History

The NENIMF was established in 1996 by Nobumichi Shimizu as an outgrowth of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Regional Ion Microprobe Facility.  The facility is equipped with Cameca IMS 3f and IMS 1280 ion microprobes that were purchased with support from NSF, the Kresge Foundation, the Cecil and Ida Green Foundation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Brown University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) and the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH).

The research at NENIMF covers a broad range of geochemical exploration including solar/presolar materials and processes, early Earth evolution, mantle dynamics, crustal processes and evolution, environmental monitoring and experimental geochemistry. Measurements of both the abundances of diverse trace elements (REE, HFSE, LILE) as well as stable and radiogenic isotopes are essential components of this research. Technique developments reflect the broad range of scientific interests of the user base.

The IMS 3f has been used since 1978 for a wide spectrum of geochemical studies, and remains highly effective for in situ trace element and REE analysis of rock-forming minerals and glasses (spatial resolution better than 20 μm). More recent applications for the IMS 3f include measurement of δ11B in melt inclusions and in natural waters (prepared by evaporation) as well as measurement of Sr, Mg and Ba in marine carbonates for paleotemperature reconstructions.

The IMS 1280 is a new generation high transmission-high mass resolution SIMS instrument with a great number of extended capabilities for geochemical analysis.  The rebuilt IMS 1280 was delivered to WHOI in January 2005 and was successfully installed and is operational.