set of standards of geologically useful materials.

SHRIMPs are well known for U-Pb geochronology, and we have developed highly successful protocols for zircon analysis. In addition, the high abundance sensitivity of the SHRIMP RG has allowed us to identify the isobaric interference under Pb-204 in monazite as doubly charged ThNdO2.â

Also, the machine costs about $1,700 dollars a day for âexternal usersâ.

Hope that answers the question - Erik's time is at a premium!

By Thomas Donlon (not verified) on 11 Jul 2009 #permalink

Thought this report might interest some here:

http://www.homernews.com/stories/070809/news_1_002.shtml

"Like a giant fist punching through the earth, a 1,000-foot long section of the beach below Bluff Point rose up 20 feet from the tidelands sometime last Friday or late Thursday, pushing boulders up from the ocean bottom, cracking sandstone slabs and toppling rocks upside down."