Facilitating Cosmochemistry Breakthroughs

In 2011, Erik Hauri led research that discovered water in the Moon's interior using our state-of-the-art geochemical facilities.

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A Continuing Legacy

Carnegie physicist Lou Brown's passion for cosmochemistry extended beyond his three decades on staff. His estate's $4.5 million bequest supports our continuing research.

Origins of Our Solar System

Cosmochemistry is the study of the formation and early evolution of our Solar System, of meteorites and asteroids, and larger bodies like Mars, Mercury, and the Moon. 

At the Earth and Planets Laboratory, our cosmochemists use specialized equipment to precisely measure the chemical and isotopic compositions in minuscule samples of rocks, space dust, solar wind, and more—sometimes down to counting individual atoms. Then we fit each new isotopic marker or molecule into the complex chemical equation that makes up the cosmos. The goal? To create a timeline of our Solar System's early development. 

Top Cosmochemistry Questions

Jianhua Wang With NanoSIMS

Jianhua Wang With NanoSIMS at Earth and Planets Laboratory Campus

 

Putting Cosmochemistry into Practice

Instrumentation is at the heart of our cosmochemistry research. Six mass spectrometers analyze trace elements and isotope ratios at high sensitivity, high precision, and/or high spatial resolution. Four electron beam instruments help us to characterize sample surfaces and elemental compositions, as well as for focused ion beam lift out for additional characterization such as transmission electron microscopy. We also utilize solid-state NMR, Raman, and FTIR spectroscopy to characterize natural and experimental samples.

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