The Aqueous Chemistry Lab is used for analysis of major and trace element compositions in natural waters and sediments. The lab provides data to research in environmental geosciences and for studies in disciplines related to pollution and environmental geosciences at the Dept. of Geosciences. It also has years of experience in providing analyses to a range of external clients.
The Electron Microprobe Analyzer (EMPA) provides in-situ qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis of minerals and other solid materials at the micrometer scale. We have extensive experience in performing high-quality microanalyses for research and education at the Dept. of Geosciences, Material Sciences and other Institutes at UiO, for other Norwegian and Nordic research institutions as well as for industry clients.
The core of this laboratory is a Microscope Slide Scanner, which provides high-resolutions scans of thin sections or other microscopic samples. These virtual samples can be analyzed digitally in the Zeiss ZEN software and are used to get detailed overviews of samples, to make publication-quality figures, and to do more advanced image analysis. The scanner is complemented by two high-end petrographic microscopes. All instruments are part of the Goldschmidt Laboratory.
In the Organic Geochemistry Lab we analyse organic components in oils and environmental samples. The lab has over the years served as a research laboratory for several masters and PhD students in petroleum and environmental geosciences. The lab does not offer analyses, but the lab's instruments may by appointment be used by students and academic staff under the supervison of the lab personell.
Several marine instruments are used in the field both in teaching activities in physical oceanography in the Oslo-fjord and for research activities at Department of Geosciences, UiO. The main instrument is the CTD (conductivity-temperature-depth) permanently mounted onboard on one of the UiOs research vessels – F/F Trygve Braarud.
The research infrastructure at the Dept. of Geosciences has a range of several advanced instruments. Geological samples have to be pretreated and prepared before they can be analysed in the instruments. Here you will find a list of the most important joint facilities which our staff use in making the samples ready for analysis in the laboratories.
The department hosts two scanning electron microscopes (SEM). One is a high-end variable pressure FEG-SEM with dual EDS and high-resolution EBSD and cathodoluminescence (CL) system, the other one a smaller, tabletop SEM that is quick to set up and easy to use. The electron microscopes are used by researchers and students from a range of fields: sedimentology, environmental, petroleum, isotope- and structural geology, petrology, mineralogy, and micro-paleontology.
The Cold Climate Container is a modular laboratory facility and workshop designed to simulate atmospheric, hydrological and biological processes at high latitudes. The container has advanced instrumentation for studying ice formation and generating artificial snow that mimics a range of natural snowfall properties (e.g. habits). The lab allows for long-term experiments investigating how ecosystems respond to varying temperatures and snow covers. It is currently in use in research projects and teaching purposes at the Dept. of Geosciences, UiO. It can be booked for additional experiments by project partners and external users, depending on availability.
Also called DroneLab@UiO, the Drone Infrastructure Lab is equipped with a variety of drone systems ranging from light to heavy with payloads and sensors suitable for acquiring data on relevant scientific processes. The lab is used in both research and teaching in the Department of Geosciences, and services are also provided to external clients. Since 2021, the lab serves as a core infrastructure for research at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences.
The Flow Rig Laboratory (in Norwegian; Strømningslaben) provides experiments on water flood, liquid-liquid and liquid-gas relative permeability in situ reservoir conditions in core samples. Since 2012, the The Flow Rig Laboratory has served as a research facility for PhD research fellows and scientists at the Dept. of Geosciences, UiO. The lab is also open for routine measurements to industry clients and non-UiO organisations.
The Friction and Interface Lab is used in Earth Science to analyse rock samples, and other geo-materials, biological samples could also be analysed. The laboratory was newly upgraded in the past 3 years and interconnects with the Flow Laboratory at the Dept. of Physics. Together they provide high quality analyses for UIO researchers and external partners. The lab also provides teaching at the Dept. of Geosciences.
In the ICPMS mass spectrometry lab we analyse isotopic ratios and elemental concentrations in solid matter and solutions. Used primarily for U-Pb and Lu-Hf analysis of zircon, but other types of analyses/samples are possible. The lab has over the years provided analyses of high quality for our own researchers and partners, and for teaching at the Dept. of Geosciences.
The Ivar Giæver Geomagnetic Laboratory (IGGL) is a Norwegian national research infrastructure for geomagnetism, paleomagnetism and rock magnetism hosted by CEED, UiO. The lab provides (after application and by agreement) researchers in Norway and abroad access to state-of-the-art research facilities. The lab is located at Campus Blindern (UiO), Oslo.
The Ivar Giæver Geomagnetic Laboratory (IGGL) is a Norwegian national research infrastructure for geomagnetism, paleomagnetism and rock magnetism hosted by CEED, UiO. The lab provides (after application and by agreement) researchers in Norway and abroad access to state-of-the-art research facilities. The lab is located at Campus Blindern (UiO), Oslo.
The LATICE-Flux Infrastructure Lab consist of a stationary and a mobile eddy-covariance flux system. The stationary flux-tower is installed at the Finse Alpine Research Centre – Norway. Both the stationary and the mobile instruments measure energy-, CO2- and H2O-fluxes, in addition to standard meteorological parameters. The lab is built up and managed by the research group LATICE, Dept. of Geosciences, UiO.
The Micropaleontology- and Palynological Lab (MicroPalLab) is used by two research disciplines. The facilities are used both for cultivation, extraction and identification of living and dead seafloor micro-organisms, and to study sedimentary organic matter and palynomorphs (organic walled microfossils) from sedimentary rock samples. The lab is used in research- and teaching activities at the Dept. of Geosciences.
The Dept. of Geosciences has a workshop and laboratory for preparation of thin sections of geological materials. With long experience making such for research, teaching and industry we offer high quality preparation of thin sections as required for further microscopy and microanalysis.
The TIMS lab provides high-precison U-Pb dating of zircon and other uranium enriched minerals by isotope dilution thermal ionisation mass spectrometry. The lab has extensive experience in the determination of the timing of geological events. The method is applied to the resolution of many diverse problems in research, and also for assisting exploration programme in industry and for teaching at the Dept. of Geosciences.
The X-ray labs have two advanced instruments: the X-ray diffraction (XRD) instrument and the X-Ray fluorescence (XRF) instrument. The labs serves in teaching activities and in providing analyses to research projects at the Department of Geosciences. The labs also offer services to other research departments and institutes, as well as clients from industry.