Geochemical Proxies using X-Ray Fluorescence and X-Ray Diffraction of mudstones and sandstones
Mentor 1
John Isbell
Start Date
28-4-2023 12:00 AM
Description
Under the supervision of PhD Student Natalie McNall, I have been assisting her in her work to obtain a geochemical analysis of rock samples she obtained from both Namibia and Brazil that were present during the Late Paleozoic Ice Age. Currently, I have been preparing the beginning of twenty seven different mudstone and fine-grained sandstone samples for X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF). The X-Ray Fluorescence will project any major, minor, or trace elemental data. In order to properly melt and cool into a fine glass for analysis through the Bruker S4 Pioneer XRF instrument housed in the UWM Geosciences Department’s Mineralogy Laboratory, the mudstone and fine-grained sandstone samples must be carefully crushed down into delicate powder-like clays. We are unable to utilize the shatter box within the UWM Geoscience Department’s Mineralogy Laboratory as it contains nickel and iron which could contaminate the samples and ruin the geo compositional analysis. Alternatively, I have been trained to grind the samples with a silica mortar and pestle provided by UWM’s Geosciences Department. Once the samples have been powdered, one gram of each sample is then super-heated by a muffle furnace at 1050 degrees Fahrenheit to obtain analysis of Loss of Ignition (LOI). One gram of each sample should be mixed with one gram of ammonium nitrate and ten grams of 50:50 lithium metaborate with an integrate non-wetting agent. We will then fuse the powders within an M4 Fluxer to create glass beads which will then be analyzed using the Bruker XRF instrument. Additionally, I will also be preparing ten samples for X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), though this process differs from XRF. XRD Samples are simply processed in their powdered form within a XRD slide. XRD will tell us the bulk mineralogy of our samples, as opposed to elemental data.
Geochemical Proxies using X-Ray Fluorescence and X-Ray Diffraction of mudstones and sandstones
Under the supervision of PhD Student Natalie McNall, I have been assisting her in her work to obtain a geochemical analysis of rock samples she obtained from both Namibia and Brazil that were present during the Late Paleozoic Ice Age. Currently, I have been preparing the beginning of twenty seven different mudstone and fine-grained sandstone samples for X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF). The X-Ray Fluorescence will project any major, minor, or trace elemental data. In order to properly melt and cool into a fine glass for analysis through the Bruker S4 Pioneer XRF instrument housed in the UWM Geosciences Department’s Mineralogy Laboratory, the mudstone and fine-grained sandstone samples must be carefully crushed down into delicate powder-like clays. We are unable to utilize the shatter box within the UWM Geoscience Department’s Mineralogy Laboratory as it contains nickel and iron which could contaminate the samples and ruin the geo compositional analysis. Alternatively, I have been trained to grind the samples with a silica mortar and pestle provided by UWM’s Geosciences Department. Once the samples have been powdered, one gram of each sample is then super-heated by a muffle furnace at 1050 degrees Fahrenheit to obtain analysis of Loss of Ignition (LOI). One gram of each sample should be mixed with one gram of ammonium nitrate and ten grams of 50:50 lithium metaborate with an integrate non-wetting agent. We will then fuse the powders within an M4 Fluxer to create glass beads which will then be analyzed using the Bruker XRF instrument. Additionally, I will also be preparing ten samples for X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), though this process differs from XRF. XRD Samples are simply processed in their powdered form within a XRD slide. XRD will tell us the bulk mineralogy of our samples, as opposed to elemental data.
