Pre-treatment of river sediment and soil samples for cosmogenic isotope analyses (10Be, 26Al) includes purification steps to obtain pure quartz sands prior to dissolution and element separation by ion chromatography column chemistry. From sieved samples, minerals are separated by magnetic separation and/or heavy liquids, and silicate and oxide minerals are chemically separated from quartz by leaching with acids (HF, HCl, HNO3) at elevated temperatures.
Access to the lab
Nearly all work conducted in the GFZ HELGES lab falls into one of two categories: (1) approved collaborative projects that will lead to publications in international scientific journals, and (2) research projects within the GFZ Earth Surface Geochemistry group, including development and improvement of analytical methods. All scientists wishing to use our facility or request sample analyses must submit an analysis application form. Because our laboratory space and staff capacities are limited, we need to evaluate your application in an internal review process, and therefore kindly ask you to fill the application form and provide us with further information about the project, samples and analyses. Please send the application form to the indicated lab contact person. We will evaluate your application and make a decision. Please note that we are specialized in the above mentioned isotope systems and we are not a geochronology laboratory.
Application form and terms of conditions download here:
Application for Isotope Ratio
Application for Cosmogenic Nuclide
Terms of conditions
