High-precision in situ analysis of Pb isotopes in melt inclusions by LA-ICP-MS

Abstract

We report preliminary analytical results of ²⁰⁶Pb-based lead isotope ratios of olivine-hosted melt inclusions in basalt lavas from Rarotonga Island, Cook-Austral Islands in Southern Pacific, using femtosecond laser ablation-multiple Faraday collector-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. This method enables high-precision analysis of Pb isotopes from low-Pb (<10 ppm) melt inclusions with a crater size of ~30 μm diameter and depth. The small crater size allows for further analysis of major and trace elements from the same melt inclusions.