Our Sedimentology Laboratory is well equipped for the routine investigation of sediment cores.
We undertake most preliminary processing of sediment cores in the well-equipped lake core repository (Continental Scientific Drilling Facility) of the Limnological Research Center on the University of Minnesota’s Minneapolis campus. This includes core logging for magnetic susceptibility, gamma ray bulk density, and sound wave velocity; core splitting, digital imaging of cores, and preliminary sampling for time-sensitive parameters such as water content.
Analyzing Sediment Cores
LLO's laboratory has microscope facilities, capabilities for various sediment digestions and analyses, as well as ovens, freeze-driers, balances, and ancillary equipment. Grain-size analyses are done by laser diffraction on a Beckman Coulter LS 13320 Analyzer.
Temporary Cold Storage
LLO has a cold room to store up to 600 m of split sediment core at 4°C. This limited storage space is used for cores that are under current investigation by LLO scientists and students. Once current investigations are completed, the cores are transferred to the Continental Scientific Drilling Facility on the Twin Cities campus for long-term storage and access by the international science community.
Contact Robert Brown regarding analytical services.