Samples of all kinds are pretreated in our sample preparation laboratories. Samples are usually first dried, sieved or separated into magnetic or non-magnetic components in a magnetic separator based on their magnetic properties.  Separation based on different mineral densities is also carried out here. Rock samples are ground in a ball mill and then further processed in the clean room laboratory using wet chemical methods.

In the case of cosmogenic nuclide samples for the in situ-produced 10Be, the samples are purified in several stages in order to obtain pure quartz. For this purpose, various leaching steps are carried out with different acids (HCl, HNO3, HF) and at different temperatures on a heatable roller or in ultrasonic baths in order to obtain a quartz concentrate that is as clean as possible.

For marine samples, microfossils are often separated using microscopes. Our microscope enables us to optically analyse thin sections and the like, take overview images and prepare them for laser measurements. In addition to polarisation filters and incident/transmitted light, there are objectives for magnification factors of 5x, 10x, 20x, 50x and 100x.

Access to the lab

Nearly all work conducted in the GFZ HELGES lab falls into one of two categories: (1) approved collaborative projects that will lead to publications in international scientific journals, and (2) research projects within the GFZ Earth Surface Geochemistry group, including development and improvement of analytical methods. All scientists wishing to use our facility or request sample analyses must submit an analysis application form.

Application forms and terms of conditions:
Application for Isotope Ratio
Application for Cosmogenic Nuclide
Terms of conditions 

Because our laboratory space and staff capacities are limited, we need to evaluate your application in an internal review process, and therefore kindly ask you to fill the application form and provide us with further information about the project, samples and analyses. Please send the application form to the indicated lab contact person. We will evaluate your application and make a decision. Please note that we are specialized in the above mentioned isotope systems and we are not a geochronology laboratory.