X-ray fluorescence (XRF) constitutes an established technique in various aspects of material analyses. Since the late 1920ies, XRF analyses of homogenized powder samples (energy-dispersive polarization, EDF) provide clues about their chemical composition. Over the last 25 years, technological developments enabled the rapid (semi-)quantitative determination of rock chemical compostion directly in the field (handheld and portable instruments). This analytical development had a major impact on research prospects in paleoclimatology, sedimentology, stratigraphy and biogeochemistry. The University of Münster houses a wide range of expertise in terms of mapping elemental distributions by means of EDF-XRF spectroscopy (PANalytical epsilon 3XL instrument in the Institute of Mineralogy), total reflection XRF for analysis of ultra-trace analysis of particles and micrometer-scale XRF-spectrometry (Bruker M4 Tornado in the Institute of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry). The Earth System Science group at the Institute of Geology and Palaeontology now complements the suite of XRF analytical instruments through the acquisition of a portable X-ray Instrument Bruker S1 Titan 800, capable of performing portable and field analyses.

A handheld XRF spectrometer, like the Bruker S1 Titan 800, provides rapid, non-destructive measurements of the chemical composition of various materials. This allows analyses to be carried out directly in the field, on a ship, or on precious museum pieces in-situ. The robustness of the instrument makes it withstand field conditions, while at the same time, it can be used on fragile objects without causing any damage. The latter explains its growing application in palaeontology.

The Bruker S1 Titan 800 is the capstone in the continuum of XRF analysers at the WWU, and adds flexibility to (pilot) studies: From the field, to macro and micro levels. Obviously, the four different XRF instruments mentioned above (portable, EDF-XRF, TXRF and micro-XRF) can provide useful results on their own. Yet, by combining them, the comparison and inter-calibration of the different methodologies becomes feasible and, most importantly, their combination greatly enhances the potential for common objectives and collaboration between different faculties and institutes.