Trace element and isotope studies of rocks, soils, minerals, coal, water and archaeological artifacts by Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS)
RNF 01/0006 grant of the Bulgarian National Science Fund

Project duration: 2008-2010

Project coordinators: Res. Prof. D. Sc. Peter Marchev and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Irena Peytcheva, Geological Institute - BAS

Project consortium:
Geological Institute - BAS
Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski"
Central Laboratory of Mineralogy and Crystallography - BAS
National Institute of Archaeology and Museum - BAS

The first Laser Ablation - Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS) system in Bulgaria is purchased by a consortium of the Geological Institute (Bulgarian Academy of Sciences), Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, and the academic Central Laboratory of Mineralogy and Crystallography and the National Institute of Archaeology and Museum.
This become reality with the financial support of RNF 01/0006 grant of the Bulgarian National Science Fund entitled “Trace element and isotope studies of rocks, soils, minerals, coal, water and archaeological artifacts by Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS)”.
The project was prepared by a core team (Assoc. Prof. Dr. Irena Peytcheva, Dr. Svetoslav Georgiev and Dr. Dimitrina Dimitrova) under supervision of Res. Prof. D.Sc. Peter Marchev. Participants in the project are highly motivated experienced scientists and young researchers (diploma, PhD and Post-Doc students) in the field of Geochemistry, Petrology, Mineralogy, Economic Geology and Archaeology. The long-term collaboration established with Dr. Marcel Guillong and Dr. Albrecht von Quadt from ETH-Zurich, Switzerland – highly-experienced researchers in using LA-ICP-MS techniques, will be essential during the initial stage of acquisition and machine setup as well as training of the users. In the frame of ongoing projects, the Swiss colleagues will help the scientific program with further training of Bulgarian students on the equipment at ETH-Zurich. Cross-checking measurements of standards and minerals/rocks/coals/soils between two laboratories will be done during the whole duration of the project.
The consortium is strongly motivated in creation a core of world class equipment which will allow multidisciplinary research in the Earth, Environmental and Archaeological Sciences combining the LA-ICP-MS Lab at the Geological Institute with other available analytical facilities of the consortium partners.