Mineral Geochemistry and Geochronology

The Mineral Geochemistry and Geochronology Section invites contributions that focus on all areas relating to the investigation of the chemical composition of minerals, radiometric age dating of minerals, and characterization of geologic, environmental, and anthropogenic samples. We seek studies that will provide new insight into the conditions of mineral formation/paragenesis at various temperature and pressure regimes, including interactions of minerals with the geosphere (lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere). Studies may use either novel or standard analytical, imaging, diffraction, microscopic, spectroscopic, synchrotron, and computer modeling techniques. Geochronological investigations reporting novel age determinations for various minerals and bulk samples or breakthroughs in analytical methods are welcome; these may employ various analytical methods and instrumentation (HR-ICP−MS, MC-ICP−MS, quadrupole ICP−MS, SIMS, TIMS). We also encourage the submission of studies reporting multi-laboratory, round robin investigations, and those that propose new standard reference materials that improve the accuracy and precision of trace element data and age determinations.

• Back-scattered electron imaging
• Diffraction
• Electron microscopy
• Element partition coefficients
• Energy dispersive spectroscopy
• Geochronology
• Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry
• Laser ablation ICP−MS
• Major, minor and trace elements
• Radiometric ages
• Reference standard materials
• Scanning electron microscopy
• Secondary ion mass spectrometry (including nanoSIMS)
• Synchrotron 
• Thermal ionization mass spectrometry
• Time of flight mass spectrometry
• Trace element microanalysis
• X-ray fluorescence