Use of the electron microscope in micropaleontological studies

Electron micrographs were prepared from core samples of carbonate bottom sediments from Tongue of the Ocean Channel in the Bahamas in order to study incipient secondary grain growth. Carbonate fragments can be identified as fossil or detrital crystalline, but no precipitated carbonate is found. The micrographs show extreme detail of internal and external structures of the microfossils and fragments. Preparation of styrene replicas from sample material is described in detail, and applications of the technique to micropaleontology are discussed.

This record provided courtesy of AGI/GeoRef.