UC Berkeley Paleometry Laboratory

UC Berkeley Paleometry Laboratory
Name	Paleometry Laboratory
Parent institution	University of California, Berkeley
Established	20th century
Director	[data unavailable]
Location	Berkeley, California
Field	Paleometry, paleontology, geochronology, taphonomy
Website	[institutional page]

UC Berkeley Paleometry Laboratory The UC Berkeley Paleometry Laboratory is a research unit within the University of California, Berkeley focused on geochronological analysis, fossil preparation, and quantitative chronostratigraphy. It supports interdisciplinary work linking paleontology, geology, geochemistry, and archaeology to reconstruct Earth history and evolutionary timelines. The laboratory collaborates with museums, national laboratories, and international research centers to provide radiometric dating, isotopic measurement, and micromorphological analyses.

History

The laboratory emerged from mid-20th century initiatives that connected the University of California, Berkeley with the Museum of Paleontology at Berkeley, the Department of Earth and Planetary Science, UC Berkeley, and the Seismological Laboratory to consolidate radiometric capabilities. Early links with institutions such as Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, US Geological Survey, and the Smithsonian Institution shaped methods, while collaborations with figures associated with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, California Academy of Sciences, and American Museum of Natural History expanded palaeobiological scope. During the late 20th century, grants from agencies like the National Science Foundation and partnerships with programs such as Deep Sea Drilling Project and International Geophysical Year enabled growth. The laboratory’s timeline intersects with major projects at UC Berkeley College of Letters and Science, alumni efforts at Stanford University, and regional fieldwork across the Sierra Nevada, Coast Ranges (California), and Great Basin.

Research and Methods

Research integrates radiometric techniques including Uranium–lead dating, Argon–argon dating, and Radiocarbon dating to address stratigraphic questions central to studies by collaborators at Biodiversity Heritage Library, Paleobiology Database, and the California Digital Library. Isotopic workflows align with protocols used at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Argonne National Laboratory. Microscopic and imaging approaches draw on practices from National Center for Electron Microscopy, Advanced Light Source, and European Synchrotron Radiation Facility to produce morphology datasets comparable to those housed at Natural History Museum, London, Field Museum of Natural History, and Royal Ontario Museum. Statistical and computational analyses use models developed in collaboration with groups at Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and California Institute of Technology, while phylogenetic calibration work interfaces with authors publishing in journals such as Science (journal), Nature (journal), and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Collections and Specimens

Specimens processed include vertebrate, invertebrate, and microfossil materials from deposits curated by the Museum of Paleontology at Berkeley, University Herbarium, UC Berkeley, and regional repositories like the Berkeley Geochronology Center. Collections derive from field sites associated with the La Brea Tar Pits, Mojave Desert, Channel Islands (California), and the Atacama Desert. The laboratory frequently handles specimens linked to expeditions organized with the Yosemite Field Station, Gambier Island Research Station, and international partners such as National Autonomous University of Mexico and University of Buenos Aires. Types and vouchers are cross-referenced against databases including the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and specimens exchanged with the California Academy of Sciences and Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

Facilities and Equipment

Facilities include clean labs, isotope mass spectrometers, and microdrilling rigs comparable to setups at Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research. Analytical instruments mirror those at Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Francis Crick Institute, and ETH Zurich with mass spectrometers akin to models used at Royal Institution collections. Imaging assets incorporate scanning electron microscopes, computed tomography systems similar to facilities at European Molecular Biology Laboratory, and stable isotope ratio mass spectrometers paralleling equipment in Geological Survey of Canada labs.

Staff and Collaborations

Staff comprise researchers, technicians, and postdoctoral fellows who maintain ties with departments such as Department of Integrative Biology, UC Berkeley, Department of Earth and Planetary Science, UC Berkeley, and the University of California Museum of Paleontology. Collaborators include investigators from Harvard University, Yale University, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Monash University, University of Tokyo, Peking University, Australian National University, and research consortia like International Union of Geological Sciences. Funding and cooperative projects have involved the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, European Research Council, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, and philanthropic partnerships with foundations akin to the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

Education and Outreach

The laboratory supports graduate and undergraduate training through programs aligned with UC Berkeley Graduate Division, Miller Institute for Basic Research in Science, and field courses run with partners such as National Park Service and California State Parks. Outreach includes specimen loans to institutions like Lawrence Hall of Science, curator exchanges with the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, and public lectures co-sponsored with Berkeley Public Library and community science initiatives modeled after Museum of Natural History (Los Angeles) education programs. Student internships reflect collaborations with industry partners at Chevron Corporation and research fellowships tied to Fulbright Program and Humboldt Foundation awards.

Notable Projects and Publications

The laboratory contributes to high-impact projects on chronostratigraphy, paleoecology, and extinction dynamics cited alongside studies from PaleoBios, Journal of Paleontology, and Geology (journal). Major collaborative campaigns have intersected with the Mammoth Site (Hot Springs), Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum research, and stratigraphic correlations used by investigators at International Ocean Discovery Program and Integrated Ocean Drilling Program. Publications involve co-authors from Smithsonian Institution, Field Museum, American Geophysical Union, and large datasets deposited in repositories such as Dryad (repository) and the Paleobiology Database.

Category:University of California, Berkeley