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A continuous‐flow crushing device for on‐line δ 2 H analysis of fluid inclusion water in speleothems
Author(s) -
Vonhof Hubert B.,
van Breukelen Martin R.,
Postma Onno,
Rowe Peter J.,
Atkinson Tim C.,
Kroon Dick
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
rapid communications in mass spectrometry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.528
H-Index - 136
eISSN - 1097-0231
pISSN - 0951-4198
DOI - 10.1002/rcm.2618
Subject(s) - speleothem , chemistry , calcite , yield (engineering) , analytical chemistry (journal) , fluid dynamics , fluid inclusions , rod , inclusion (mineral) , mineralogy , chromatography , metallurgy , thermodynamics , cave , materials science , medicine , physics , archaeology , quartz , alternative medicine , pathology , history
A method for the isotope analysis of fluid inclusion water in speleothem calcite is presented. The technique is based on a commercially available continuous‐flow pyrolysis furnace (ThermoFinnigan TC‐EA). The main adaptation made to the standard TC‐EA configuration is the addition of a crusher and cold trap unit, which is connected to the carrier gas inlet at the top of the TC‐EA reactor tube. A series of tests conducted with this device shows that: (1) standard waters, injected in the crusher, and passed through a cryogenic trapping routine, yield accurate δ 2 H values; (2) crushed cubes of speleothem calcite from two Peruvian caves with rather dissimilar seepage water δ 2 H values yield fluid inclusion δ 2 H values in good accordance with these drip waters. The clear advantage of this continuous‐flow technique for fluid inclusion isotope analysis is that it is relatively quick compared with other techniques. Since the conditions of water sample introduction into the TC‐EA are identical for δ 2 H and δ 18 O analysis, we expect that only limited adaptations to the extraction procedure are required to provide δ 18 O analysis of fluid inclusion samples with the same device. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.