GGR Biennial Critical Review: Analytical Developments Since 2014
Résumé
This GGR biennial critical review covers developments and innovations in key analytical methods published since
January 2014, relevant to the chemical, isotopic and crystallographic characterisation of geological and
environmental materials. In nine selected analytical fields, publications considered to be of wide significance are
summarised, background information is provided and their importance evaluated. In addition to instrumental
technologies, this review also presents a summary of new developments in the preparation and characterisation of
rock, microanalytical and isotopic reference materials, including a precis of recent changes and revisions to ISO
guidelines for reference material characterisation and reporting. Selected reports are provided of isotope ratio
determinations by both solution nebulisation MC-ICP-MS and laser ablation-ICP-MS, as well as of radioactive isotope
geochronology by LA-ICP-MS. Most of the analytical techniques elaborated continue to provide new applications for
geochemical analysis; however, it is noted that instrumental neutron activation analysis has become less popular in
recent years, mostly due to the reduced availability of nuclear reactors to act as a neutron source. Many of the newer
applications reported here provide analysis at increasingly finer resolution. Examples include atom probe
tomography, a very sensitive method providing atomic scale information, nanoscale SIMS, for isotopic imaging of
geological and biological samples,
Mots clés
radionuclides
instrumental neutron activation analysis
reference materials
microanalysis
atom probe tomography.
thermal ionisation mass spectrometry
isotopic analysis
geochronology
ICP-MS
laser ablation
mass spectrometry
MC-ICP-MS
calibration
environmental sampling
focused ion beam
SIMS
accelerator mass spectrometry
ion beam analysis