ANU SHRIMP
The ANU SHRIMP facility offers high-resolution ion microprobe analyses, allowing for precise measurements of stable isotopes, volatile elements, trace elements, and uranium-lead dating in solid materials.
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About
The RSES SHRIMP facility was established in 1974 to design and build a Sensitive High Resolution Ion MicroProbe (SHRIMP) for geoscience research. The facility has now developed into one of the leading secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) centres in the world, equipped with three SIMS instruments, staffed by experienced professional and academic staff, and supported by electronic and mechanical workshops, and an IT specialist. The SHRIMP facility is an NCRIS (National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy) facility supported by funding from the ANU, AuScope and the Australian Research Council. The facility provides its instruments and analytical techniques to researchers within Australia and aboard.
SHRIMP analyses elemental and isotopic compositions of solids on a 10 micron scale by sputtering the surface of the specimen (polished mount, thin sections) with a focused primary ion beam and analysing the ejected secondary ions. We research a wide range of topics and the following is a broad summary of the applications:
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Articles
The timing and intensity of the seasons shapes life all around us, including tool use by birds, the evolutionary diversification of giraffes, and the behaviour of our close primate relatives.
Researchers also investigated material from a meteor that fell to Australia on its own. Inside, they found ancient stardust — the oldest solid material ever discovered on Earth.
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Laboratory Manager
SHRIMP facility