Supported projects

X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyses provide ultra-fast, non-destructive, and sub-millimetric resolution access to the full chemical composition of sedimentary archives (both marine and continental), thus offering exceptional tracers for climatic and environmental changes. The LSCE’s XRF core scanner (acquired in 2019) is one of the most advanced in France and the only equipment of its kind in the Paris region. It therefore plays a central role in the Île-de-France region in the scientific analysis and exploitation of the sedimentary archives stored in the LSCE, GEOPS and MNHN core repositories of the region. Integrated into the PANOPLY analytical platform (Plateforme Analytique en géOsciences de Paris-Saclay) led by the LSCE and GEOPS research institutes, the LSCE’s XRF scanner is shared internally by four LSCE teams and regularly hosts users from the Île-de-France region (GEOPS, LOCEAN, MNHN), as well as national and international users. The current X-ray source of the LSCE scanner is showing accelerated signs of failure, with a proven decline in performance and fluctuations in amperage, which threatens the quality of analyses and the continuity of research. The SourceX project aims to replace it with a state-of-the-art X-ray source to prevent an imminent breakdown and maintain the analytical capabilities of the XRF scanner, which are crucial for student training and ongoing projects on the Earth’s (paleo)climate dynamics and the impacts of human activities on the environment within the framework of national and international collaboration projects.