High-precision (143)Nd/(144)Nd ratios from NdO(+) data corrected with in-run measured oxygen isotope ratios.

The NdO(+) technique has been considerably refined in recent years for high-precision measurement of Nd isotope ratios in low-level samples (1-5 ng Nd). As oxygen isotopic compositions may vary significantly with experimental conditions such as filament material, ionization enhancer and the ambient oxygen in the ion source, great "care" should be taken for using correct oxygen isotopic compositions to do the isobaric oxide corrections for the "conventional" NdO(+) method. Our method presented here for NdO(+) data reduction and PrO(+) interference corrections uses the oxygen isotope composition determined in each cycle of the NdO(+) measurements. For that purpose, we measured the small ion signals of (150)Nd(17)O(+) and (150)Nd(18)O(+) with amplifiers equipped with 10(12) Ω feedback resistors, and those of Nd(16)O(+) ion beams with 10(11) Ω amplifiers. Using 10(12) Ω amplifiers facilitates a precise measurement of the very small (150)Nd(17)O(+) and (150)Nd(18)O(+) ion signals and calculation of highly accurate and precise (143)Nd/(144)Nd isotope ratios. The (143)Nd/(144)Nd ratios for JNdi-1 standards and several whole-rock reference materials determined with the method on 4 ng of Nd loads are consistent with previously reported values within analytical error, with internal and external precision (2 RSE and 2 RSD) of better than 20 and 30 ppm, respectively.

Bronze Age volcanic event recorded in stalagmites by combined isotope and trace element studies.

Stable isotope analyses of speleothems (carbonate deposits formed in caves) have been widely used to reconstruct paleoenvironmental conditions. Recent improvements in geochemical techniques have enabled us to analyze climate-influenced deposits at high temporal resolution so that hitherto unrecognized environmental conditions may be identified. Stable H, C and O isotope analyses on carbonate and inclusion water have been combined with multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) age dating and laser-ablation ICP-MS trace element analyses on a stalagmite from southern Hungary. The study reveals significant changes in chemical and isotopic compositions of the speleothem between approx. 3800 and 3500 years BP ('Before Present') indicating coupled changes in the temperature and precipitation regime under which the speleothem formed. Stable isotopic and trace element correlations within this time period correlate with similar studies of stalagmites of comparable age from the Alpine-Mediterranean region. Our studies suggest that traces of deposition of volcanic dust, possibly related to the Thera eruption of Santorini (Greece) ca. 1650 BC (approximately 3650 BP), and environmental changes can be detected at a distance of several thousand kilometers.