ENGINE Exploration tools

Activities

• Fluid geochemistry ; Geochemistry of stable isotopes ; Boron, strontium and neodymium geochemistry

• Trace element analysis in minerals using ICP-mass and ionic microprobes

• Crystallochemistry and definition of crystalline structures

Equipment

Petrography and fluid inclusions laboratory

• 5 Transmitted-light microscopes for petrography and fluid inclusion studies. Images from one microscope are digitally acquired and viewed. One reflected-light microscope for opaque minerals studies and a binocular one. Chaixmeca heating/freezing stage (-180/+600°C) and a Linkam THMSG 600 heating/freezing stage (-180/+600°C) mounted on a transmitted-light microscope. Visible-light images are digitally acquired and viewed on a monitor

⁴⁰Ar - ³⁹Ar Laboratory

• Mass Spectrometer: Mass Analyser Products Ltd. MAP 215-50 noble gas mass spectrometer. Gas extraction system consists of two Nd-YAG lasers and beam optics.

Mass spectrometry Laboratory TIMS

• Chemical laboratory and mass spectrometry laboratory, equipped with Finnigan MAT 262 multi-collector and VG 54E spectrometers for measurements of isotopic compositions, isotopic concentrations of the isotopic systems Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd, U-Pb e B.

Rare Gases Mass Spectrometry Laboratory

• Mass spectrometry for rare gases (MAP 215-50) with Ion Counting. Quadrupole spectrometry (Spectralab 200, VG-Micromass). Metal line for extracting noble gases from gas, waters, rocks and minerals samples in vacuum crushing

Radioactive Isotopes (tritium) Laboratory

• Beta-Logic proportional gas-counter with Equipment for electrolytic enrichment and preparation line for gas samples. Quantulus low level liquid scintillation counting system.

Stable Isotopes Laboratory

• Preparation lines for ¹⁸O and ²H in waters, ¹³C and ¹⁸O in solid carbonate samples and from DIC in water.

• Preparation lines for ¹³C and ¹⁸O on CO₂ and for ²H on hydrogen and ¹³C and ²H on CH₄ samples in gaseous mixtures

• Mass spectrometers Europa Scientific Geo 2020, Varian Mat 250

• Laser fluorination line for ¹⁸O analyses in silicates and oxides; TC/EA-IRMS unit for high-T pyrolysis of water and/or OH-bearing phases in continuous-flow mode; CE/EA-IRMS for quantitative and C_N-isotopic analyses of CHN compounds in CF mode; fluid-inclusion micro-extraction line for H_C-isotopic analyses in CF mode. Mass Spectrometer Thermo XP.

Fission Track Laboratory

• Float Struers Rotopol 21 and 31 and cutting-off machine Struers Accutom Microscope Leica SM-Lux

• Microscope Zeiss Axioskope equipped with Kinetek for dating with EDM method.

• Microscope Leica Orthoplan equipped with Microvid for measuring lengths.

• Microscope Jena Jenaval equipped with digital table for measuring lengths.

Fluids Chemistry Laboratory

• GC/MS Saturn 2000 VARIAN with ionic trap detector ICP from Perkin Elmer mod.Optima 2000 DV

• Atomic adsorption Perkin Elmer mod. 3110

• Ionic Chromatographer Dionex DX100 and Dionex QIC

• CO² fluxmeter West Systems

• Spectrophotometer UV-VIS Perkin Elmer Lambda 1A

• Potentiographer Methrom Herisau E536

• Sounding Multiparametric Ocean Seven 401, IDRONAUT

Gases Chemistry Laboratory

• Gas Chromatographer Perkin Elmer mod. 3920 with thermo-conductivity detector (TCD or HWD)

• Gas Chromatographer Perkin Elmer mod. 8500 with fire ionization detectors (FID and FID with catalyst)

• Gas Chromatographer Perkin Elmer mod. AutoSystem XL with detector thermo-conductivity (TCD or HWD)

• Gas Chromatographer Carlo Erba HRGC 5300 equipped with detectors HWD, RGD2 and FID

• Gas Chromatographer Varian 3900

Minerals Segregation and Whole Rock Preparation Laboratory

• Balancer for shattering rocks and cutting-off machine for accuracy shear

• Flaking mill for reducing rocks in flake and attrition mill for rock flake grinding

• Riddle for grain size sorting

• Concentrating water table for separation of minerals (50-250 μ)

• Concentrating dry table for sorting of minerals on the basis of geometric shape

• Planetary mill with agate jar ,agate stamping mill for dusts preparation and micas grinding, atomizer mill of flake small amount

• Carpco and Frantz magnetic separators for fast and accurate separation of small amount minerals

• Minerals Static Separator with sodium poli-tungstate

• Pycnometer, centrifuge, ultrasonic bath , binocular and petrography microscopes

X-Ray Diffractometry Laboratory

• Centrifuge, ultrasonic and water bath for preparation of clay samples

• X -ray Diffractometer Philips Mod. PW 1877 with microprocessor Philips Mod. 3710

• Scanning Electron Microscope