Search

The article focuses on ion microprobe, a tool which measures very small amounts of isotopes in rocks and other samples, revealing hidden clues about how the planet Earth works. Inside all rocks are elements, or isotopes of elements, called natural tracers. By examining the presence, proportion, and distribution of natural tracers within rocks, researchers can reveal the conditions under which the rocks formed. They can tell when the rocks were formed, how fast they cooled and how they crystallized and the temperatures and pressures they experienced at their creation. The ion microprobe offers great advantages over previous methods to glean natural tracer information out of rocks. With the ion microprobe, one can look at the composition of very small samples and identify components in situ, even over distances only micrometers apart. Ion microprobes use focused beams of ions to bombard a sample. The ion microprobe adds new dimensions to the researchers' analysis for two reasons. It can detect tracer elements with much greater sensitivity. It also gives the ability to determine both the chemical composition and the isotopic composition of minute amount of tracers without breaking the textural context in the rock. INSETS: The tales that rocks can tell.;How do rocks melt and migrate beneath the seafloor?;Extracting records of past hurricanes and ocean …..