Isotope Geochemistry & Geochronology Research Centre Carleton University

Welcome to the Isotope Geochemistry and Geochronology Research Centre (IGGRC) at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada. Here you will find information about our facilities: who we are, what we do and how to access our laboratories. If you have any questions, please contact any of us. Please forward all requests for isotope work to our Laboratory and Contract Manager, Dr. Shuangquan Zhang at Shuangquan.Zhang@carleton.ca.

We use a thermal ionization spectrometer and a multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer to measure variations of radiogenic and non-conventional isotopes to answer scientific questions. We analyze samples from a wide range of materials, such as rock, soil, sediment, water, plants, fossils, human and other animal hair, bone, blood or tissue, and bird eggshells, just to name a few.  We can precisely determine the age and provenance of rocks to reconstruct geological events in a spatial-temporal fashion; retrieve information on how our planet, its habitable environment, resources and life has evolved; establish isotopic proxies for past climate changes; trace pathways for pollutants in the environment; solve archaeological or forensic mysteries; and carry out research related many other geological, environmental, economic or social projects.

 Elements we're interested in include calcium, boron, rubidium, strontium, samarium, neodymium, lutetium, hafnium, tungsten, lead, uranium, thorium, and soon we'll be adding rhenium, osmium, and non-conventional isotope systems such as lithium, potassium, magnesium, iron, copper, zinc, and molybdenum to the list. If you're also interested in research utilizing the 'traditional' stable isotopes (i.e. carbon, oxygen and sulphur) or rare radioisotopes (i.e. radiocarbon, radiohalides, tritium and actinides), please visit the web page of our sister laboratories at the University of Ottawa,  the Jan Veizer Stable Isotope Laboratory Hatch Isotope Laboratories  and André E. Lalonde AMS Laboratory at the University of Ottawa. They're also part of the Ottawa-Carleton Geoscience Centre. Together, we have among the very best facilities for geochronology and isotopic research in Canada.