Introduction to the AMS Laboratory

  Long-lived radioactive nuclides (such as ¹⁰Be, ¹⁴C, ²⁶Al, ⁴¹Ca, and ¹²⁹I, etc.) generated by nuclear reactions between cosmic rays and the Earth's atmosphere (atmospheric origin), rocks on the Earth's surface (in situ origin), or extraterrestrial substances have been used in various fields including environmental tracing, geochronology, hydrology, archaeology, and planetary science. To meet the demands of material cycle in karst areas and to enhance applications in planetary science, IGCAS purchased a state of art accelerator mass spectrometer (AMS) from NEC Company USA in 2017.This AMS laboratory represents the first AMS facility established in southwestern China and is dedicated to conducting research on ¹⁴C, ¹⁰Be, and ²⁶Al chronology and environmental tracing among other applications.

The current testing projects:

Measurement of ¹⁴C:

Tracing of inorganic carbon (DIC) and organic carbon (DOC, POC) in water samples.

¹⁴C chronology and source tracing of soil/deposit.

¹⁴C environmental tracing of atmosphere (aerosols, CO₂).

¹⁴C archaeology (bone collagen, silk fabrics, etc.).

Tracing of organic carbon sources of biomass (algae, zooplankton, plants, seeds, etc.).

¹⁴C of solid inorganic carbon (corals, shells, foraminifera, stalagmites, carbonate rocks)

Measurement of ¹⁰Be and ²⁶Al

In-situ ¹⁰Be/²⁶Al in quartz. 

¹⁰Be in marine sediments. 

¹⁰Be in soil and atmosphere. 

¹⁰Be/²⁶Al in extraterrestrial samples.

Laboratory reservation process and charging standards

You can contact the heads of each laboratory via email. The detailed fee standards are as shown in the table below.

User notes

The testing accuracy of the instruments and the background are closely related to the sample type, chemical pretreatment, instrument stability, data processing, etc. Currently, the testing accuracy provided by the instruments is the standard testing accuracy for each nuclide, not the actual sample testing accuracy. Therefore, the sample submitter needs to inform the instrument staff of the key information of the sample to be tested (such as carbon content) in advance.

This laboratory only conducts measurements on naturally low-radioactive samples. It does not measure biological samples with artificially added tracers, samples related to nuclear activities, nuclear facilities, uranium mines, etc. with high radioactivity. Please inform the sample submitter of the sample source in advance and make a commitment. If there is any false information or concealment, this laboratory has the right to hold the submitter legally responsible. 

This laboratory is mainly used for basic scientific research. It does not bear legal responsibility for samples involving commercial value disputes.

Before entering this laboratory to conduct experiments, users are kindly requested to read relevant precautions and literature in advance to understand sample preparation and technical methods, etc.

References

1. The ¹⁰Be/²⁶Al in In-situ quartz

Liu, Y., Xu, S., Fabel, D., Rode, A., Zhang, X.B., et al., 2025. Cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al dating of the fluvial terraces in the Sichuan Basin, SW China: Implications for the drainage evolution of the middle Yangtze River. Quaternary Science Reviews, 369: 109653.

Liu, Y., Sun, L., Xu, S., Ma, Y., et al., 2023. Cosmogenic nuclide chronological constraints on the late Cenozoic strata of the Linxia Basin, northeast Tibetan Plateau. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 626: 111695.

Liu, Y., Liu, X.B., Wang, S.J., Xu, S., et al., 2022. Late Cenozoic channel migration of the proto-Yangtze River in the delta region: Insights from cosmogenic nuclide burial dating of onshore boreholes. Geomorphology, 407: 108228.

Liu, Y., Wang, S.J., Xu, S., Fabel, D., et al., 2022. New chronological constraints on the Plio-Pleistocene uplift of the Guizhou Plateau, SE margin of the Tibetan Plateau. Quaternary Geochronology, 67: 101237.

2. the ¹⁰Be in ocean sediments

Chu, Y.Z., Li, X.H., Yi, L., Dong, Y.H., Xie, R.F.C., Fan, Z.D., Hein, J.R., Little, S.H., Liu, Y., Matsuzaki, H. et al., 2025. A shift in ocean circulation drives variations in paleoproductivity in the North Pacific Ocean. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 671: 119669.

Konstantinova, N., Hein, J.R., Yi, L., Liu, Y., Matsuzaki, H. et al., 2025. Refined Os isotope stratigraphy of ferromanganese crusts from the Arctic Ocean and implications for polar environmental change since the late Miocene. Sedimentary Geology, 486: 106942.

3. ¹⁴C in water

Chao Yin, Yan Zeng, Jingan Chen, Guangrong Ran, Haiquan Yang, Jia Yu, Jingfu Wang, Ziyan Zhang, Xudong Guo. Quantitatively tracing the decomposition of endogenous particulate organic carbon during sinking in (sub-)deep reservoirs: Using radiocarbon isotopes Δ14C. Water Research. 2025. 271, 123003.

Jingan Chen, Haiquan Yang, Yan Zeng, Jianyang Guo, Yilong Song, Wei Ding. Combined use of radiocarbon and stable carbon isotope to constrain the sources and cycling of particulate organic carbon in a large freshwater lake, China. Science of the Total Environment. 2018, 625:27-38.

4. AMS and nuclear data

Xian-Lin Yang, Chang-Lin Lan, Yu-Ting Wei, Yi Zhang, Gong Jiang, Bo Xie, Yu Liu, Hong-Tao Shen & Xiao-Jun Sun. Cross section determination of 27Al(n,2n)26Al reaction induced by 14-MeV neutrons uniting with D-T neutron activation and AMS techniques. NUCL SCI TECH 35, 94 (2024).