On Wednesday, the University of Innsbruck opened Austria's first laboratory for uranium-thorium dating. Using state-of-the-art technology, the facility enables age determination of geological samples and the reconstruction of past environmental conditions, setting new standards in geoscientific research.

Named after Herbert W. Franke, an Austrian physicist, the laboratory at the Institute of Geology in Innsbruck houses a state-of-the-art multi-collector ICP mass spectrometer, the first instrument of its kind in Austria. With the new facility, researchers will be able to determine the abundance of rare isotopes with exceptional precision. This makes age dating of up to half a million years possible – an important foundation for the reconstruction of past environmental and climate conditions.

Key technology for climate research

The new clean-room laboratory offers, for the first time in Austria, the possibility of carrying out uranium-thorium dating – a specialised form of radiometric age determination. The aim is to use modern techniques to gain new insights into the Earth's climate history. The age determination of natural materials such as rocks and minerals provides valuable clues as to how environmental conditions have changed over long periods of time.

Setting up the laboratory within the existing institute building had been an enormously demanding undertaking, as strict requirements apply for precise geochemical analyses. Air purity and the avoidance of even the smallest metallic contamination are critical to ensuring accurate measurements, emphasised Christoph Spötl, Professor at the Institute of Geology.

Read all about it at: tirol.orf.at or at "New laboratory brings precise insights into past environmental conditions"