Elemental Scientific Lasers’ Scientific Publications

This work represents the first archaeometric study carried out on white marble artefacts coming from several areas of the archaeological site of S. Omobono, located in a central area of Rome (Italy). The study was performed on a total of nineteen marble items, sampled from several areas of the site, by combining different laboratory techniques - including optical microscopy (OM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) and Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS) of C and O - with the aim to characterise them and to determine their provenance. The minero-petrographic features observed, together with the C and O stable isotopes ratios recorded, the evaluation of the Sr and Mn con...

In 1136, at the beginning of The Anarchy, David I of Scotland (1124-53) took control of Carlisle and the surrounding North Pennine lead/silver mines focused on Alston (Figure 1). Thereafter, he began to mint the first native Scottish coins.1 David I’s desire to acquire silver from the ‘mine of Carlisle’ has been seen by historians as a major motivating factor in his territorial campaigns over disputed land in what is now northern England.2 Although David’s coinage was sporadic, Carlisle developed as a focus for royal power alongside Edinburgh and Roxburgh, while David’s son, Henry, secured northern England for Scotland through his title as Earl of Northumbria....

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Riftesedő geodinamikai környezetben előforduló peralkáli riolitok keletkezését általában a bazaltokból eredő frak­cio­ná­ciós kristályosodással magyarázzák. A peralkáli riolitok alkáli-gazdag és szilícium-dioxidban telítetlen magmás kő­­zetekkel való tér- és időbeli összefüggését azonban nem tárták fel kellőképpen. Jelen tanulmányban olyan peralkáli rio­litos üvegösszetételeket mutatunk be, amelyeket jelenleg az egyetlen aktív, karbonatitlávát is produkáló Oldoinyo Lengai vulkánnál, illetve annak nagyobb rendszerét képező Kelet-afrikai-árokrendszerben azonosítottunk. A vizsgált min­tákban a metamorf kvarc és oligoklász az Oldoinyo Lengai magmatizmusra nem jellemző ásványegy�...

The North Qilian Accretionary Belt, situated at the northernmost extent of the Proto-Tethys tectonic domain, preserves key tectonic events such as Proto-Tethys Ocean subduction and accretion. Despite ongoing debates about the closure mechanisms and timing of the North Qilian Ocean, our study presents novel findings on granitoids from the Changma region in the western segment of the North Qilian Accretionary Belt. Zircon U-Pb dating indicates an emplacement age of 436Ma for the Qingshixia pluton and 425Ma for the Heixialao pluton. The εHf(t) values of the Qingshixia granodiorite range from +8.25 to +10.89, with TDM2 model ages estimated between 614 and 716Ma. In contrast, the εHf(t) values of the Heixialao monzogranite range from +1.79 to ...

This chapter discusses the rapidly expanding field of laser ablation-multicollector-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICPMS). While this methodology was initially developed 30 years ago, its expansion as a viable technique has largely happened in the last decade. Its proliferation into many laboratories, and its application throughout the Earth Sciences, is a testament to the method's ability to produce accurate and precise isotope ratio information at high spatial resolution. The chapter is written with the aim of providing users of this methodology a background on some of the fundamental aspects of laser ablation sampling, the operation of double-focusing MC-ICP mass spectrometers, the unique potentials and pitfalls of L...

Global and regional shifts in climate and environmental conditions during the Miocene gradually gave rise to the grassland biomes that now dominate the modern North American Great Plains. Strata comprising the Ogallala Group provide critical information for understanding these transitions. Geologic mapping and scientific drilling at the eastern edge of the Ogallala Group in northeastern Nebraska, reveal a basal, pedogenically modified siltstone-dominated interval that was hitherto barely known and never firmly placed in a regional stratigraphic context. Herein, we distinguish this basal siltstone unit of the Ogallala Group in the eastern Niobrara River Valley from the overlying sand-dominated strata of the Valentine Formation on the basis o...

In this study, fermented rice gruel, a traditional food in South Telangana, India, was used as a source for the isolation of biologically significant probiotics. A total of 56 morphologically diverse strains were isolated and screened for their ability to inhibit dental biofilms as well as foodborne and aquaculture bacterial pathogens. Among these, isolate SNR1 was selected for further characterization due to its potential antimicrobial activity against bacterial pathogens such as Streptococcus mutans, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Salmonella typhi. The results of 16S rDNA sequencing showed that isolate SNR1 was closely related to Lactobacillus fermentum strains from different sources. The bacter...

A multi-chronometric investigation has been conducted on the ∼2.0-km-diameter Holleford impact structure of Ontario, Canada. In situ triple quadrupole laser ablation−inductively coupled−mass spectrometry U-Pb and Rb-Sr geochronology, along with (U-Th)/He thermochronology, have been applied to multiple mineral phases from impact melt-bearing breccias and overlying sedimentary units. Impact-induced resetting is absent in all three isotopic systems. While Holleford’s small size resulted in insufficient heating to reset geochronometers during impact, our investigation has defined a more detailed pre- and post-impact geologic setting within the Precambrian basement and overlying Paleozoic lithologies. Target rock age determinations inclu...

The Shuswap Metamorphic Complex in southeastern British Columbia, Canada, exposes penetratively deformed rocks exhumed from deep crustal levels (∼25−30 km depth) of the Canadian Cordillera. Existing models describing its tectonometamorphic evolution are not directly linked to absolute age constraints acquired through modern petrochronological methods and, therefore, remain ambiguous. To differentiate between proposed models, here we apply U-Th-Pb monazite petrochronology, petrological modeling, and microstructural analysis to quantify conditions and timing of deformation across a transect of the Shuswap Metamorphic Complex. Our results demonstrate that metamorphism decreases in age with increased structural depth associated with progres...

Volcaniclastic rocks offer insights into magmatic and tectonic activity and a means to constrain depositional age by radioisotopic dating. However, these tasks can be challenging. An archetypal example is offered by the Upper Miocene strata of the SW Tarim Basin, where intercalated volcaniclastic intervals may decisively improve the existing chronostratigraphy, but detailed multidisciplinary analyses are indispensable to obtain robust chronostratigraphic constraints. Here, we coupled sedimentary facies analysis with X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy−energy-dispersive spectrometry, heavy-mineral, whole-rock geochemical, and single-mineral isotopic analyses to determine the composition, eruption age, formation mechanism, and p...

Timing of seawater retreat from the Tethyan Himalaya is of great importance, as it provides a minimum age control on the initial India-Asia collision. In south Tibet, however, it is still in dispute, with suggested ages ranging from >50 Ma to ca. 34 Ma. Here we present data of (1) larger benthic foraminifera from the topmost Zongpu Formation; (2) planktonic foraminifera; and (3) detrital zircon U-Pb ages from the Youxia and Shenkeza Formations at Guru, Tingri, and Gamba, with a special emphasis on the poorly studied Guru area. At Guru, existence of the Shallow Benthic Zonation (SBZ) 7 Zone index fossils of Alveolina moussoulensis Hottinger and Al. laxa Hottinger constrains the initial deposition of the Youxia Formation at ca. 54 Ma. Coexist...

A global change in granitoid compositions from early predominantly sodic tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorites (TTGs) to later TTGs and more potassic granites occurred during the late Archean, coupled with a major period of crustal maturation. However, the detailed relationship between granitoid chemical evolution and the maturing crustal process remains enigmatic. Successive granitoid magmatism including late Neoarchean TTGs and high-K granites occurred in the Western Shandong Province granite-greenstone belt (WSP) of the North China Craton and thus preserves crucial clues of the crustal maturation process. In this study, petrology, whole-rock geochemistry, and zircon U-Pb and Lu-Hf isotopes are reported for the late Neoarchean TTG gneisses,...

Highly fractionated granitoids are closely associated with Rb mineralization, yet the mechanisms that control Rb enrichment and details about the enrichment process have not been well constrained. The Guobaoshan Rb deposit in eastern Tianshan, NW China, is one of the largest granite-related Rb deposits; it preserves a series of gradual lithofacies ranging from biotite granite and muscovite granite to Rb-rich amazonite granite and pegmatite, and provides an excellent opportunity to constrain the Rb enrichment processes in granitic systems. The large Guobaoshan Rb deposit hosts 281,000 tons of Rb2O at a grade of 0.12% mainly in its amazonite-bearing granite and amazonite granite lithofacies. In this contribution, we integrate geochronology, b...

Widely distributed Oligocene−Miocene ultrapotassic volcanic rocks in the Lhasa terrane of southern Tibet have been associated with the melting of the lithospheric mantle, plateau uplift, and porphyry Cu-Au mineralization. This study presents the mineral chemistry of olivine and clinopyroxene phenocrysts, whole-rock major and trace element data, and zircon U-Pb geochronological and Hf isotopic data for the Sailipu primitive ultrapotassic volcanic rocks. The Sailipu volcanic rocks exhibit high MgO (5.6−11.4 wt%), Cr (386−981 ppm), Co (22−43 ppm), and Ni (95−423 ppm) concentrations and have highly fractionated rare earth elements [REEs; (La/Yb)N = 23−73] and high-Fo (89.1−90.8) olivine phenocrysts containing elevated NiO (up to 0...

Large numbers of igneous intrusions are emplaced in the magmatic arcs above subduction zones, but only a small fraction of them are mineralized with Cu ± Au ± Mo. Despite significant advances in recognizing the importance of magma source, volatile content, and redox condition in controlling mineralization, the magmatic processes required to form a mineral deposit are still poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that mafic recharge to the magma chamber is critical for Cu-Au mineralization, as exemplified by the Bozymchak Cu-Au skarn deposit in the Chatkal-Kurama arc of Kyrgyzstan, West Tianshan. The Bozymchak intrusion associated with the mineralization comprises monzonite porphyry and granodiorite porphyry. A sensitive high-resolution io...

The metamorphic model explaining orogenic gold ore formation has become widely accepted. However, there has been extensive debate regarding whether a magmatic-hydrothermal system contributes fluids or metals in the source of orogenic gold deposits. The Yidinan gold deposit is hosted by Triassic quartz diorite in the West Qinling Orogen, China, which is controlled by NNE-trending high-angle brittle-ductile faults. The gold mineralization is characterized by vein and disseminated type ores comprising auriferous pyrite and arsenopyrite. Magmatic apatite U-Pb and magmatic biotite Ar-Ar dating pinpoint the emplacement and the cooling of ore-hosting quartz diorite at 241.8 ± 2.8 Ma and 241.7 ± 0.32 Ma, respectively. In situ U-Pb dating of hydro...

Postcollisional potassic magmatism occurs throughout the Alpine-Himalayan belt, providing a crucial record of crust-mantle interaction and associated ore-forming processes in a collisional orogen. Unravelling its spatial and temporal record is often complicated by intense tectonic deformation, including strike-slip faulting. New Hf-Nd isotope mapping of two Cenozoic potassic rock assemblages along the Ailaoshan−Red River shear zone from the SE Tibetan Plateau, together with Sr-Nd-Hf isotope evidence, establishes that these two segments of potassic magmatism were originally juxtaposed prior to strike-slip faulting. By reconstructing the spatiotemporal distribution of the potassic rocks, we identified a zone of mantle upwelling and lateral ...

The Huangyangling Formation in the East Kunlun area, central China, is an important host for numerous Sb(-Hg) deposits. Locally, it can contain up to 11 ppm Sb (in comparison to the 0.2 ppm in the continental crust) and thus is ascribed as a potential source of ore-forming materials. However, the age and detrital source of the Huangyangling Formation are poorly constrained. In this study, we report new mass spectrometry U-Pb dating of both detrital zircon and calcite cement from sandstones of the Huangyangling Formation, which hosts the large Xiao’erkule Sb deposit. Detrital zircons from three samples can be classified into three subtypes: magmatic, metamorphic, and hydrothermal. The youngest zircons of the first two subtypes yielded a we...

The growth and evolution of the Eurasian continent involved the progressive closure of major ocean basins during the Phanerozoic, including the Tethyan and Paleo-Asian oceanic realms. Unraveling this complicated history requires interpreting multiple overprinted episodes of subduction-related magmatism and collisional orogeny, the products of which were later affected by the Cenozoic construction of the Himalayan-Tibetan orogen due to the India-Asia collision. In particular, the tectonic evolution of northern Tibet surrounding the Cenozoic Qaidam Basin is poorly resolved due to several phases of Phanerozoic orogeny that have been reactivated during the Cenozoic deformation. In this study, we investigated the geology of the northern Qaidam c...

We present comprehensive petrological and geochemical analyses of chromitites from the 3.3-3.1 Ga Nuggihalli greenstone belt in the western Dharwar craton, India. Our findings provide insights into the primary magma and mantle source compositions associated with these Archean oceanic lithosphere chromitites. Major and trace element data from chromites and clinopyroxenes in the chromitites, combined with thermobarometry and hygrometry calculations and numerical modelling, indicate that the Nuggihalli chromitites are characterized by high-Cr chromites (Cr# = 68.1-78.6) with low TiO2 (0.19-0.29 wt%), Al2O3 (9.10-13.13 wt%) and Ga (4.24-10.37 ppm). These chemical signatures are comparable with those of chromites from high-Cr podifor...

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This study aims to advance the knowledge of the kimberlite intrusions in Juína and the underlying lithospheric mantle, as well as explore the regional geotectonic relationship. Core samples and kimberlite indicator minerals (KIM) such as pyrope garnet, Cr-spinel, Mg-ilmenite, Cr-diopside, phlogopite, and zircon were analyzed. In addition, we compared mantle-derived zircons from Juína with those from two other major diamond-producing kimberlite areas in Brazil: Paranatinga in the Amazonian craton and the Alto Paranaíba Igneous Province (APIP) in the southeastern São Francisco craton. Major and minor element concentrations of KIMs were measured in situ with an electron microprobe at the Institute of Geosciences, University of São Paulo, ...

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Two unresolved issues in the history of the Delaware Basin of western Texas and southeastern New Mexico are (1) whether basin-elevated thermal maturities of organic matter resulted from elevated paleogeothermal gradients or deeper burial and (2) the timing of pore fluid overpressure development in the Wolfcamp formation. These unresolved issues are explored through the application of U-Pb geochronology and clumped isotope thermometry of beef calcite veins taken from the Wolfcamp formation of the Delaware Basin. The age of the beef calcite is constrained by one successful U-Pb discordia of 152.9 ± 53.1 Ma (mean squared weighted deviation = 1.2), with attempted ages in samples resulting in prohibitively large errors due to high commo...

The Tahe oil field is the largest Paleozoic petroleum accumulation in China, with a multistage petroleum-charge history. Ordovician carbonate reservoirs in this field are investigated in this work based on oil geochemistry, fluid inclusion analyses, and in situ U-Pb dating of calcite cements. Four charge episodes are identified based on the following: (1) the similar origin but different maturation histories of sampled crude oils; (2) the four distinct fluorescence-color and fluorescence-spectra parameters revealed by oil inclusions; and (3) the distinct in situ U-Pb ages obtained, which indicate that three stages of calcite cements associated with primary oil inclusions with different fluorescence colors occurred at 459.4 ± 7.5 to 457...

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Light microscopy has emerged as one of the fundamental methods to analyze biological systems; novel techniques of 3D microscopy and super-resolution microscopy (SRM) with an optical resolution down to the sub-nanometer range have recently been realized. However, most of these achievements have been made with fixed specimens, i.e. direct information about the dynamics of the biosystem studied was not possible. This stimulated the development of live cell microscopy imaging approaches including Low Illumination Fluorescence Microscopy, Light Sheet Microscopy (LSM), or Structured Illumination Microscopy (SIM). Here we discuss perspectives, methods and relevant light doses of advanced fluorescence microscopy imaging to keep the cells alive at l...

Abstract Blooms of dark pigmented microalgae accelerate glacier and ice sheet melting by reducing the surface albedo. However, the role of nutrient availability in regulating their growth remains poorly understood. We studied glacier ice algae on the Greenland Ice Sheet, providing the first single-cell based data on their carbon:nitrogen:phosphorus (C:N:P) ratios and assimilation of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and DIN following various nutrient amendments. The single-cell dataset revealed high C:N and C:P atomic ratios in the algal biomass and the presence of intracellular P storage. Assimilation of DIC by the algae was not enhanced by ammonium, nitrate, or phosphate addition. Our combined results demonstrate that glacier ice algae can...

Apatite is an accessory phase in all the units of the internally zoned Berry-Havey complex pegmatite. This body presents a highly fractionated core zone, enriched in Li, F, B, Be, and P, which hosts three different types of pockets, some of them often containing tens to hundreds of gemmy euhedral Li-rich tourmaline crystals, together with other mineral phases such as lepidolite. Processes involved in the complex internal evolution of pegmatitic melts that give rise to zoned bodies containing pockets are not completely understood. To shed light on these processes, apatite from all the different units of the Berry-Havey pegmatite (wall zone, intermediate zone, core margin, and core zone pods) and from the three pocket types (Li-poor, Li-rich,...