ZIRCON “VACUUM CLEANER” FOR IMPROVED EFFICIENCY OF MINERAL SEPARATION

The separation of zircon crystals is essential for the accurate dating of geological events, but conventional methods are tedious and time consuming. The Jasper Canyon Research (JCR) zircon concentrating table uses a combination of water flow and shaking to concentrate heavy minerals in grooves on the table surface. The trapped heavy minerals are then removed from the grooves using a 1 ml disposable pipet. This step takes an average of over 15 minutes and for best zircon concentration the grooves need to be emptied and re-run two to three times. To make this step more efficient we developed an insert fabricated to fit the top of a 400 ml beaker with tubing connected to a vacuum pump. A piece of disposable tubing is used to draw up the water and heavy minerals caught in the grooves of the concentration table. An overflow flask sits between the vacuum pump and the collection beaker to catch water before it can enter and damage the pump. Using this system, all heavy minerals can be collected in less than three minutes. Because multiple reconcentration steps are needed to eliminate the need for toxic and expensive heavy liquids in most samples, the zircon vacuum cleaner can significantly reduce the need for and use of these chemicals. The simple design is easily modified for use in varying beaker sizes increasing the design’s accessibility. Due to its easily fabricated design, it can be adapted by other labs for a variety of uses.