There are no analogues: Laboratory and Analytical Facilities of the Karpinsky Institute

At present, the Laboratory and Analytical Service of the Karpinsky Institute includes a number of unique and unparalleled anywhere in Russia high-tech R&D centres with infrastructure, specialists, internal methods and technologies that allow for the widest range of isotopic and physical geological laboratory studies. All the laboratories have the most up-to-date, proven and accredited equipment.

The Laboratory and Analytical Service of the Karpinsky Institute consists of the following centres:

The Centre of Isotope Research is the only R&D high-tech laboratory in Russia with the infrastructure, specialists, equipment, methods and technologies that allow for the widest range of innovative isotope studies of natural and manmade materials for the natural resource industry, and it has state accreditation.

The Centre is equipped with isotope research facilities from the world's leading manufacturers. Each of the 10 devices is unique or the best in its class. Suffice it to say that there are only 15 devices like the SHRIMP-II secondary ion mass spectrometer in the world.

The Centre has recently installed a new LSX-213nm G2+ laser ablation system based on a nanosecond solid-state laser in combination with a NEPTUNE high-resolution ICP mass spectrometer.

The Central Laboratory is one of the leading analytical organisations in the geological industry. Tens of thousands of laboratory analyses are performed annually using various methods, and methodological studies are carried out to improve the quality and increase the productivity of the analytical methods used. New types of analytical studies are actively introduced to improve the overall efficiency of geological mapping and the reliability of predictive assessments in promising areas.

This year, the wide range of high-tech equipment of the Central Laboratory was supplemented by an Agilent 240 Z AA atomic absorption spectrometer. Atomic absorption spectrometry is a widely used method for analyzing various materials for a number of chemical elements.

The Grand-Potok atomic emission complex was also installed for direct multi-element quantitative and qualitative express analysis of a large number of geological powder samples of complex composition.

The Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) Laboratory is the first and only laboratory in Russia currently working on OSL dating of Quaternary formations. The OSL dating method is based on the assessment of the absorbed radiation dose during the period of sediment burial. One of the main advantages of the method is the wide distribution of material suitable for dating.

The Karpinsky Institute laboratories traditionally undergo formal proficiency testing in interlaboratory comparisons and continue to confirm their high level of competence, including international proficiency testing programmes.