Storage and Diffusion of Carbon and Nitrogen in Crustal Materials
- Syracuse Univ., NY (United States). Dept. of Earth and Environmental Sciences
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst., Troy, NY (United States)
Nitrogen is a primary constituent of Earth’s atmosphere and an essential component of many biological processes. Recent developments in understanding N incorporation into silicate minerals suggest that the solid earth and lithosphere could provide a substantial reservoir for the planetary N budget. Furthermore, determining the concentration and distribution of low abundances of N in silicates presents a significant challenge in microanalysis. We tested capabilities for high spatial resolution quantification of low levels of N using EPMA with the goal of developing standards to be used in coupled N and noble gas analyses of silicate minerals. We investigated the concentration and distribution of N in a suite of ammonium-bearing silicate minerals that reflect the dominant N-bearing phases of the lithosphere: tobelite, buddingtonite, ammonioleucite, tsaregorodtsevite, and hyalophane. These minerals form during NH4-rich alteration of K-bearing silicate minerals, and the bonding environment of N in each mineral is likely to differ based on crystal structure. Using an optimized analytical routine for N quantification enables sensitivity approaching 0.02 weight% N and high-resolution quantitative mapping of sub-micron variations in N contents.
- Research Organization:
- Syracuse Univ., NY (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC)
- DOE Contract Number:
- SC0016246
- OSTI ID:
- 1830223
- Report Number(s):
- 1773849
- Resource Relation:
- Related Information: Nachlas, William, Baldwin, Suzanne, Thomas, Jay, and Ackerson, Michael. Investigation of N in Ammonium-bearing Silicates with Electron Probe Microanalysis (EPMA). United States: N. p., 2020. Web. doi:10.1017/s1431927620013203.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Quantitative reflectance spectroscopy of buddingtonite from the Cuprite mining district, Nevada
Inorganic nitrogen in Green River formation oil shale