International glass reference materials for volatile element (H2O, CO2, S, Cl, F) microanalysis in silicate melts

Volatiles such as water, carbon dioxide, and sulfur that are dissolved in magma help drive volcanic eruptions and the movement of tectonic plates. To understand how our planet works, scientists must consistently measure these substances with extreme precision. Currently, laboratories around the world use common standards to calibrate instruments. This project will create a new set of reference materials containing known amounts of volatiles. The new standards will be donated to the Smithsonian Institution and distributed to research facilities worldwide. Scientists from around the world can use the new standards and produce accurate and comparable data. This project will help the scientific community make better measurements. The high quality data will improve scientist’s understanding of Earth processes at depth, at the surface and in the atmosphere. This proposal aims to address a critical community need for well-characterized international reference materials for the analysis of volatile elements (H2O, CO2, S, Cl, and F) in silicate melts. Volatile elements play a central role in a variety of planetary processes, including but not limited to mantle melting, volcanic eruptions, plate tectonics, and the habitability of planetary bodies. This research will synthesize, thoroughly characterize, and widely distribute new reference glasses covering a wide range of compositions; rhyolitic, dacitic, andesitic, and basaltic. These glasses will undergo comprehensive analysis including Elastic Recoil Detection Analysis (ERDA), Nuclear Reaction Analysis (NRA), Elemental Analyzer (EA), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS), and Electron Microprobe analyses (EMPA). The overarching goal is to provide the scientific community with a comprehensive suite of well-characterized reference materials, thus enhancing the comparability, reliability, and accuracy of volatile element measurements in silicate melts. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. NSF Award ID: 2545106 | Program: 01002627DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT | Principal Investigator: Yves Moussallam | Institution: Columbia University, NEW YORK, NY | Award Amount: $92,307 View on NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/show-award/?AWD_ID=2545106 View on Research.gov: https://www.research.gov/awardapi-service/v1/awards/2545106.html