The Arizona LaserChron Center is an NSF Community Facility that is designed to address problems in Earth Science through the generation of U-Th-Pb geochronologic data and complementary geochemical information by Laser Ablation ICP Mass Spectrometry. Our primary goals are as follows:

The main instruments utilized at the Arizona LaserChron Center include a Nu Plasma multicollector ICPMS, a Thermo Element2 single-collector ICPMS, a Teledyne Iridia laser and two Analyte G2 lasers, and a Hitachi 3400N SEM. We are currently upgrading the EBSD/EDS capabilities of our SEM and acquiring a new Raman PL imaging system, and preparing to install new Thermo iCAP and Neoma mass spectrometers. 

Support for the Arizona LaserChron Center is provided by the NSF Instrumentation and Facilities Program (http://www.nsf.gov/geo/ear/if/facil.jsp). We operate as a Community Facility, available to all NSF-supported researchers and students as well as Earth scientists from around the world. During recent years we have supported the research of ~350 faculty members, graduate students and undergraduate students per year. Results of this research have been reported in an average of ~140 peer-reviewed publications per year. 

Check out our Welcome Video to learn more about the ALC.  Please contact George Gehrels (ggehrels@arizona.edu) or Mauricio Ibanez-Mejia (ibanezm@arizona.edu) (co-directors of the ALC) for general questions about the lab, or Mark Pecha (Manager of the ALC; mpecha@arizona.edu) for specific information about analytical methods, schedules, costs, letters of collaboration, etc. 

Please note that some links on our web page will not work if you are logged into other web systems -- just log out of other systems if you experience access issues.  

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"The University of Arizona is on the land and territories of the O'odham and Yaqui Native Nations"