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Geological Society, London, Special Publications; 1993; v. 76; p. 501-520;
DOI: 10.1144/GSL.SP.1993.076.01.27
© 1993 Geological Society of London

Analytical Techniques

Advances in analytical technology and its influence on the development of modern inorganic geochemistry: a historical perspective

Philip J. Potts, Chris J. Hawkesworth, Peter van Calsteren & Ian P. Wright

Department of Earth Sciences, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK

Since the 1960s, a range of new instrumental analytical techniques have become widely available in geochemical laboratories, replacing traditional wet chemical procedures that were in common use throughout the first half of the twentieth century. These new techniques have resulted not only in an enormous advance in analytical productivity, but also in the sensitivity with which a wide range of trace elements and isotope ratios may now be determined on a routine basis. It is argued that there is a symbiosis between analytical technology and geochemical application which has resulted in geochemistry currently being regarded as one of the dominant strands of modern geological sciences. The present paper reviews the development of this analytical revolution, evaluates the impact that successive techniques have had on geochemical thinking and looks to the future to suggest areas that may result in advances over the next decade.