The College of Geosciences R. Ken Williams '45 Radiogenic Isotope Geosciences Laboratory contains Class 100 and 1000 ultra-clean chemistry laboratories, a mass spectrometry lab, and a sample preparation lab (2600 square feet). The clean laboratories are designed for low-blank (contamination free) chemical preparation of samples for U, Th, Pb, Sm-Nd, Re-Os, and Sr isotopic analyses. The mass spectrometry lab houses a new Thermo Scientific Triton thermal ionization mass spectrometer (TIMS) and a high-resolution, inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometer (HR-ICP-MS) with a laser ablation system. There is additional space to accommodate a multi-collector inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometer (MC-ICP-MS).

The lab instrumentation serves the research needs of a broad range of disciplines, including tectonics, geochronology, paleoceanography, climate change and environmental geochemistry.

Drs. Franco Marcantonio, Associate Professor in Geology & Geophysics, Brent Miller, Associate Professor in Geology & Geophysics, and Debbie Thomas, Assistant Professor in Oceanography, are the principal investigators associated with the lab and also oversee lab operations, maintenance, training and safety.