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Table of Contents

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Rock samples are prepared for ICP analysis using the following procedures on each sample:

  1. Cut to size (see Cutting Samples to Size below)
  2. Polish (see Polishing Samples on Diamond Wheel below)
  3. Clean (see Cleaning Samples below)
  4. Dry (see Drying Samples below)
  5. Crush (see Crushing Samples in the X-Press in XRD Sample Preparation Hard Rock )
  6. Grind (see Grinding Samples in the Shatterbox in XRD Sample Preparation Hard Rock)

Cutting Samples to Size

To cut samples for the X-Press, use the splitting room rock saws (located in the Core Deck) following these guidelines:

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Post-ignition measurements should be taken soon (within an hour) after removing crucibles from the furnace. Failure to do so will disrupt the LOI values. Reweigh the crucible plus the ignited sample to determine how much weight was gained or lost. Follow the same weighing procedure as in Pre-ignition Weighing.

  1. Record the final weight in the excel spreadsheet under 'CRUCIBLE + IGN SAMPLE WT'. The spreadsheet will populate the columns 'Post Ignition Loss' and '%LOI'.
  2. The formula used to calculate LOI is:

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Copy and paste your spreadsheet into that uploader. Click the 'Edit' button and 'Validate Sheet'. This checks and highlights any errors that need to be fixed. When the spreadsheet comes up clean, click 'Lims' and 'Upload'. The sheet will turn green when the measurements are successfully uploaded. The data is now in LIMS under Chemistry > ICP-AES Solids >Expanded LOI.

Cleaning the Quartz or Alumina Ceramic Crucibles

  1. Wash the crucibles with DI water and a small piece of a scouring pad (no soap).
  2. Rinse several times with DI water.
  3. Place crucibles in a 10% HNO3 bath for 12 hr. If in urgent need, the quartz crucibles can be soaked a minimum of 2 hours, but extra flux blanks will need to be made and added to batches that use these crucibles.
  4. Rinse the quartz crucibles 3 times with DI water after the acid bath. For the ceramic crucibles, rinse 3 times with DI and then soak them in a large beaker of DI water for 4-6 hours to dilute the acid absorbed by the crucibles.
  5. Dry the either type of crucibles in the oven at a maximum temperature of 60°C. For the ceramic crucibles, heat them to 800°C in the muffle furnace for 2 hours and allow to cool to room temperature before removing.

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Figure 43. Fused glass bead. 

  • An analytical procedural blank of Flux is prepared identically to the samples. The 0.4 g of flux (the pre-weighed flux) is fused with 10µL 0.172 mM of LiBr and dissolved. An additional 0.1 g of flux is NOT added to mimic the TDS of the 0.5 g mix of sample + flux because this would provide an inaccurate quantitation of the impurities introduced by the amount of flux used in preparation of the unknowns.

Weighing the Sample

Note: This process is typically done by the chemistry technicians.
Weighing the sample is a critical step. The sample weight should be as close to 100 mg as possible. Inaccuracies in the weight will show up in the analytical results. Print small labels for each sample and place on your small, clear capped vial. On the lid label a sticker with the core, section, and interval. Confirm with scientists what powder you will be using Fresh or Ignited.

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  1. Rinse crucibles with DI water.
  2. If beads are stuck to the bottom, sonicate with DI water for 30 min or more.
  3. Place crucibles in HNO3 10% bath for 12 hr. If you notice any signs of residue, leave in the acid bath for longer. If the crucibles are in urgent need, a minimum cleaning time in the HNO3 10% acid bath is 2 hrs, however, extra flux blanks should be made with these crucibles for analysis to ensure there isn't leftover contamination.
  4. Clean a Tupperware container with isopropyl alcohol. Lay down sheets of paper towel and large Kimwipes.
  5. Take crucibles out of the acid bath and rinse with DI water 3 times. Place crucible in the container. If the crucibles require polishing, see Polishing the Platinum Crucibles.
  6. Cover all crucibles with a large Kimwipe and place in the drying oven in the Chemistry Laboratory. Leave overnight.
  7. When dry remove crucibles and bring into the XRD laboratory. Wrap each crucible in a small Kimwipe and and place back in the safe. Lock the safe after all crucibles have been put back.

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ANALYSISTABLENAMEABOUT TEXT
LOISAMPLEExpExp: expedition number
LOISAMPLESiteSite: site number
LOISAMPLEHoleHole: hole number
LOISAMPLECoreCore: core number
LOISAMPLETypeType: type indicates the coring tool used to recover the core (typical types are F, H, R, X).
LOISAMPLESectSect: section number
LOISAMPLEA/WA/W: archive (A) or working (W) section half.
LOISAMPLEtext_idText_ID: automatically generated database identifier for a sample, also carried on the printed labels. This identifier is guaranteed to be unique across all samples.
LOISAMPLEsample_numberSample Number: automatically generated database identifier for a sample. This is the primary key of the SAMPLE table.
LOISAMPLElabel_idLabel identifier: automatically generated, human readable name for a sample that is printed on labels. This name is not guaranteed unique across all samples.
LOISAMPLEsample_nameSample name: short name that may be specified for a sample. You can use an advanced filter to narrow your search by this parameter.
LOISAMPLEx_sample_stateSample state: Single-character identifier always set to "W" for samples; standards can vary.
LOISAMPLEx_projectProject: similar in scope to the expedition number, the difference being that the project is the current cruise, whereas expedition could refer to material/results obtained on previous cruises
LOISAMPLEx_capt_locCaptured location: "captured location," this field is usually null and is unnecessary because any sample captured on the JR has a sample_number ending in 1, and GCR ending in 2
LOISAMPLElocationLocation: location that sample was taken; this field is usually null and is unnecessary because any sample captured on the JR has a sample_number ending in 1, and GCR ending in 2
LOISAMPLEx_sampling_toolSampling tool: sampling tool used to take the sample (e.g., syringe, spatula)
LOISAMPLEchanged_byChanged by: username of account used to make a change to a sample record
LOISAMPLEchanged_onChanged on: date/time stamp for change made to a sample record
LOISAMPLEsample_typeSample type: type of sample from a predefined list (e.g., HOLE, CORE, LIQ)
LOISAMPLEx_offsetOffset (m): top offset of sample from top of parent sample, expressed in meters.
LOISAMPLEx_offset_cmOffset (cm): top offset of sample from top of parent sample, expressed in centimeters. This is a calculated field (offset, converted to cm)
LOISAMPLEx_bottom_offset_cmBottom offset (cm): bottom offset of sample from top of parent sample, expressed in centimeters. This is a calculated field (offset + length, converted to cm)
LOISAMPLEx_diameterDiameter (cm): diameter of sample, usually applied only to CORE, SECT, SHLF, and WRND samples; however this field is null on both Exp. 390 and 393, so it is no longer populated by Sample Master
LOISAMPLEx_orig_lenOriginal length (m): field for the original length of a sample; not always (or reliably) populated
LOISAMPLEx_lengthLength (m): field for the length of a sample [as entered upon creation]
LOISAMPLEx_length_cmLength (cm): field for the length of a sample. This is a calculated field (length, converted to cm).
LOISAMPLEstatusStatus: single-character code for the current status of a sample (e.g., active, canceled)
LOISAMPLEold_statusOld status: single-character code for the previous status of a sample; used by the LIME program to restore a canceled sample
LOISAMPLEoriginal_sampleOriginal sample: field tying a sample below the CORE level to its parent HOLE sample
LOISAMPLEparent_sampleParent sample: the sample from which this sample was taken (e.g., for PWDR samples, this might be a SHLF or possibly another PWDR)
LOISAMPLEstandardStandard: T/F field to differentiate between samples (standard=F) and QAQC standards (standard=T)
LOISAMPLElogin_byLogin by: username of account used to create the sample (can be the LIMS itself [e.g., SHLFs created when a SECT is created])
LOISAMPLElogin_dateLogin date: creation date of the sample
LOISAMPLElegacyLegacy flag: T/F indicator for when a sample is from a previous expedition and is locked/uneditable on this expedition
LOITESTtest changed_onTEST changed on: date/time stamp for a change to a test record.
LOITESTtest statusTEST status: single-character code for the current status of a test (e.g., active, in process, canceled)
LOITESTtest old_statusTEST old status: single-character code for the previous status of a test; used by the LIME program to restore a canceled test
LOITESTtest test_numberTEST test number: automatically generated database identifier for a test record. This is the primary key of the TEST table.
LOITESTtest date_receivedTEST date received: date/time stamp for the creation of the test record.
LOITESTtest instrumentTEST instrument [instrument group]: field that describes the instrument group (most often this applies to loggers with multiple sensors); often obscure (e.g., user_input)
LOITESTtest analysisTEST analysis: analysis code associated with this test (foreign key to the ANALYSIS table)
LOITESTtest x_projectTEST project: similar in scope to the expedition number, the difference being that the project is the current cruise, whereas expedition could refer to material/results obtained on previous cruises
LOITESTtest sample_numberTEST sample number: the sample_number of the sample to which this test record is attached; a foreign key to the SAMPLE table
LOICALCULATEDTop depth CSF-A (m)Top depth CSF-A (m): position of observation expressed relative to the top of the hole.
LOICALCULATEDBottom depth CSF-A (m)Bottom depth CSF-A (m): position of observation expressed relative to the top of the hole.
LOICALCULATEDTop depth CSF-B (m)Top depth [other] (m): position of observation expressed relative to the top of the hole. The location is presented in a scale selected by the science party or the report user.
LOICALCULATEDBottom depth CSF-B (m)Bottom depth [other] (m): position of observation expressed relative to the top of the hole. The location is presented in a scale selected by the science party or the report user.
LOIRESULTcrucible_and_postignition_sample_mass (g)RESULT post-ignition crucible and sample mass (g): mass of the sample plus the crucible after ignition ("ashed")
LOIRESULTcrucible_and_preignition_sample_mass (g)RESULT pre-ignition crucible and sample mass (g): mass of the sample plus the crucible before ignition
LOIRESULTcrucible_numberRESULT crucible number: number of the crucible used for this measurement
LOIRESULTcrucible_preignition_mass (g)RESULT crucible preignition mass (g): mass of the empty crucible before ignition
LOIRESULTloi_percentRESULT loss on ignition (wt%): loss of material after ignition
LOIRESULTreference_mass (g)RESULT reference mass (g): field for the reference mass used on the reference balance (not always populated)
LOIRESULTssup_asman_idRESULT spreadsheet uploader ASMAN_ID: serial number for the ASMAN link for the spreadsheet uploader file
LOIRESULTssup_filenameRESULT spreadsheet uploader filename: file name for the spreadsheet uploader file
LOISAMPLEsample descriptionSAMPLE comment: contents of the SAMPLE.description field, usually shown on reports as "Sample comments"
LOITESTtest test_commentTEST comment: contents of the TEST.comment field, usually shown on reports as "Test comments"
LOIRESULTresult commentsRESULT comment: contents of a result parameter with name = "comment," usually shown on reports as "Result comments"

Archived Versions

ICP Sample Prep User Guide: 29th September 2022

LMUG-ICPPreparation-230220-1915-158.pdf

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