A new clean room laboratory at the Institute of Geology at the University of Innsbruck houses a state-of-the-art multi-collector ICP mass spectrometer, the first of its kind in Austria. This device can be used to determine the frequencies of rare isotopes with exceptional precision – a key technology for dating geological samples and reconstructing past environmental conditions. The laboratory, named after Herbert W. Franke, was officially opened on 15 October.
The aim of the research being conducted in the new laboratory at the University of Innsbruck, which is used to determine the age of natural materials such as rocks and minerals, is to gain new insights into climate history.
'This is the first laboratory in Austria to enable uranium-thorium dating methods. This technology offers the possibility of precise dating back to around half a million years,'says Christoph Spötl, professor at the Institute of Geology. There are already numerous samples waiting to be examined in the new laboratory, whose construction in the existing building was complex: 'The purity of the air and the minimisation of contamination, such as from metals, are key challenges in enabling precise geochemical measurements,' explains Spötl.
Patric Simões-Pereira from the Institute of Geology was instrumental in setting up the laboratory: 'It is a great privilege for me to be involved in setting up the Herbert W. Franke Laboratory from the very beginning and to develop methods for high-precision dating of geological samples. It inspires me to see how an idea is gradually becoming reality, and I look forward to the discoveries and collaborations that this laboratory will enable.'