Quality assessment and organizational aspects of multi-element analyses of geological material with the !RI-system for routine INAA

Abstract

Geological research groups at the universities of Amsterdam and Utrecht obtain multi-element concentration data of their samples to a large extent by instrumental neutron activation analysis. At the Interfaculty Reactor Institute (IRI) of the Delft University of Technology, a system for routine INAA has been adapted to be used by laymen (non-specialists in radiochemistry), thus enabling geologists to carry out the analyses themselves. Much attention has been paid in developing the technique to the incorporation of quality control procedures, to ensure that the results reflect a realistic situation. Routinely, about 40-45 elements (including 9 REE) are determined with adequate accuracy. Procedures, performance and organizational aspects are discussed and the application of analytical data to geological problems in the Bergslagen region of central Sweden is briefly illustrated.