The Powder X-ray Diffraction (pXRD) and
Micro X-ray diffraction (μXRD) Laboratory provides facilities for powder and in situ mineral analysis based on
crystal structure. The laboratory has a conventional Rigaku Powder
diffractometer and a Bruker D8 Discover microdiffractometer with a 50-500 μm
beam diameter, 2D area detector, automated XYZ sample stage and
microscope-camera system, for in situ
X-ray analysis of discrete mineral grains in rock slabs, probe mounts or
polished sections.
The Experimental Mineralogy Laboratory engages in mineral synthesis and
characterization. Facilities
include high-temperature furnaces and sample preparation equipment. Crystal structures
are refined using Topas Rietveld crystal-structure refinement software, and
cation ordering is determined by solid-state NMR using NUTS and DMFIT software
(NMR spectrometers are located in Chemistry and at the Ultrahigh-field Solid State
NMR facility in Ottawa).
The ZAPLab is an electron nanobeam facility (www.zaplab.uwo.ca) for determining the orientation
and chemical nanostructure of materials. It began operation in summer 2010,
and, after two years of partial department support, a full-time technician
position is now fully supported by ZAPLab industry clients and research
collaborators. Moser’s group is expert in the application of Electron
Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD), Cathodoluminescence (CL) and X-ray spectroscopy
(EDS/WDS) techniques to micro minerals used for isotopic dating of earth, solar
system and resource-forming events. Collaborative work is resulting in equal
success in applying ZAPLab tools to the analysis of ores, environmental and
manufactured bio/materials. Graduate student training in the facility is
continuous and comprehensive, attracting students from across the Western
community and the region. Apart from
Moser’s group of 5 graduate students, roughly triple that number from the Dept.
of Earth Sciences have conducted research in the facility so far. Moser also
co-supervises the research of graduate students in the Departments of
Geography, Biology, Chemistry and Engineering/ Surface Science Western and is
building collaborative links with the Center for Advanced Materials and
Biomaterials Research (CAMBR) at Western and the Canadian Centre for Electron
Microscopy at McMaster University. A growing number of graduate students from
surrounding universities including University of Toronto, ROM, Waterloo,
Carleton, Queen’s and McGill are also actively conducting research at the
ZAPLab. This new facility is proving to be a valuable component of fundamental
materials science research and training at Western. The structural geology and fabric simulation lab has
three sets of equipment for integrated research on deformation structures in
Earth’s continental crust. The
computational set contains 4 state-of-the-art computer workstations, associated
commercial (FLAC2D and FLAC3D) and self-developed software (self-consistent
MOPLA, the Self-Consistent MultiOrder Power Law Approach based on
micromechanics), and peripheral devices for modeling and visualization of natural
deformation and fabric development. The
digital mapping set contains 3 state-of-the-art Trimble GeoXH handheld mapping
devices and a field vehicle (Toyota Tacoma) for large-scale high-precision
field geological mapping. The
microstructure analysis set contains 4 microscopes (Nikon, Leitz, Leica), 2
Leica macroscopes, and attachable universal and mechanical stages for fabric
characterization in rock thin sections.
Additionally, there is an EBSD camera installed in ZAPLab for textural
analysis at the micron scale. The A.D. Edgar Laboratory for Electron-Probe Microanalysis houses an
electron microprobe that is fully automated by a state-of-the-art
computer system. Chemical microanalyses of thick samples, thin films
and particles are possible and high-resolution digital electron and
X-ray images can be acquired. The lab also houses a Scanning Electron
Microscope. Dr. Charlie Wu, Manager Dr. Guy Plint, Director The Basin Analysis
Laboratory provides on-line access to a large Digital Well Log Library
for Western Canada, plus proprietary software, donated by Divestco Inc. A microfiche printer and an extensive Microfiche
Log Library, donated by Imperial Oil Ltd. complements the digital
data set. Three computers provide standard software for word processing, plus
graphical and numerical manipulation of data. Large work tables, microscopes,
roll- and flat-bed scanners, and projection facilities provide necessary
support for research students. Patricia L. Corcoran, Director Dr. Burns Cheadle, Director This facility provides the tools required for comprehensive
technical and economic assessment of petroleum plays, prospects and
developed pools. It has three purpose-built high-performance
exploration workstations with dual 30" high-resolution flat panel
monitors, running a comprehensive suite of industry-standard petroleum
assessment software. Currently, the software suite - largely made
possible by generous donations from vendors - includes Schlumberger's
Petrel reservoir modeling system, SeisWare International's SeisWare™
and Divestco's WinPICS , WinPICS 3D, Synthetic Suite and VistBridge
seismic interpretation packages, Fugro-Jason's PowerLog® petrophysical
analysis software, geoLOGIC's geoSCOUT™ data and mapping system, IHS
Canada's AccuMap™ and Petra® data and mapping packages, and Energy
Navigator's Value Navigator® economic evaluation software. The
workstations are networked through a dedicated server that manages
software license administration and shared project files. Dr. Robert Linnen, Director This laboratory contains
equipment for the study of natural mineral deposits as well as experimental
equipment to determine chemical parameters such as metal solubility and
partition coefficients in fluid-mineral melt systems. The key components
are: Dr. Gordon Osinski, Director In addition, a large pool of logistical field equipment is
available, including: For details on rates and how to use any of this equipment,
please contact Dr. Gordon Osinski at gosinski@uwo.ca
Dr. Gordon Osinski, Director For details on rates and how to use any of this equipment,
please contact Dr. Gordon Osinski at gosinski@uwo.ca
Drs. Gordon Osinski, Neil Banerjee, and Robert Linnen, Co-Directors For details on rates and how to use any of this equipment,
please contact Dr. Gordon Osinski at gosinski@uwo.ca Dr. Rick Secco, Director
Studies
on the high pressure-temperature physical properties of planetary and other materials
are conducted using four large volume high pressure devices: 3000 ton multi-anvil press; 500 ton multi-anvil
(with Walker module) apparatus; 1,000 and 200 ton cubic-anvil presses with
pressure capability up to 23GPa. Each is fully equipped with AC power supplies
capable of heating to temperatures up to 2500C inside pressurized cells. A 1000
kg capacity overhead gantry system spans the lab. Ancillary equipment includes
many electronic devices for measuring electrical and thermal conductivity
(Solartron 1260 and Agilent 4294A Impedance Analyzers, two Stanford Research
Systems SR720 LCR Meters, two Agilent 3497A Data Acquisition/Switch Units,
Agilent 34980A Multi-Function Switch/Measure Unit, Nicolet Oscilloscope,
Solartron 7061 System Voltmeter, HP 3455A Digital Voltmeter, Keithley 197A
Digital MultiMeter, HP 3478A
multimeter, Keithley 487 Picoammeter, HP 4392A High Resistance
Meter, Krohn-Hite 5300 Function Generator, Wiltron 352 Low Frequency
Differential Input Phase Meter, several
AC and DC power supplies (Deltron AC, HP 6428B programmable DC, BK Precision DC, Agilent
3632A DC)); custom built electrical conductivity apparatus for measurement up
to 500°C in vacuum; complete acoustic emission (Vallen Systeme) measuring
equipment; Dupont Differential Thermal Analysis and Differential
Thermogravimetric Analysis equipment. This laboratory
consists of custom-built micro-Raman system and high-temperature (resistive and
laser) heating system. The micro-Raman
system provides non-destructive spectroscopic measurements for a wide range of
Earth and planetary materials at extensive pressure and temperature ranges. This micro-Raman system equips with a tunable
laser (Coherent I90C), a liquid-nitrogen cooled CCD and a 0.5-m spectrometer
with three gratings (300, 1200, and 1800 groove/mm). The micro-Raman can be
used to study solid or liquid matters and thin films. It is particularly
suitable for hydrothermal research and inclusion study. Besides, the micro-beam (with 1-3 microns in
diameter) of the Raman system allows users to work on micron-sized sample and
to probe samples in a micron step. Dr Kristy Tiampo The computational modeling and data assimilation lab
contains approximately twelve state-of-the-art computer workstations designed
for visualization and data analysis of large quantities of geodetic and seismic
data, attached to a multi-disk storage array with more than two terabytes of
capacity. These workstations are equipped with the latest in commercial and
academic research software designed for the analysis of geodetic data and
remote sensing images, modeling of the earthquake system using finite element
analysis and integrated computational fault models, and includes the capability
to perform parallel computing, all for the express purpose of performing near
real-time data assimilation and inversion analysis in order to better
understand the earthquake fault system. Computational Geophysics Laboratory (CGL) Funded by CFI, this
computational infrastructure is housed within the Department of Earth Sciences
(BGS Rm 059 and Rm 179). The aim of the CGL is to implement research projects
in computational geophysics, leading naturally to the development of a parallel
computational framework in geophysics. The infrastructure consists of the
following components: 1) a computer mini-cluster (8 nodes – 96 processors), a
server node, a storage/backup node; 2) a software suite for parallel code
development, data analysis, and visualization. Each computer workstation has
specific software installed for modelling, analysis, and interpretation of
natural and synthetic data (Matlab, Gedco Vista, Mathematica, OriginPro, Comsol
Multiphysics). They also have appropriate software development tools installed,
including compilers for C/C++, Fortran with MPI library implementation (Intel
Compiler and Cluster Toolkits, NAG Libraries) for the development of in-house
serial and parallel codes. Once executable codes are ready, large-scale testing
and production runs are submitted to SHARCNET clusters (a consortium of
Canadian academic high performance computers), fully leveraging the computing
power of these parallel facilities. Dr. Gordon Southam, Director
A Parallel Supercomputing facility consisting of clustered
very-high performance PC servers running on the LINUX operating
system. Two sub-clusters are now available in the Computational
Geodynamics Laboratory. One is a five-node Compaq Alpha cluster
consisting of a dual-processor DS20 master node and four XP1000 nodes.
The second and newest sub-cluster is based entirely on the latest Intel
Itanium processors and consists of 6 IBM quad (4-processor) servers
interconnected with high-perfomance Dolphin network interface cards.
The Computational Geodynamics group also possesses five
high-performance Pentium workstations running on LINUX for everyday
student use. These workstations are interconnected with high-speed
Ethernet and may also be used as a parallel cluster. Barry Price, supervisor Barry Price, supervisor The Suffel Collection (Norm Duke, curator) is
composed of ore suites and was initiated at Western by Dr. Rod McDonald about
1940. In 1946-47 Dr. Gordon Suffel began
to reorganize and add to this nucleus. By the early 1970s gifts from faculty,
students and donations by interested mining companies amounted to about 15,000
catalogued specimens. Subsequent to his retirement in 1975 the Suffel
Collection has been augmented primarily by sampling on student/faculty
fieldtrips and from rock suites utilized in theses on the geology of mineral
deposits. This latter phase of collection was initiated by R.W. Hutchinson, has
been carried on by R.W. Hodder and most recently by N.A. Duke. The collection
now consists of more than 200,000 catalogued samples. Although most of the
original suites were collected from ore deposits in North America, the
collection now has a much more international scope. The Suffel
Collection is a valuable
resource for mineral deposit research, from conventional metallogenic studies
to investigations into the susceptibility of differing ores to weathering.
Having a range of sample material from widely differing deposit types is
becoming increasingly important as many of the mines represented in the
collection are now closed and inaccessible. More than other specialties within
the Earth Sciences, comparative studies are central to research into the subtle
differences shown by broadly similar deposit-types. Housing such a large number
of ore suites under one roof is unique in North America. The samples are available
for teaching, research and display purposes. Several hundreds have sections
suitable for microscopy. The collection is more freely available to senior
undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and alumni. Your interest in this
collection is earnestly solicited. We encourage anyone having the opportunity
to collect suitable material to do so and donate it to the department, along
with an appropriate description and details of location and date.
Labs & Research Facilities
Geology & Geochemistry Facilities
Laboratory for Stable Isotope Science (LSIS)
Alan D. Edgar Laboratory for Electron-Probe Microanalysis
The Laboratory for Geochemical Analysis (XRF Lab, INAA, ICP-ES)
The Laboratory for Geochemical Analysis houses three major
instrumental techniques: X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, instrumental
neutron activation analysis (INAA) and inductively-coupled
plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). They provide wide
element coverage and concentration range for routine analysis of
geological and environmental specimens.
Surface Science Western (SEM - EDX; FESEM; XPS/ESCA; SAM; SIMS; TOF-SIMS; FTIR; AFM; Tencor surface profilometry; Laser Raman spectroscopy; XRD; Contact angle goniometry; EPMA-WDX)
Basin Analysis Laboratory
Petroleum Geology Lab
Magmatic-Hydrothermal Lab
Phil McCausland, Director
The M&PS Laboratory is the Departmental facility for the curation and initial examination of meteorites and other astromaterials. The Laboratory hosts the Western meteorite collection, which has samples available by request for research, teaching and outreach activities. The M&PS Laboratory has the capability to conduct specialized sample preparation (wire saw) as well as non-destructive bulk sample characterization with magnetic susceptibility, grain density (by He pycnometry) and bulk density.
Geophysics
POLARIS
Southern Ontario Seismic Network
Experimental High Pressure-Temperature Mineral Physics and Materials Science laboratory
Robert Shcherbakov, Gerhard Pratt
Environmental Geosciences
Atomic Force Microscopy Laboratory
The Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) Laboratory is an imaging
technology that allows three-dimensional imaging and measurement of
unstained and uncoated structures in air or fluid from molecular to
micron scales. The Department has recently received funding to develop
an AFM laboratory which will be used to examine bacteria mineral
interactions, including both mineral weathering and mineral
precipitation reactions.
The hydrogeology laboratory is subdivided into a computer room and a water
/ porous media assessment room. Two
servers in the computer room support ground water modelling studies with
networked licences for FEFLOW FMH3 and several other programs including SUTRA,
SUTRA-ICE, MODFLOW, AQTESOLV Pro, Tecplot, Surfer, MATLAB, ArcGIS. The assessment room allows for the
characterization of surface and ground water flows through equipment such as
SonTek 3D FlowTracker ADV, Price and Pygmy current meters, depth (DH-48) and
point integrated (DH-59) sediment samplers, permeameters, conductivity meters,
time-domain reflectometers (TDR100), thermistors, pressure transducers, all
supported by Campbell Scientific data loggers (CR1000, CR10X). The lab is
linked with the Earth Sciences Biome – a unique two-level climate chamber in
which soil monoliths (up to 1m diameter x 3m high) can be studied under
replicated environments mirroring Arctic tundra to modern agricultural fields.
Dr. Rob Schincariol
Computer Facilities
Parallel Supercomputing facility
The Laboratory for Education in the Digital Geosciences has
five Geographical Information System workstations (NT) with digitizing
tablets and software, a scanner and Global Positioning System
equipment.
Student Computer Drop-In Facilities
Student Computer Drop-In Facilities include about 60 computers
that are networked or run on an NT server, as well as printers and
back-up devices.
Support Facilities & Resources
The Suffel Collection
Electronic Instrumentation Lab
Mechanical Instrumentation Lab
Material Preparation Lab
Research Menu
Contacts
earth-sc@uwo.ca
519-661-3187
B&GS 1026
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