Short communication: On the potential use of materials with heterogeneously distributed parent and daughter isotopes as primary standards for non-U–Pb geochronological applications of laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS)

Abstract

Many new geochronological applications of laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) have been proposed in recent years. One of the problems associated with this rapid growth is the lack of chemically and isotopically homogeneous matrix-matched primary standards to control elemental fractionation during LA-ICP-MS analysis. In U–Pb geochronological applications of LA-ICP-MS this problem is often addressed by utilising matrix-matched primary standards with variable chemical and isotopic compositions. Here I derive a set of equations to adopt this approach for non-U–Pb geochronological applications of LA-ICP-MS.