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discovered_02_2013

discovered 02 .13 PORTRAIT WWW.Hzdr.DE good, and medical care is usually far away. Nevertheless, the risks were reasonable, according to the researcher. It was more important that all the members of the study group were in good condition and could tolerate the high altitude well. One student even started to exercise regularly to prepare herself for the trip. Gloaguen himself does not need to; he rides a mountain bike a lot to keep himself fit. Between Tajikistan and Afghanistan in the Pamir The recent field trip to Pamir commenced with a flight to the Tajik capital of Duschanbe. From there, the group went by car to the Pamir, then later over the border to Afghanistan. One of the most important goals was to collect rock samples for subsequent investigations. These are being studied now at the HZDR ion beam center. Gloaguen’s colleagues in the Ion Beam Analysis Group operate a facility for accelerator-based mass spectrometry. This is used to measure the proportion of specific radioactive isotopes that have originated through the interaction of cosmic radiation with rocks exposed at the Earth’s surface. From the ratios determined, the researchers can state precisely how long the rocks have already been exposed – an important clue for Gloaguen in describing the geological processes that have led to formation of the mountains. The rock samples utilized to establish the age of the mountains came not only from different altitudes, but also from the shores of several of the highest naturally- occurring water reservoirs in the world, such as Lake Sares and Yashilkul for example, both in the Pamir. They are being correlated with earthquakes – the researchers want to learn in detail when these occurred and thereby specify the rough time intervals between these natural catastrophes. The rocks help with this as well. "The processes that play a role in the formation of mountains likewise help us in detecting mineral resources," according to Gloaguen. The Helmholtz Institute in Freiberg is investigating the extent to which remote sensing methods are suited to the search for mineral resources in the Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge) of Saxony through a joint project with the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) and TU Bergakademie Freiberg. In about three years, it should become clear what quantities of mineral resources like tin and tungsten still exist in the vicinity of Geyer, a town in the Ore Mountains. Contact _Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology at HZDR and TU Bergakademie Freiberg Dr. Richard Gloaguen r.gloaguen@hzdr.de A New Institute Director at HZDR Thorsten Stumpf has been head of the Institute of Resource Ecology at HZDR since 1 October. The radiochemist moved from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) to the capital of Saxony. Up to now, Stumpf has been involved in particular with the interactions between radionuclides in radioactive waste and the geological barriers in which it is stored as well as potential host rock formations. The expert group for nuclear chemistry of the Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (GDCh, Society of the German Chemists) recently awarded him the Fritz Straßmann Prize for this research. Stumpf has brought the Helmholtz junior research group "Structures and Reactivity at the Aqueous/Mineral Interface" with him from KIT. Researchers led by Moritz Schmidt are involved here with the structures, processes, and reactions at the water/mineral interface on the molecular level. Understanding these interfaces at the molecular level plays an important role in safety research on barriers for the final disposal of nuclear waste, as dependable predictions about the transport behaviour of radionuclides for hundreds of thousands of years are required. Contact _Institute of Resource Ecology at HZDR Prof. Thorsten Stumpf t.stumpf@hzdr.de Photo: Oliver Killig

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