Fission-track analysis using LA-ICP-MS; Techniques and procedures adopted at the new low-temperature thermochronology laboratory in Bulgaria

Balkanska, E.*; Georgiev, S.*; Kounov, A.*; Tagami, Takahiro*; Sueoka, Shigeru   

The following contribution presents fission-track experiments using LA-ICP-MS technique performed at the first low-temperature thermochronology laboratory in Bulgaria, jointly established by new Low-temperature Thermochronology Laboratory at Sofia University and Geological Institute of Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. The laboratory is established in close collaboration with Kyoto University, Japan. Here, we provide all newly adopted laboratory procedures needed to obtain fission-track ages, including sample preparation, etching, fission-track observations and measurements, LA-ICP-MS analyses of uranium contents, and age calculation. The experiments were performed on four apatite and zircon standards and samples from Upper Cretaceous and Carboniferous igneous rocks from Central Sredna Gora Zone in the central Bulgaria.