Labs and facilities
The Department of Geological Sciences and Engineering (DGSE) provides students with access to on-campus laboratories with a variety of equipment. To learn more about the labs and the features they offer, explore the accordion below. For any inquiries regarding specific DGSE labs, please reach out to the listed lab contacts.
Geological Sciences and Engineering Labs
The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Electron Probe Microanalyzer (EPMA) Laboratory is open for use by those at the University of Nevada, Reno, other universities and industry. The facility offers characterization of minerals, metals, and other solids through high-resolution imaging (SE, BSE, CL), microstructural analyses (EBSD), and non-destructive high-resolution chemical analyses (EDS, WDS). Our new NSF-funded field-emission EPMA (JEOL JXA iHP200F) was the first to be installed in the U.S. and is equipped with 5 WDS spectrometers, a hyperspectral CL detector (xCLent), a Thermo UltraDry EDS, and runs Probe for EPMA and Probe Image software packages.
Instrumentation
- FE-EPMA (JEOL JXA-iHP200F)
- FE-SEM (JEOL JSM 7100FT)
- WSEM (JEOL JSM 6010LA)
- Leica EM ACE600 sputter coater
- EMS 150T sputter coater
Analytical capabilities
- High resolution imaging/stitching
- Large area EBSD mapping
- Hyperspectral and panchromatic CL
- Quantitative WDS mapping
- Large area automated particle search
- Combined quantitative EDS-WDS point analyses
- Trace-element thermometry
- MAN background analyses
Lab contact
Email Joel DesOrmeau for more information, or call (775) 784-6054.
The laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) facility was established in 2018 and mainly performs U-Pb zircon geochronology and trace element analysis of minerals and glasses. A dual rotary pump system was installed to improve ICP-MS sensitivity and generate robust plasma conditions. GeoStar software provides seamless integration with large area CL and BSE maps collected in house (SEM & EPMA Laboratory) for fast and efficient sample navigation. The Agilent 7700x is controlled by ICP-MS MassHunter software (v4.6). Data reduction can be performed with Iolite4 and LADR software packages.
Instrumentation
- Resonetics RESOlution M50-E with ATL 193nm laser
- Agilent 7700x ICP-MS
Analytical capabilities
- U-Pb accessory phase geochronology
- Trace element analysis of major silicate phases (garnet/olivine/pyroxene/plagioclase/mica)
- Trace element analysis of accessory phases (zircon, rutile, apatite, monazite, titanite)
- 3D trace element DRS
Lab contact
Email Joel DesOrmeau for more information, or call (775) 784-6054.
The Nevada Stable Isotope Laboratory at the University of Nevada-Reno is well-equipped with instrumentation to perform stable isotope analyses of carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen and sulfur for a variety of sample types. Liquid waters are analyzed for deltaD and delta18O using a spectroscopic analyzer, while all other samples are analyzed by gas-source electron-impact stable isotope ratio mass spectrometry.
Instrumentation
- Picarro L2130-i spectroscopic isotope water analyzer, with high precision vaporizer and autosampler for automated injection of liquid waters
- Two Micromass IsoPrime stable isotope ratio mass spectrometers
- Two Eurovector EA3000 dual-furnace elemental analyzers (one with a maximum furnace temperature of 1300°C, and the other with a maximum furnace temperature of 1100°C)
- Eltra ON-900 analyzer for the measurement of oxygen and/or nitrogen concentrations in refractory materials
- Eltra CS-800 analyzer for the measurement of carbon and sulfur concentrations in refractory materials
- Glass vacuum extraction line, for manual preparation and purification of samples for isotope analysis
Lab contact
Email Simon Poulson for more information, or call (775) 784-1104.
This lab is dedicated to the analysis of fluid inclusions which are tiny droplets of geologic fluids trapped during the crystallization of minerals. The lab is well-equipped with instrumentation to perform microthermometric measurements of fluid inclusions to determine their composition (salinity, density) and trapping conditions (temperature, pressure). A high-temperature heating stage is available for measurement of melt inclusions to reconstruct formation conditions of silicate magmas. The lab also hosts a state-of the-art Raman spectrometer which can be used for different applications, such as in situ gas measurement of fluid/melt inclusions, identification of minerals and crystalline polymorphs, or hyperspectral mapping of internal microtextures and mineral assemblages.
Instrumentation
- Olympus BX51 optical microscope equipped with a NIR-capable high-resolution video camera for observing fluid/melt inclusions in transparent/opaque minerals
- Fluid Inc adapted USGS gas-flow heating/freezing stage for fluid inclusion measurements in a temperature range of -200 to 700°C
- Linkam THMSG600 heating/freezing stage for fluid inclusion measurements in a temperature range of -200 to 600°C
- Linkam TS1400XY high-temperature stage for melt inclusion measurements up to 1400°C
- Horiba LabRAM HR Evolution Raman spectrometer equipped with an open-space confocal microscope, a Marzhauser motorized XYZ stage, and a 532 nm Nd:YAG laser
Lab contact
Email Matthieu Harlaux for more information, or call (775) 682-8752.
The CTEMPs facility at the University of Nevada-Reno is an NSF-supported community user facility, focusing on high resolution earth surface processes. The laboratory focuses on fiber optic based distributed temperature sensing (DTS) , unmanned aircraft remote sensing and recently, fiber based distributed acoustic sensing or DAS. As a community user facility, the laboratory builds, maintains and trains researchers, both locally and internationally in the areas of fiber based sensing for hydrology, seismology, geomorphology and glaciology.
Instrumentation
- Five fully field deployable high resolution distributed temperature systems (both Silixa and Sensornet)
- One ultra-high resolution (12 cm spatial sampling) distributed temperature system
- Multiple laboratory and field grade DTS for backup
- Two heavy lift UAS and 6 medium lift unmanned aircraft systems
- Geometrics Airborne Magnetometer for UAS
- Three multispectral imaging systems for UAS
- Combined thermal/visible UAS imaging system
Lab contact
Email Scott Tyler for more information, or call (775) 784-6250.
These instrument facilities are available to support class instruction, student projects, and research. Faculty are available to provide guidance on survey design, data acquisition, processing workflows, and data interpretation.
Instrumentation
Available field instruments and software differ across facilities.
In the Applied Geophysics class facility
- Lacoste & Romberg G-509 Gravimeter with 0.01 mGal accuracy
- GEM Fluxgate Magnetometers with 1-2 nT accuracy, rover & base, vertical gradient capability
- L & R MiniRes Resistivity Meter – up to 30 m sounding depth, SP, simple operation
- 12-channel 88 m 4.5 Hz Geophone Array & SeismicSource DAQ-2 – 50 m ReMi Vs sounding
- 50 channels of 100 Hz 6-Geophone Groups – high-resolution seismic reflection and refraction
- Three 24-channel Roll-Along Seismic Cables – 3 m takeout spacing Trimble R10 GPS with RTX subscription – 5 cm elevation accuracy with 5 min observation
- Schlumberger Petrel & dGB OpendTect – 3D seismic interpretation software Optim SeisOpt @2D & ReMi – seismic velocity inversion & tomography
- Multiphase Technologies ERTlab – earth resistivity inversion, 3D
- JRG Viewmat – open-source seismic processing & imaging, migration
In the Hugh Roy Marshall Remote Sensing and Geophysics Facility and CTEMPs
- 48-channel ABEM Terrameter LS 2 – earth resistivity profiling and sounding
- Scintrex CG-6 micro-gravity meter
- GEM DroneMag UAS magnetometer
- GPR Slice – GPR image volume assembly software
- Geosoft Oasis montaj w/ GMsys – potential-field modeling & mapping software
Lab contact
Email John Louie or Chris Kratt for more information, or call them at (775) 229-3835 or (775) 784-4986, respectively.
The lab hosts field instruments for measurement of reflected light spectroscopy from 0.4 to 25 μm. Applications are geared toward bulk sample analysis for remote sensing field validation, hand sample and drill core and cutting material, and planetary analog studies.
Lab contact
Email Wendy Calvin for more information, or call (775) 784-1785.
We specialize in applied work using siliceous microfossils in conjunction with other sedimentologic and geochemical proxies. Microfossil expertise extends to biostratigraphy and biodiversity studies of Paleozoic radiolaria, and Paleolimnology using freshwater diatoms.
Lab contact
Email Paula Noble for more information, or call (775) 784-6211.
Equipment and facilities for test and analysis of rock mechanical properties including elastic and brittle failure, rock mass modulus, tri- and uni-axial compressive strength, shear strength and point load.
Lab contact
Email Bob Watters for more information, or call (775) 784-6069.