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A device for precision splitting of micropaleontological samples in liquid suspension

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 May 2016

D. B. Scott
Affiliation:
Centre for Marine Geology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 3J5, Canada
J. O. R. Hermelin
Affiliation:
Deep Sea Geology Division, University of Stockholm, S-10691 Stockholm, Sweden

Extract

The impetus for writing this paper has come from many people who have shown an interest in the device we describe; prior to this paper, we had no reference to provide for interested parties. The original device was described in Elmgren (1973) and illustrated in Thomas (1986). These papers are not readily available to many micropaleontologists; hence, we felt the need to redescribe it here with a few modifications. Traditionally, foraminiferal researchers, especially those working in fossil deposits, work on samples that are first processed and then dried. To split these dry samples to aliquots of manageable numbers of foraminifera, they use the well-known “Otto” microsplitter, which provides accurate splits plus or minus 10–20 percent.

Type
Paleontological Notes
Copyright
Copyright © The Paleontological Society 

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