Two facilities are available for microfossil processing and analysis (primarily conodonts). Analyses assist in regional geological studies, mapping, basin analysis, and thermal maturation determinations to assess mineral and petroleum potential.
The Paleontology Research Lab is located in the new Technology Enterprise Facility (TEF), Room 120. The Acid Dissolution Lab is located on the third floor of the Cunningham Building (Cun).
Acid Dissolution Lab
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Lab is equipped for extraction of microfossils through standard acid digestion processing of carbonate rock (1 to 3 kg). |
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Digested residue are screened (washed) through 2 millimeter and 75 micrometer sieves. |
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Heavy mineral separation of the fine fraction is carried out using sodium poly-tungstate. Magnetic separation further concentrates residues with abundant iron-rich minerals. |
Processing shale and soft sediments
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Shales and soft sediments are dried, oscillated in Quaternary O or Unamine O, and sieved and washed to remove mud and concentrate microfossils. This technique is commonly used to recover calcareous (e.g. foraminifers, ostracods) and other microfossils (e.g. ichthyoliths, conodonts, radiolarians, diatoms, scolecodonts). |
Paleontology Research Lab
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Lab is equipped with research grade binocular microscopes, extensive comparative microfossil collections, and reference literature library for taxonomic determinations Microfossils are isolated from heavy mineral residue fractions through manual picking |
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Digital photomicroscope for image analysis is available in the lab An SEM is available in the Department of Biology |