About

Welcome to the CU TRaIL!

The CU TRaIL (Thermochronology Research and Instrumentation Lab) is a (U-Th)/He facility that is part of the Thermochronology & Geochronology Group in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder. The goals of our lab are to conduct innovative, collaborative, and high-quality research while also providing (U-Th)/He data and training to the broader Earth science community. The lab was established by Professor Becky Flowers in 2012 with support from an NSF Instrumentation & Facilities award and is managed by Dr. Jim Metcalf.

If you are interested in acquiring (U-Th)/He data for your project in our lab, or would like to discuss potential collaborations or research ideas, please contact either Dr. Becky Flowers (PI) or Dr. Jim Metcalf (lab manager). We routinely host visitors in the lab, and regularly work with scientists with varying amounts of geochronology experience and expertise, including students and early career faculty who are launching new projects. We know that every thermochronology dataset is unique, and our aim is to efficiently provide useful and high-quality data for your project. We are flexible in our approach to working with outside users depending on the project needs.

Click here for recent Publications of the Thermochronology & Geochronology Group. Click here for members of our Research Team.

Recent Lab News

  • Congratulations Dr. Barra Peak! One April 5th Barra Peak successfully defended her Ph.D. Thesis! Superb work!
  • TRaIL welcomes new postdoc Cat Ross! Cat will be working on a project called “The effects of grain-scale deformation on helium diffusion and thermochronometric ages of accessory minerals.” Welcome Cat!
  • New paper in Lithosphere! Kainz, S.J., Abbott, L.D., Flowers, R.M., Olsson, A., Fernandez, S., and Metcalf, J.R., 2024, Cenozoic Exhumation Across the High Plains of Southeastern Colorado from (U-Th)/He Thermochronology: Lithosphere, v. 2023, doi:10.2113/2023/lithosphere_2023_310.
  • See more Lab News here!
  • eight geologists standing on a rooftop patio with Santa Fe in the background
    CU TRaILers (past and present, L to R) Peter Martin (current postdoc), Jim Metcalf (lab manager), Spencer Zeigler (Ph.D. student), Barra Peak (Ph.D. student), Jess Stanley (Ph.D. 2015), Becky Flowers (head honcho), Alexis Ault (Ph.D. 2012), and Jacky Baughman (Ph.D. 2018).
  • Becky giving an invited talk at Thermo2018
  • From left to right, Undergraduate TRaIL’ers Nicole Gonzalez and Carlton Mueller, Jim, and TRaIL M.Sc. graduate Kathy Robinson at the May 1 RMAG awards luncheon.
  • Becky, Colin, Alexis Ault, and Jess Stanley during a field trip at Thermo2018
  • Jim, Becky, and Jess on the Aiguille du Midi, with Mont Blanc in the backgound, during the Thermo2014 field trip
  • Rachel and Jacky are very excited to be on top of Pikes Peak!
  • Jacky and Colin laughing at the mass spectrometer
  • Jim giving lab tours during the 2013 GSA short course

***If you were not looking for a state-of-the-art thermochronology lab, and were instead trying find out information about the 500 mile-long hiking trail from Durango to Denver, our apologies. Please click here. If you would like to see a larger collection of imposter Colorado Trails, click here.