Major new ion microprobe investment strengthens Edinburgh’s role as the UK national facility for high-precision microanalysis

The School of GeoSciences at the University of Edinburgh has commissioned a new state-of-the-art ion microprobe, strengthening Edinburgh’s role as the UK national facility for high-precision microanalysis in Earth, environmental and planetary sciences.

The new Cameca IMS 1300-HR3 Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) instrument significantly expands the analytical capabilities of the School’s Ion Microprobe Facility. Replacing the previous IMS 1270 after more than 20 years of service, the new instrument delivers major improvements in sensitivity, resolution and analytical precision, and operates alongside the Cameca IMS 7f-Geo as part of a complementary suite of instruments supporting high-precision isotopic analysis.

Part-funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the facility sits within the School’s wider microanalysis suite alongside scanning electron microscopy and electron microprobe facilities. Together, these instruments allow researchers to analyse materials at extremely small scales while preserving their geological context.

What is an ion microprobe?

Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) works by directing a finely focused beam of ions at the surface of a solid sample. This beam releases atoms and molecules from the surface, which are then analysed in a mass spectrometer to determine their elemental and isotopic composition.

What makes the technique particularly powerful is its ability to analyse microscopic regions within a sample — often just a few microns across. This allows scientists to study tiny structures within minerals, fossils or meteorites while keeping them in their original physical setting.

By working at this scale, researchers can uncover detailed evidence of how minerals formed, how planetary materials evolved, or how environmental conditions changed through time — insights that cannot be obtained from bulk chemical analyses alone.

Exploring Earth, oceans and the Solar System

One key application is geochronology - determining the age of rocks and minerals. Minerals such as zircon and apatite contain natural radioactive “clocks” based on uranium and lead. By analysing these minerals in place, researchers can determine when rocks formed, from some of Earth’s oldest minerals - zircons dating back around 4.4 billion years - to samples from modern volcanic systems.

The instrument also helps scientists study the earliest history of the Solar System. Meteorites preserve some of the oldest known materials in existence, and the ion microprobe can measure isotopic systems within them to determine when and how planetary bodies formed.

Closer to home, the instrument can reveal insights into volcanic systems and hazards. As crystals grow in magma, they can trap tiny droplets of molten rock known as melt inclusions. These microscopic pockets preserve traces of water, carbon, sulphur and other volatile elements. Measuring them helps scientists understand the composition of magma, the conditions inside magma chambers, and how volcanic gases are released during eruptions.

Image of a meteorite — The ion microprobe can measure isotopic systems within meteorites to determine when and how planetary bodies formed.

Reading past climates from microscopic records

The ion microprobe can also uncover detailed records of past environmental change.

Many marine organisms – like foraminifera and corals – grow in layers, a little like tree rings. Each layer records the chemical conditions of the seawater at the time it formed.

By measuring tiny variations in elements and isotopes such as boron, carbon and oxygen within these layers, researchers can reconstruct past ocean conditions, including changes in seawater chemistry, ocean acidity and seasonal climate patterns.

Similar approaches can be applied to fish otoliths – small calcium carbonate structures in the inner ear of fish – which grow incrementally throughout an animal’s life and can reveal migration patterns and environmental conditions experienced by individual fish.

Geos-RG-oceansandpastclimate-corals — Researchers can measure tiny variations in elements and isotopes within coral to reconstruct past ocean conditions.

Tracing Earth’s deep recycling system

The ion microprobe can also help scientists understand how materials move through Earth’s interior.

At subduction zones, oceanic plates sink into the mantle, carrying water and other elements deep into the planet. Some of this material later returns to the surface through volcanic systems — along island arcs such as the Ring of Fire, or after deeper recycling in volcanic “hot spots” like Hawaii and Iceland.

Stable isotopes such as δ¹¹B and δ¹⁸O act as chemical fingerprints of these geological processes. By measuring them in minerals and volcanic rocks, scientists can trace where materials have travelled and how they have moved through Earth’s interior.

The second day of the volcanic eruption at Geldingadalir, Fagradalsfjall. — Researchers can measure the chemical fingerprints of geological processes in volcanic rocks to trace how materials have moved through the Earth's interior.

If you would like to find out more about the research carried out using the Ion Microprobe Facility you can search through publications, reports and projects on our website:

Explore publications which used data obtained at the NERC Ion Micro-Probe (SIMS) facility

Supporting world-class research

The new IMS 1300-HR3 significantly enhances analytical capability at Edinburgh, pushing the boundaries of what can be detected and imaged. It offers higher sensitivity and mass resolution, improved stability, faster automated workflows, and advanced isotopic imaging alongside the Cameca IMS 7f-Geo, which delivers fast, highly precise measurements, enabling consistent and repeatable results.

Together, these complementary capabilities strengthen national research capacity and reinforce Edinburgh’s role as a leading hub for in-situ geochemistry and planetary science. As a NERC-supported national facility, the Ion Microprobe Facility provides researchers across the UK with low-cost access to world-leading, high-precision elemental and isotopic analysis within a unique microanalytical environment.

Access to the facility

The Ion Microprobe Facility, including the new Cameca IMS 1300-HR3 instrument, is open to researchers worldwide.

Researchers eligible to apply for a Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) grant may request facility time as part of their proposal or apply through direct access routes. Guidance, deadlines and application materials are available on the facility’s NERC access page.

Other academic researchers and commercial clients can access the facility on a charged basis.

In all cases, prospective facility users are encouraged to contact the facility team at an early stage to discuss feasibility, costs and scheduling.