Geochemical analysis method ICP-MS

Preparation

Each sample was air-dried at ambient temperature, disaggregated, and sieved to <2 millimeters (mm). The <2-mm material was then crushed to <150 micrometers (µm) prior to chemical analysis. The sample was decomposed using a near-total four-acid (hydrochloric, nitric, hydrofluoric, and perchloric) digestion at a temperature between 125 and 150 °C

Bibliographic reference

Briggs, P.H., and Meier, A.L., 2002, The determination of forty-two elements in geological materials by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, chap. I of Taggart, J.E., Jr., ed., Analytical methods for chemical analysis of geologic and other materials, U.S. Geological Survey: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 02-223, 14 p.

[http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/ofr-02-0223/I20NAWQAPlus_M.pdf]

Database fields pertinent to ICP-MS

ag_ppm

Element:	Ag
Units:	mg/kg
Description:	Silver (Ag) concentration, in milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg), measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after a near-total digestion in a mixture of HCl, HNO3, HClO4, and HF. Precision of one unit.
Lower limit:	1 mg/kg

be_ppm

Element:	Be
Units:	mg/kg
Description:	Beryllium (Be) concentration, in milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg), measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after a near-total digestion in a mixture of HCl, HNO3, HClO4, and HF. Precision of one decimal place.
Lower limit:	0.1 mg/kg

bi_ppm

Element:	Bi
Units:	mg/kg
Description:	Bismuth (Bi) concentration, in milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg), measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after a near-total digestion in a mixture of HCl, HNO3, HClO4, and HF. Precision of two decimal places.
Lower limit:	0.04 mg/kg

cd_ppm

Element:	Cd
Units:	mg/kg
Description:	Cadmium (Cd) concentration, in milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg), measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after a near-total digestion in a mixture of HCl, HNO3, HClO4, and HF. Precision of one decimal place.
Lower limit:	0.1 mg/kg

ce_ppm

Element:	Ce
Units:	mg/kg
Description:	Cerium (Ce) concentration, in milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg), measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after a near-total digestion in a mixture of HCl, HNO3, HClO4, and HF. Precision of two decimal places.
Lower limit:	0.05 mg/kg

co_ppm

Element:	Co
Units:	mg/kg
Description:	Cobalt (Co) concentration, in milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg), measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after a near-total digestion in a mixture of HCl, HNO3, HClO4, and HF. Precision of one decimal place.
Lower limit:	0.1 mg/kg

cs_ppm

Element:	Cs
Units:	mg/kg
Description:	Cesium (Cs) concentration, in milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg), measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after a near-total digestion in a mixture of HCl, HNO3, HClO4, and HF. Precision of one unit.
Lower limit:	5 mg/kg

ga_ppm

Element:	Ga
Units:	mg/kg
Description:	Gallium (Ga) concentration, in milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg), measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after a near-total digestion in a mixture of HCl, HNO3, HClO4, and HF. Precision of two decimal places.
Lower limit:	0.05 mg/kg

in_ppm

Element:	In
Units:	mg/kg
Description:	Indium (In) concentration, in milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg), measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after a near-total digestion in a mixture of HCl, HNO3, HClO4, and HF. Precision of two decimal places.
Lower limit:	0.02 mg/kg

la_ppm

Element:	La
Units:	mg/kg
Description:	Lanthanum (La) concentration, in milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg), measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after a near-total digestion in a mixture of HCl, HNO3, HClO4, and HF. Precision of one unit.
Lower limit:	0.5 mg/kg

mo_ppm

Element:	Mo
Units:	mg/kg
Description:	Molybdenum (Mo) concentration, in milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg), measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after a near-total digestion in a mixture of HCl, HNO3, HClO4, and HF. Precision of two decimal places.
Lower limit:	0.05 mg/kg

nb_ppm

Element:	Nb
Units:	mg/kg
Description:	Niobium (Nb) concentration, in milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg), measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after a near-total digestion in a mixture of HCl, HNO3, HClO4, and HF. Precision of one decimal place.
Lower limit:	0.1 mg/kg

pb_ppm

Element:	Pb
Units:	mg/kg
Description:	Lead (Pb) concentration, in milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg), measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after a near-total digestion in a mixture of HCl, HNO3, HClO4, and HF. Precision of one decimal place.
Lower limit:	0.5 mg/kg

rb_ppm

Element:	Rb
Units:	mg/kg
Description:	Rubidium (Rb) concentration, in milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg), measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after a near-total digestion in a mixture of HCl, HNO3, HClO4, and HF. Precision of one decimal place.
Lower limit:	0.2 mg/kg

sb_ppm

Element:	Sb
Units:	mg/kg
Description:	Antimony (Sb) concentration, in milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg), measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after a near-total digestion in a mixture of HCl, HNO3, HClO4, and HF. Precision of two decimal places.
Lower limit:	0.05 mg/kg

sc_ppm

Element:	Sc
Units:	mg/kg
Description:	Scandium (Sc) concentration, in milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg), measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after a near-total digestion in a mixture of HCl, HNO3, HClO4, and HF. Precision of one decimal place.
Lower limit:	0.1 mg/kg

sn_ppm

Element:	Sn
Units:	mg/kg
Description:	Tin (Sn) concentration, in milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg), measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after a near-total digestion in a mixture of HCl, HNO3, HClO4, and HF. Precision of one decimal place.
Lower limit:	0.1 mg/kg

te_ppm

Element:	Te
Units:	mg/kg
Description:	Tellurium (Te) concentration, in milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg), measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after a near-total digestion in a mixture of HCl, HNO3, HClO4, and HF. Precision of one decimal place.
Lower limit:	0.1 mg/kg

th_ppm

Element:	Th
Units:	mg/kg
Description:	Thorium (Th) concentration, in milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg), measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after a near-total digestion in a mixture of HCl, HNO3, HClO4, and HF. Precision of one decimal place.
Lower limit:	0.2 mg/kg

tl_ppm

Element:	Tl
Units:	mg/kg
Description:	Thallium (Tl) concentration, in milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg), measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after a near-total digestion in a mixture of HCl, HNO3, HClO4, and HF. Precision of one decimal place.
Lower limit:	0.1 mg/kg

u_ppm

Element:	U
Units:	mg/kg
Description:	Uranium (U) concentration, in milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg), measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after a near-total digestion in a mixture of HCl, HNO3, HClO4, and HF. Precision of one decimal place.
Lower limit:	0.1 mg/kg

w_ppm

Element:	W
Units:	mg/kg
Description:	Tungsten (W) concentration, in milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg), measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after a near-total digestion in a mixture of HCl, HNO3, HClO4, and HF. Precision of one decimal place.
Lower limit:	0.1 mg/kg

y_ppm

Element:	Y
Units:	mg/kg
Description:	Yttrium (Y) concentration, in milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg), measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after a near-total digestion in a mixture of HCl, HNO3, HClO4, and HF. Precision of one decimal place.
Lower limit:	0.1 mg/kg