Geography and earth sciences laboratories

Learn more about the resources available in these subject areas
3d illustration of a soil slice, high mountains with lake isolated on white background. Credit: Khadi Ganiev, courtesy of Getty Images

The geography and earth science laboratories support undergraduate/postgraduate programmes and research work in Geography and Earth Sciences. Our laboratories contain state-of-the art instrumentation to support cutting-edge research by staff and students.

Soils, Sediment and Water Laboratories

These laboratories have a wide range of capabilities including:
  • cold store and freezer store of samples
  • sediment air drying, cool/hot oven and freeze-drying preparation
  • air filtration and dust extraction facilities
  • soil and sediment sample milling and preparation using a Retsch P5 planetary mill for subsequent ICP-MS/XRF analysis in the analytical research facilities
  • particle size analysis by wet and dry sieving, sedimentation by Andreasan pipetting and METER Group automated Pario instrumentation, laser diffraction with automated Malvern Panalytical MS2000 and MS3000, wet suspension image analysis with Malvern Hydro Insight system
  • lab-based rainfall simulation, soil erosion experimental work and soil aggregate stability
  • soil pore size distribution assessment by sand table and pressure plate methods
  • loss-on-ignition organic matter content analysis by furnacing including microwave furnacing lab-based hydraulic conductivity with constant and falling head apparatus and employing METER Group automated Ksat instrumentation
  • basic soil and water chemistry: suspended sediment concentrations, pH, conductivity, turbidity, P and N concentrations
  • micro plastic separations
  • basic geotechnical work (Atterberg limits, basic shear stress)
Contact: Mr Richard Hartley, Room 703a, Davy Building

The Sampling and Coring Room

With core stores, fridges and sampling space, our sampling and core room is a space that sediment cores and samples can be initially assessed, described, and sub-sampled. This space also houses wet processing facilities for bulk samples (sediments, insects, forams and plants), sieving, a freeze dryer and specialist ovens.

Environmental Chemistry lab

This chemical lab space provides a clean space and facilities for sample prep and processing for palaeoecology, sedimentology, geochemistry and micropalaeontology. With fume cupboards for processing with both acids and alkalis, they are equipped to undertake a range of analytical techniques such as pollen, diatom, insect, foraminifera, fungal spore, plant macrofossil, testate amoeba, and tephra analyses. These proxies can be used to investigate topics including past geological and quaternary environmental and landscape change, environmental archaeology, changes in past sea-level, palaeoclimatology, and early agriculture. Once processed materials can be analysed in our Geo-Lab, alongside our Imaging Suite which comprises of a range of low- and high-power microscopes, including dedicated camera and image analysis software. A pollen reference collection and range of identification keys for various proxies is also available. More information on the imaging suite is given below.
Contact: Dr Marc Davies , Room 708, Davy Building

Rock Preparation Workshop

The rock preparation workshop is used to undertake all aspects and scales of rock preparation in support of our teaching and research laboratories, from quickly processing large volumes of rock to mounting individual grains of volcanic ash. We can split, cut, drill, core, crush, mill, and grind most types of geological material to the level of accuracy that is required for research in earth science.
Geography labs
Geography labs
Geography labs

Microscope Imaging Suite

Our dedicated clean Microscopy and Imaging Suite is designed for high level microscope work and imaging. We have a number of different microscopes and imaging equipment in the lab.
Nikon Eclipse LV100POL provides transmission and reflectance microscopy for polished blocks, thin sections and resin mounted grains or specimens. The mounted Nikon DS-Fi3 digital camera and the NIS-elements imaging software enables high resolution image capture. The Marzhauser Tango automated stage enables high resolution scanning of large areas, such as full thin sections and polished blocks, and 3D imaging combining automated Z stacking, and stitching to produce high resolution focused images of microfauna, microplastics, sediments, fossils and more. The imaging software can also be utilized for data analysis, with precision measurement functions, point counting, and threshold mapping of minerals.
Canon EOS 7D with two macro lenses, the EFS 60mm and the MP-E 65mm 1-5X, for specimen photography. This camera can be mounted on to high and low power microscopes, as well as used on the camera copy stand with lighting. With dedicated imaging software for the camera, and the Helicon Focus stacking software, high-resolution three-dimensional images of material can be taken.
Nikon Eclipse 50iPOL is dedicated to Cathodoluminescence (CL) microscopy. Mounted with an Optical Cathodoluminescence Stage and cold-cathode electron gun (CITL Cathodoluminescence Mk 5.2), this microscope can be used in the petrographic analysis of sediments. In carbonates to assess petrography, and diagenesis of both cements and fossil components; and in siliciclastics to unravel the provenance of grains, as well as assess diagenetic minerals and fabrics. Additionally, CL can also be applied to ore deposit geology, petroleum geology and archaeology. With dedicated image capture software and a Tucsen Dhyana digital camera, images can be easily taken and saved.
Biological microscopes for palynological analysis, polarising microscopes for geological materials, and low power microscopes for microfaunal, microplastic or invertebrate and plant analysis are also available. These are all equipped with cameras and screens utilising Leica, Olympus, Nikon and Kopa lab software for imaging and analysis.
We are also able to offer scanning electron microscopy on our JEOL JCM-7000 Neoscope. Able to image samples in both low and high vacuum, we can also provide gold sputter coating for samples that require this.
Full training and support can be given on all equipment and processing techniques.
Contact: Dr Marc Davies, Room 807, Davy Building

Geo Lab

Designed to undertake a range of Earth Science processing and analytical techniques for paleoenvironmental analysis, geochemistry, and both hard and soft rock analysis, the Geo Lab consist of wet and dry processing areas, analytical lab space, and a microscopy space.
The wet lab is equipped to carry out sample processing for sediment analysis, micro- and macro-palaeontology, and geochemistry. From crushing and sieving, to acid digestion and solvent sample processing, all aspects of sample preparation can be undertaken here.
Space is also available for water chemistry, with an ultra pure water system, deionised water, and space to undertake analyses.
Once processed, samples can be analysed in the dry lab, or measured on our geochemical instrumentation including stable isotope mass spectrometry (carbon, oxygen and organic carbon); ICP-MS; and ICP-AES.
The dry lab has a focus on analysis, with a range of high-power petrological microscopes, low power binocular microscopes, and biological microscopes available, all fitted with cameras and screens for accessibility of analysis. This enables environmental, geographical and geological samples to be analysed in a clean space, enabling the detailed analysis of microfauna and flora, sediments, microplastics, minerals and micro-meteorites. Samples in this space can also be micro-drilled for geochemical analysis within dust hoods for clean precision work.
Geography labs
Geography labs
Geography labs

Paleomagnetic Laboratory

The Paleomagnetic Laboratory allows our students and researchers to conduct a range of geological, physical geography and environmental projects by analysing the magnetic properties of rocks, sediments and other materials.
Examples of recent projects include:
  • investigating how magma moves into and out of magma chambers during the creation of new oceanic crust by seafloor spreading, by using magnetic anisotropy to determine the orientation of crystals in oceanic crustal rocks preserved in the Oman mountains
  • magnetostratigraphic dating of sedimentary sequences recovered by scientific ocean drilling from below the seafloor in the Aegean and Philippine Seas using the records they contain of reversals of the Earth’s magnetic field through time
  • determining the distribution of metal pollutants associated with the extraction and transportation of massive sulphide resources in Cyprus
  • quantifying patterns of accumulation of traffic-derived metal pollutants in tree bark samples in urban environments.
Equipment includes:
  • a Magnetic Measurements Ltd MMLFC shielded room, providing a near zero magnetic field environment for undertaking analyses of samples
  • AGICO JR6 and Molspin spinner magnetometers, used to measure the natural or laboratory-induced magnetisation of samples
  • Magnetic Measurements Ltd MMTD80 and MMTD1 thermal demagnetizers and an AGIGO LDA-3 alternating field demagnetizer, used to separate different magnetizations acquired by rocks at different stages in their geological evolution
  • AGICO KLY5A and KLY3S anisotropy systems, for determining magnetic fabrics in rocks resulting from preferred orientations of crystals and grains
  • miscellaneous equipment including an AGICO PUMA pulse magnetizer and Bartington Instruments susceptibility meters (including a surface scanning sensor for in situ susceptibility measurements in the field)
  • a variety of rock drills and accessories for collection of oriented drill core samples in the field.
We also have a range of non-paleomagnetic geophysical equipment, including:
  • a Geometrics 24-channel Geode Exploration Seismograph system for seismic refraction experiments (“hammer seismics”)
  • a Geometrics G-857 proton precession magnetometer, with GPS and a second sensor for gradiometer operation
  • a Geometrics G-857 base station magnetometer
  • ABEM Terrameters for resistivity surveying.
Paleomagnetic Laboratory
Paleomagnetic Laboratory
 

Support staff