Microns Matter Methods In Thin Section Manufacture And Analysis
Description
The “Boudreaux Bend Bends” are an enigmatic set of alluvial, fluvial, and lacustrine sediments that are incised by the modern North Fork of Triplett Creek fluvial channel. These beds contain an abundant palynoflora and multiple leaf beds. However, no information exists about their sediment source, and there is much debate about the environments in which the sediments were deposited. Sedimentary petrology and grain-size analysis data will help resolve this debate and provide the information needed about the depositional system prior to publication of the palynology results. Before these analyses could be undertaken, however, the thin section machines needed to be repaired and skill in thin-section polishing developed. This presentation outlines the process making grain-mounts of sediment, resurfacing the thin-section machines’ plattens so that micron-scale wafers of grain-mounts could be cut, cutting thin-section wafers, and the polishing process needed to produce even 30-micron thick thin sections.