The department has serveral laboratories
Optical laboratory
Various microscopes with camera options: binocular microscopes; reflected- and transmitted light; cathode-luminescence microscope.
SEM- Secondary Electron microscope
The laboratory houses a JEOL Neoscope II JCM-6000 Benchtop SEM equipped with a JEOL silicon drift EDS detector and a motorised tilt and rotation substage. The facility is used for backscatter and secondary electron imaging of polished thin sections, polished sectioned samples from high-pressure experiments, and a range of fossil materials. EDS is used for semi-quantitative chemical composition measurements, predominantly of silicate and metal phases.
EMPA-Electron Microprobe analysis
The Electron Microprobe Laboratory is part of the National Geological Facility located at Utrecht University and is equipped with a JEOL JXA-8530F Hyperprobe Field Emission Electron probe microanalyser. Classical EPMA requires a minimum sample volume of 5 μm in diameter, while use of FEG can improve spatial resolution to volumes below 1 micron (special analytical conditions required). The electron microprobe is mainly used for quantitative analysis of major and minor elements from boron to uranium, down to concentrations of 100 ppm. Because of the FEG gun and excellent spectrometers, our current machine is capable of high-resolution imaging, such as secondary electron images, backscattered electron images, X-ray maps, cathode luminescence.
MICRO-Thermometry laboratory
Laboratory for fluid- and melt inclusion research and sample preparation. We have:
A Linkam TP/91-THMS 600 freezing/heating stages to study phase-transitions in fluid inclusions between -190 °C and + 500 °C.
A Vernadsky-type high-T stage (up to 1600 °C) for optically monitoring of heating/quenching experiments with melt inclusions in minerals.
An in-house build heating/quenching high-T stage (up to 1450 °C) for ‘bulk’ homogenisation/quenching of ~50-100 olivine grains is currently tested and optimised.
Contact
SEM
Prof.Dr. Wim van Westrenen
EMPA
Dr. F.M. (Fraukje) Brouwer
Micro-thermometry
Dr. I.K. (Igor) Nikogosian