
365Laboratory Analyses
As with SIMS, accurate quantitation of isotopic or trace-element abundances requires
matrix-matched standards. Detection limits approach 1 ng/g, depending on the laser
beam diameter, with accuracies ranging from 5% to 25% and dependent on the avail-
ability of suitable standards. Laser ablation coupled to MC-ICPMS is a powerful tech-
nique for in situ isotope-ratio measurements of a wide variety of elements, including
the actinides [41,42,62,63]. The precision and accuracy are generally in the ‰-range
for elements with concentrations >0.1 mg/g and in the %-range for elements at lower
concentrations [41,42,63].
The
principal ...