{"id":89755,"date":"2022-09-21T15:04:02","date_gmt":"2022-09-21T15:04:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/?p=89755"},"modified":"2024-02-26T09:15:12","modified_gmt":"2024-02-26T09:15:12","slug":"adventures-in-elemental-mapping-part-1-analysis-of-minerals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/news\/adventures-in-elemental-mapping-part-1-analysis-of-minerals\/","title":{"rendered":"Adventures in elemental mapping \u2013 part 1: analysis of minerals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

During the last year, the Inorganic Geochemistry (IG) Facility at the BGS headquarters in Nottingham installed a new laser ablation – inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) system for the direct solids analysis of trace elements in geological, environmental and industrial materials. The system was selected with the aim of being able to map elemental distribution across these materials. In this blog, we will cover some highlights of working with the laser so far, focusing on our studies with BGS\u2019s economic geologist Eimear Deady on critical raw minerals from south-west England and mineralogist and petrographer Dr Alicja Lacinska on magnesium carbonate as a means of \u2018locking up\u2019 the potentially toxic element chromium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is LA-ICP-MS?<\/h2>\n\n\n
\"Figure
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Information\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Figure 1: (a) Laser ablation of steel in air; the burning particles allow us to see their tracks. (b) Particle of steel filtered out of the gas stream after laser ablation. Simon Chenery BGS \u00a9 UKRI<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n

The laser in our LA-ICP-MS system samples less than one microgram of material by focusing the equivalent power of a nuclear power-generating station into a spot of light, less than the diameter of a human hair, for a mere ten billionths of a second. This intense burst of energy vaporises the tiny sample; we capture it in a stream of gas and pass it over to our mass spectrometer to analyse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those who like technical specifications, the new LA system is an imageGEO193 from Elemental Scientific Lasers, which is designed for high-speed, high-resolution imaging of geological materials. it uses a 193 nm excimer laser, running at 1 to 500 Hz, and a fluence of 0 to 15 J\/cm2<\/sup>. The mass spectrometer is an 8900 series ICP-MS\/MS from Agilent Technologies. This generation of ICP-MS has high sensitivity and high selectivity, allowing us to measure fifty major elements, from per cent levels down to trace element concentrations below one part per million every fifth of a second.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Importantly for users, it can make the laser ablation craters in either a circular or rectangular shape and between 1 and 150 microns across, which makes it ideal for mapping analysis. Solid samples can be used in almost any form, as long as they fit into the ablation chamber, although for mapping they need to have a flat, smooth surface. We would normally use samples that have been prepared in a similar way to those used for scanning electron microscope (SEM) or electron probe work, i.e. samples contained in either polished resin blocks or as thin sections. We use this preparation method because most geological samples are heterogeneous and require a nice cross-section to see what you are analysing.<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Figure
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Information\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Figure 2: The new imageGEO193 LA unit coupled to the 8900 series ICP-MS. Andrew Marriott (left) is operating the workstation computer whilst Elliott Hamilton (right) loads a new sample into the LA. The ICP-MS is in the background right. BGS \u00a9 UKRI<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n

The laser ablation mapping ablates across the whole surface of the sample, creating transect marks as shown on the SEM image in Figure 3. The process of ablating across the sample is sufficiently shallow that the sample is not disrupted for other future analytical work of a qualitative manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t
\"Figure
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Information\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Figure 3: SEM images showing the sphere surfaces skimmed off by the LA-ICP-MS. BGS \u00a9 UKRI<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\n

Cool applications<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tungsten, tin and antimony mineralisation in south-west England<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A key aim of producers should be understanding the full metal budget from ore deposits, in order to achieve a more sustainable approach to mining and the extraction of metals. This ensures they extract all possible metals and are managing the flow of elements into waste. While trace element content in major ore phases can be used to constrain the parameters that control the petrogenesis of mineralised deposits, it also allows us to identify and quantify impurities or indeed bonus elements that may occur in the ore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hemerdon deposit, located in Devon, is the fifth-largest tungsten deposit in the world and is currently under development. One of the aims of this aspect of the research is to use the trace element data to understand the fluids that formed the deposit, the changing geological conditions under which it formed and how that affects ore quality. We also aim to better understand the deportment of minor metals such as bismuth and molybdenum, assessing both their distribution and abundance.<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t
\"Figure
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Information\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Figure 4: LA-ICP-MS element map of a wolframite (tungsten oxide) grain from south-west England, showing chemical changes in growth zones and fractures. Fe: iron; Mn: manganese; Nb: niobium; Ta: tantalum; Bi: bismuth; Sn: tin; Ti: titanium; Mo: molybdenum. BGS \u00a9 UKRI<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\n

The LA mapping highlighted the variability of the trace element distribution (Figure 4), identifying crystallographic differences that were invisible under reflected light microscopy or SEM.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chromium in synthetic magnesium carbonate \u2014 the CrCarb project<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The move to low-carbon technologies requires the sourcing of industrial, technological and precious metals in quantities higher than ever before. However, an increase in mining without adequate handling and disposal of the waste can cause adverse effects for the environment and society. The CrCarb project focuses on hexavalent chromium, a highly toxic and carcinogenic pollutant originating from the mining and processing of chromium or nickel ores from ultramafic rocks and laterites, and proposes to immobilise the hexavalent chromium in the crystalline structure of carbonate minerals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LA-ICP-MS mapping was used as part of a multiscale, multi-technique investigation to uncover the presence and distribution of chromium in experimentally produced magnesium carbonates. Preliminary characterisation of these materials using scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry and wavelength dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM EDS-WDS) revealed that chromium\u2019s distribution is highly variable. As a result, a statistically significant number of particles needed to be analysed to observe and understand any trends in the element distribution, which LA-ICP-MS mapping enabled us to do (Figure 5).<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t
\"Figure
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Information\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Figure 5: Chromium distribution in magnesium carbonate spheres showing variable incorporation across and between individual spheres. Higher chromium content is shown in the yellow to white colours. BGS \u00a9 UKRI<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\n

Funding<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Our thanks to the Innovation Flexible Fund, whose support allowed us time to optimise the new system and undertake some case studies with colleagues both within BGS and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the authors<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you would like us to help you with one of your own projects, contact one of the authors below and we will get back to you!<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
Relative topics<\/h5>\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcritical minerals<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcritical raw materials<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdecarbonisation<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tinorganic geochemistry facility<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tminerals<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Meet the authors<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Simon\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Dr Simon Chenery<\/a><\/h5>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Analytical geochemist<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

BGS Keyworth<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tContact<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Eimear\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Eimear Deady<\/a><\/h5>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Economic geologist<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

BGS Edinburgh<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tContact<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Default-staff-profile\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Elliott Hamilton<\/a><\/h5>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Environmental chemist<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

BGS Keyworth<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tContact<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Dr\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Dr Alicja Lacinska<\/a><\/h5>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Mineralogist and petrographer<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

BGS Keyworth<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tContact<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Default-staff-profile\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Dr Andy Marriott<\/a><\/h5>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Analytical chemist, aqueous chemistry and laboratory manager<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

BGS Keyworth<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tContact<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Recent blogs<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\n\t\t\"The\t<\/a>\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
BGS blogs<\/div>\n\t\t\t

A-roaring display<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t

16\/05\/2024<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

The dazzling and colourful aurora borealis, or northern lights, observed by many across the UK last weekend was one of the most extreme and long-lasting geomagnetic storms recorded in the last 155 years.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\tShow more<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n\t\t\n\t\t\"Scott's\t<\/a>\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
BGS blogs<\/div>\n\t\t\t

Building stones spotlight: the Sir Walter Scott Memorial 25 years after its conservation<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t

29\/04\/2024<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

BGS geologist, Luis Albornoz-Parra, discusses the iconic Edinburgh monument, the building stones used in its construction and the result (so far) of its conservation efforts.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\tShow more<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n\t\t\n\t\t\"Rebecca\t<\/a>\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
BGS blogs<\/div>\n\t\t\t

Unlocking key mineral archives at the Zambian Geological Survey Department\u00a0<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t

23\/02\/2024<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Rachel Talbot recounts a recent visit by BGS Records staff to the Zambian Geological Survey Department, to assist in critical mineral data management.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\tShow more<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n\t\t\n\t\t\"Aurora\t<\/a>\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
BGS blogs<\/div>\n\t\t\t

Will 2024 be the Year of the Aurora?\u00a0<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t

23\/02\/2024<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

The Sun\u2019s approximate eleven-year activity cycle is predicted to peak this year, prompting BGS scientists to anticipate that 2024 will be the \u2018Year of the Aurora\u2019. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\tShow more<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n\t\t\n\t\t\"P1038353\"\t<\/a>\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
BGS blogs<\/div>\n\t\t\t

Hungry like a wolf: new insights from old bones housed in the BGS museum collections<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t

18\/01\/2024<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

BGS scientists are studying the diets of ancient British wolves and how they adapted to changing environments.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\tShow more<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n\t\t\n\t\t\"The\t<\/a>\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
BGS blogs<\/div>\n\t\t\t

How BGS is helping the farming sector of Great Britain\u00a0<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t

17\/01\/2024<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

New legislation concerning soil management and technology in modern farming has led to an increase in enquiries about BGS\u2019s Soil Parent Material Model. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\tShow more<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n\t\t\n\t\t\"The\t<\/a>\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
BGS blogs<\/div>\n\t\t\t

Moving stones: faults, slopes and sediments<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t

12\/01\/2024<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Fractured rock along faults affects sediment movement on slopes with implications for the design of infrastructure. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\tShow more<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n\t\t\n\t\t\"Chris\t<\/a>\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
BGS blogs<\/div>\n\t\t\t

Understanding nutrients in tropical rainforests\u00a0<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t

11\/01\/2024<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Christopher Bengt talks about carrying out research for his PhD amongst the rainforests and volcanoes of the Philippines. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\tShow more<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n\t\t\n\t\t\"Gold\t<\/a>\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
BGS blogs<\/div>\n\t\t\t

Linking geochemistry and health in artisanal and small-scale gold mining in the Kakamega-Vihiga gold belt, Kenya\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t

09\/01\/2024<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

PhD candidate Maureene Auma Ondayo is investigating major and trace element exposure in the environment in Kenya, aiming to reduce exposure of humans to toxic chemicals. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\tShow more<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n\t\t\n\t\t\"Team\t<\/a>\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
BGS blogs<\/div>\n\t\t\t

The Geography Olympiad: Bandung, Indonesia<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t

22\/12\/2023<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

School student Dion Thompson joined Team UK at this year\u2019s International Geology Olympiad in Indonesia. We hear from Dion\u2019s mentor Anna Hicks, before Dion reports on the Olympiad itself. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\tShow more<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n\t\t\n\t\t\"Mineral\t<\/a>\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
BGS blogs<\/div>\n\t\t\t

CMIC: critical minerals research review<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t

21\/12\/2023<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Matthew Reeves of Innovate UK provides an overview of the Critical Minerals Strategy, which sets out how the UK will go about securing its supply of critical minerals. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\tShow more<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n\t\t\n\t\t\"Charlotte\t<\/a>\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
BGS blogs<\/div>\n\t\t\t

My role as a stable isotope research assistant\u00a0<\/a><\/h4>\n\t\t\t

19\/12\/2023<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Charlotte Hipkiss has recently taken up a new position in the National Environmental Isotope Facility at BGS and gives us a little insight into her new position. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\tShow more<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The BGS Inorganic Chemistry team discuss their new laser micro-sampling and analysis system and what it means for the future of our research \u2014 and possibly yours\u2026 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":89919,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"88019,83347,59691,37456,75166,66279","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[1236,987,69,994,1213],"purpose":[],"challenge":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAdventures in elemental mapping \u2013 part 1: analysis of minerals - British Geological Survey<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/news\/adventures-in-elemental-mapping-part-1-analysis-of-minerals\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Adventures in elemental mapping \u2013 part 1: analysis of minerals - British Geological Survey\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The BGS Inorganic Chemistry team discuss their new laser micro-sampling and analysis system and what it means for the future of our research \u2014 and possibly yours\u2026\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/news\/adventures-in-elemental-mapping-part-1-analysis-of-minerals\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"British Geological Survey\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-09-21T15:04:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-02-26T09:15:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/MPLX-506_05_web.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"645\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"BGS Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"BGS Press\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/news\/adventures-in-elemental-mapping-part-1-analysis-of-minerals\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/news\/adventures-in-elemental-mapping-part-1-analysis-of-minerals\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"BGS Press\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/e426c0f88dc28ad99609d200d3abdc94\"},\"headline\":\"Adventures in elemental mapping \u2013 part 1: analysis of minerals\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-09-21T15:04:02+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-02-26T09:15:12+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/news\/adventures-in-elemental-mapping-part-1-analysis-of-minerals\/\"},\"wordCount\":897,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/news\/adventures-in-elemental-mapping-part-1-analysis-of-minerals\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/MPLX-506_05_web.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"critical minerals\",\"critical raw materials\",\"decarbonisation\",\"inorganic geochemistry facility\",\"minerals\"],\"articleSection\":[\"BGS blogs\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/news\/adventures-in-elemental-mapping-part-1-analysis-of-minerals\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/news\/adventures-in-elemental-mapping-part-1-analysis-of-minerals\/\",\"name\":\"Adventures in elemental mapping \u2013 part 1: analysis of minerals - British Geological Survey\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/news\/adventures-in-elemental-mapping-part-1-analysis-of-minerals\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/news\/adventures-in-elemental-mapping-part-1-analysis-of-minerals\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/MPLX-506_05_web.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-09-21T15:04:02+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-02-26T09:15:12+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/news\/adventures-in-elemental-mapping-part-1-analysis-of-minerals\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/news\/adventures-in-elemental-mapping-part-1-analysis-of-minerals\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/news\/adventures-in-elemental-mapping-part-1-analysis-of-minerals\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/MPLX-506_05_web.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/MPLX-506_05_web.jpg\",\"width\":960,\"height\":645,\"caption\":\"SEM images showing the sphere surfaces skimmed off by the LA-ICP-MS. BGS \u00a9 UKRI\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/news\/adventures-in-elemental-mapping-part-1-analysis-of-minerals\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Adventures in elemental mapping \u2013 part 1: analysis of minerals\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/\",\"name\":\"British Geological Survey\",\"description\":\"World-leading geological solutions\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/#organization\",\"name\":\"British Geological Survey\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/BGS-logo-large.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/BGS-logo-large.png\",\"width\":250,\"height\":104,\"caption\":\"British Geological Survey\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/e426c0f88dc28ad99609d200d3abdc94\",\"name\":\"BGS Press\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f9cd3e1c0a50b744f5781ceba7672cf9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f9cd3e1c0a50b744f5781ceba7672cf9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"BGS Press\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/author\/bgspress\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Adventures in elemental mapping \u2013 part 1: analysis of minerals - British Geological Survey","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/news\/adventures-in-elemental-mapping-part-1-analysis-of-minerals\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Adventures in elemental mapping \u2013 part 1: analysis of minerals - British Geological Survey","og_description":"The BGS Inorganic Chemistry team discuss their new laser micro-sampling and analysis system and what it means for the future of our research \u2014 and possibly yours\u2026","og_url":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/news\/adventures-in-elemental-mapping-part-1-analysis-of-minerals\/","og_site_name":"British Geological Survey","article_published_time":"2022-09-21T15:04:02+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-02-26T09:15:12+00:00","og_image":[{"width":960,"height":645,"url":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/MPLX-506_05_web.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"BGS Press","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"BGS Press","Estimated reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/news\/adventures-in-elemental-mapping-part-1-analysis-of-minerals\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/news\/adventures-in-elemental-mapping-part-1-analysis-of-minerals\/"},"author":{"name":"BGS Press","@id":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/e426c0f88dc28ad99609d200d3abdc94"},"headline":"Adventures in elemental mapping \u2013 part 1: analysis of minerals","datePublished":"2022-09-21T15:04:02+00:00","dateModified":"2024-02-26T09:15:12+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/news\/adventures-in-elemental-mapping-part-1-analysis-of-minerals\/"},"wordCount":897,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/news\/adventures-in-elemental-mapping-part-1-analysis-of-minerals\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/MPLX-506_05_web.jpg","keywords":["critical minerals","critical raw materials","decarbonisation","inorganic geochemistry facility","minerals"],"articleSection":["BGS blogs"],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/news\/adventures-in-elemental-mapping-part-1-analysis-of-minerals\/","url":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/news\/adventures-in-elemental-mapping-part-1-analysis-of-minerals\/","name":"Adventures in elemental mapping \u2013 part 1: analysis of minerals - British Geological Survey","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/news\/adventures-in-elemental-mapping-part-1-analysis-of-minerals\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/news\/adventures-in-elemental-mapping-part-1-analysis-of-minerals\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/MPLX-506_05_web.jpg","datePublished":"2022-09-21T15:04:02+00:00","dateModified":"2024-02-26T09:15:12+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/news\/adventures-in-elemental-mapping-part-1-analysis-of-minerals\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/news\/adventures-in-elemental-mapping-part-1-analysis-of-minerals\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/news\/adventures-in-elemental-mapping-part-1-analysis-of-minerals\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/MPLX-506_05_web.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/MPLX-506_05_web.jpg","width":960,"height":645,"caption":"SEM images showing the sphere surfaces skimmed off by the LA-ICP-MS. BGS \u00a9 UKRI"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/news\/adventures-in-elemental-mapping-part-1-analysis-of-minerals\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Adventures in elemental mapping \u2013 part 1: analysis of minerals"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/","name":"British Geological Survey","description":"World-leading geological solutions","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/#organization","name":"British Geological Survey","url":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/BGS-logo-large.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/BGS-logo-large.png","width":250,"height":104,"caption":"British Geological Survey"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/e426c0f88dc28ad99609d200d3abdc94","name":"BGS Press","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f9cd3e1c0a50b744f5781ceba7672cf9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f9cd3e1c0a50b744f5781ceba7672cf9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"BGS Press"},"url":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/author\/bgspress\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89755"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89755"}],"version-history":[{"count":51,"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89755\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":108825,"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89755\/revisions\/108825"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89919"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89755"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89755"},{"taxonomy":"purpose","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/purpose?post=89755"},{"taxonomy":"challenge","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/challenge?post=89755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}