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Full-Text Articles in Other Earth Sciences

Testing A Novel Technique To Improve Aluminum-26 Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Measurements For Earth Science Applications, Meghan Sarah Janzen Dec 2012

Testing A Novel Technique To Improve Aluminum-26 Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Measurements For Earth Science Applications, Meghan Sarah Janzen

Masters Theses

The measurement of cosmogenic 26Al [aluminum-26] in geological samples by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) is typically conducted on Al2O3 [aluminum oxide] targets. However, Al2O3 is not an ideal source material because it does not form a prolific beam of Al- [negative atomic aluminum ions] required for measuring low-levels of 26Al. This thesis presents the performance of AlN [aluminum nitride], AlF3 [aluminum fluoride] and mixed AlN + Al2O3 as novel alternative source materials for the analysis of 26Al. A negative ion cesium sputtering source at the Holifield …


Characterizing Phyllosilicate Distribution, Abundance, And Origin On Mars, Christina Elizabeth Viviano May 2012

Characterizing Phyllosilicate Distribution, Abundance, And Origin On Mars, Christina Elizabeth Viviano

Doctoral Dissertations

Secondary phyllosilicates are hydrated minerals formed in the presence of liquid water. On Earth, their formation is often indicative of a neutral, water-rich environment, capable of supporting and preserving organic matter. Different phyllosilicate species may be produced in different pH levels and water-to-rock ratios. The identification of mineralogically diverse phyllosilicates in small, localized exposures on Mars provides a complex record of their formation processes. While discrete outcrops of phyllosilicates have been previously identified in high-resolution visible/near-infrared images of Mars, regional coverage of these phyllosilicate-rich areas at better resolution is limited. Furthermore, spectra of minerals in this wavelength range do not …