Abstract
A rapid sample preparation procedure is described to determine trace element compositions of peridotites using LA‐ICP‐MS. Peridotite powders were fused with albite in a molybdenum–graphite assembly to obtain homogeneous glasses. Best conditions for the fusion procedure (heating at 1500–1550 °C for 10–15 min with a sample‐to‐flux ratio of 1:2) were constrained with melting experiments on two USGS reference materials, PCC‐1 and DTS‐2B. Mass fractions of first series transition elements, Ba and Pb, in quenched glasses of PCC‐1 and DTS‐2B are consistent with published data within 10% RSD. Three spinel peridotite xenoliths from eastern China were analysed following both our method and conventional solution ICP‐MS. Compared with solution ICP‐MS, the relative deviations of our method for most elements were within 10%, while for the REE, Ta, Pb, Th and U, the relative deviations were within 20%. In particular, volatile elements (e.g., Pb and Zn) are retained in the glass. Compared with conventional wet chemistry digestion, our method is faster. Additional advantages are complete sample fusion, especially useful for samples with acid‐resistant minerals (spinel and rutile), and long‐term conservation of glasses allowing unlimited repeated measurements with microbeam techniques. The same approach can be used for analyses of other mantle rocks, such as eclogites and pyroxenites.