Elemental imaging and petro-volcanological applications of an improved laser ablation inductively coupled quadrupole plasma mass spectrometry

We report on the performance of the new Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry instrumentation installed at the Department of Physics and Geology, University Perugia, empathizing its capabilities in elemental imaging, and the progresses in trace element and U/Pb geo-chronological determinations. The analytical device consists of a Thermo Fisher Scienti c iCAP Q quadrupole mass spectrometer coupled with a Teledyne/ Photon Machine ArF Excimer G2 laser ablation system. Results on the reference material USGS BCR2G show that, in trace element con guration at 40 microns spot size, precision is better than 6.5% for all elements whereas accuracy is better than 10%. Results also show the improved precision with respect the X7 + UP213 instrumentation in U/Pb geochronological studies. On this regard, concordia ages for the Plešovice and R33 zircons analyzed as unknowns are in close agreement with the accepted values. The potentials in 2D element imaging are also reported and successfully tested on a zoned plagioclase from the alkali basaltic Santa Venera lava Flow. Analytical data evidence that expanding the analysis to the second dimension will lead to more reliable and accurate results and it is going to open new prospective for the modeling of igneous systems.