THE GEOSCIENCES ADVISORY UNIT

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Routine services offerred by the Geosciences Advisory Unit include: -
 
Environmental surveys to investigate radioactive contamination
Contaminated land surveys and environmental chemical monitoring
(particularly heavy metals)
Water analysis
Radiometric measurement of foods
210Pb and 137Cs dating
99Tc determination
Actinide determinations using alpha and mass spectrometry
XRF determination of trace and major elements
Measurement of Hg, Cd, Se, As and Sb via AFS

FACILITIES

Research and consultancy within the Geosciences Advisory Unit is supported by a comprehensive range of in-house analytical facilities. The Unit has seven dedicated laboratories, containing specialist facilities used for high-precision analyses of environmental materials. These include: -

 
6 high-purity germanium detectors (including 2 well-type detectors)
1 portable HPGe detector system
32 alpha spectrometry units
2 Quantulus liquid scintillation counters
Atomic fluorescence spectrometer for Hg analysis
Atomic fluorescence spectrometer for hydride analysis
Harwell Instruments XLB gas-flow proportional counter
Philips Magix-PRO X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer
ICP-MS, TIMS and MC-ICPMS
 

The Unit also has shared access to a Perkin-Elmer GC-MS system, and through well-established links with other groups within the oceanography centre can offer a range of further analytical facilities including mass spectrometry (ICP-MS, TIMS), MC-ICPMS, electron microscopy (SEM with XDS), AAS, ICP-AES and GF-AAS.

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