The Geochemical Laboratory is located in a custom-designed wing of the Howley Building on Higgins Line in St. John’s. The lab’s facilities include a variety of crushing, grinding and sieving equipment, and chemical laboratories well-equipped for sample digestion and analysis. The main analytical instruments are a Thermo Scientific iCAP 6500 Series Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES) and a Thermo Scientific X-Series II Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass spectrometer (ICP-MS).

The main work of the laboratory is the analysis of geological materials, which include rocks, soils, sediments, waters and vegetation, for their major and trace-element constituents. Between 180,000 and 250,000 determinations are made each year. Systematic quality control protocols are employed for all analytical projects undertaken. At the direction of the Minister, the lab has actively participated in the certification of new international geological reference materials

• Staff
• Analytical Services
• Multi-Element Analytical Packages
  • Package A: Total Multi-Acid Digestion, ICP Determination
  • Package B: Lithium Metaborate Fusion, ICP Determination
  • Package C: Standard ICP Determination (Water Analysis)
  • Package D: ICP Determination, Ultra-Sonic Nebulizer (Water Analysis)
• Sample Preparation and Handling

Staff

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Analytical Services

Analysis of geological materials (soil, sediment, rock, etc); single element analysis, total content, specific techniques.

Package A: Near Total Four-Acid Digestion, ICP-OES Determination

Element	DL 3		Element	DL		Element	DL
Al	0.01%		Fe	0.01%		Pb	1 ppm 4
As 2	1 ppm		K	0.01 ppm		Rb	5 ppm
BA 1 2	1 ppm		La	1 ppm		S	100 ppm
Be	0.1 ppm		Li	0.1 ppm		Sc	0.1 ppm
Ca	0.01%		Mg	0.01%		Sr	1 ppm
Cd	0.1 ppm		Mn	1 ppm		Ti	5 ppm
Ce	5 ppm		Mo	1 ppm		V	1 ppm
Co	1 ppm		Na	1 ppm		Y	1 ppm
Cr 1 2	1 ppm		Nb	1 ppm		Zn	1 ppm
Cu	1 ppm		Ni	1 ppm		Zr 1 2	1 ppm
Dv	0.5 ppm		P	1 ppm

1 Method may not be total for Ba, Cr or Zr; see Package B below.

2 Certain minerals (barite, chromite, etc.) may only be partially dissolved, or not stable in solution. Other minerals including zircon, sphene and magnetite may not be totally dissolved. Most other silicates will be dissolved however some elements will be erratically volatilized, including As and Cr.

3 Detection Limit

4 Parts per million

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Package B: Lithium Metaborate Fusion, ICP-OES Determination

Element	DL	Element	DL	Element	DL
SiO2	0.02%	Ca	0.01%	Cr	2 ppm
Al2O3	0.01%	Na2O	0.01%	Ba	1 ppm
Fe2O3Total	0.01%	K2O	0.01%	Be	0.2 ppm
Fe2O3	0.01%	TiO2	0.001%	Sc	1 ppm
FeO	0.01%	MnO	0.001%	Zr	5 ppm
MgO	0.02%	P2O5	0.002%	LOI	0.01%

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Package C: Lithium Metaborate Fusion, ICP-MS Determination

Element	DL	Element	DL	Element	DL	Element	DL
Ga	1 ppm	La	0.5 ppm	Gd	0.1 ppm	Hf	0.2 ppm
Ge	1 ppm	Ce	0.5 ppm	Dy	0.1 ppm	Ta	1 ppm
Sr	1 ppm	Pr	0.1 ppm	Ho	0.1 ppm	W	1 ppm
Y	1 ppm	Nd	0.2 ppm	Er	0.1 ppm	Tl	0.1 ppm
Nb	1 ppm	Sm	0.1 ppm	Tm	0.05 ppm	Bi	0.5 ppm
Sn	1 ppm	Eu	0.05 ppm	Yb	0.1 ppm	Th	0.1 ppm
Cs	0.5 ppm	Tb	0.01 ppm	Lu	0.05 ppm	U	0.1 ppm

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Package D: Water Analysis, ICP-MS and ICP-OES Determination

Element	DL		Element	DL		Element	DL
Ag	0.01 ppb		Ge	0.01 ppb		Sb	0.01 ppb
Al	2 ppb		Hf	0.005 ppb		Se	0.1 ppb
As	0.05 ppb		Ho	0.005 ppb		Si	0.1 ppm
Ba	0.1 ppb		K	0.01 ppm		Sm	0.005 ppb
Be	0.05 ppb		La	0.01 ppb		Sn	0.1 ppb
Bi	0.01 ppb		Li	2 ppb		Sr	0.1 ppb
Ca	0.01 ppm		Lu	0.005 ppb		Ta	0.02 ppb
Cd	0.01 ppb		Mg	0.005 ppb		Tb	0.005 ppb
Ce	0.01 ppb		Mn	0.1 ppb		Th	0.01 ppb
Co	0.05 ppb		Mo	0.1 ppb		Ti	0.5 ppb
Cr	0.05 ppb		Na	0.01 ppm		Tl	0.5 ppb
Cs	0.01 ppb		Nb	0.05 ppb		Tm	0.005 ppb
Cu	2 ppb0.01 ppb		Nd	0.01 ppb		U	0.01 ppb
Dy	0.005 ppb		Ni	0.1 ppb		V	0.05 ppb
Er	0.005 ppb		P	3 ppb		W	0.02 ppb
Eu	0.005 ppb		Pb	0.05 ppb		Y	0.01 ppb
Fe	1 ppb		Pr	0.005 ppb		Yb	0.005 ppb
Ga	0.01 ppb		Rb	0.05 ppb		Zn	1 ppb
Gd	0.005 ppb		S	0.1 ppm		Z	0.01 ppb

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Other Analysis

Ferrous Iron – Titrimetric

Loss on Ignition – Thermal Gravimetric

Fluoride – Alkali Fusion – Specific Ion Electrode

Conductivity – Potentiometric

pH – Potentiometric

Total Dissolved Solids – Potentiometric

Grain Size Analysis – Sieve Stack (wet and dry analysis)

Sample Preparation and Handling

Rocks (including Drill Core)

Preliminary Crushing – Jaw Crusher

Pulverize – Mild Steel Ring Mill (large volume, minor Fe contamination)

Pulverize – Ceramic Disk Mill (small volume, Zr contamination)

 Lake Sediment, Steam Sediment, Soils and Till

Sieve – 63 µm (standard for tills and soil)

Sieve – 180 µm (standard for lake and stream sediments)

 Water

Filter 0.45 µm and preserved with sub-boiled nitric acid.

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