Digital Imaging Facility

Initial Publication Date: June 5, 2006

Amherst College

http://www.dmns.org/science/museum-scientists/james-w-hagadorn/

Contact Information

Whitey Hagadorn

(413) 542 - 2714

jwhagadorn@dmns.org

Amherst

MASSACHUSETTS

Instrument Type

CT-Scanner: Microfocus X-ray computed tomograph

Skyscan 1172

Application:

Surface analysis Micro-imaging

Typical Use:

This instrument is used to visualize and quantify the internal structure of rocks. It can be used to characterize the morphology of minerals, voids, fossils, etc. within a sample, and together with volume rendering facilities in the lab, model their spatial relationships and properties.

Unlike most CT-scanners, we have the ability to recognize relatively small objects with high fidelity, our highest resolution scans have voxel sizes of 0.4 x 0.4 x 0.4 microns. This is ideal for examining mixed mineral assemblages in heterolithic rocks. It can also be used for fossils, sed rocks, and modern biological materials.

Conditions for Use:

Submitted samples will be analyzed on a contract basis (i.e. lab personnel will do the work)
Visitors are invited to work in the lab to work with lab personnel
Visitors are invited to work in the lab to design and do the work yourself
Training Session (short course) is offered

User Fees:

The facility is available to users at no charge, pending availability. Please see lab web page for details.

Instrument Priorities:

Any of the above are welcome.

Remote Use:

No.

Sample Preparation:

No sample preparation is required, but the instrument can only fit samples less than 7 cm in diameter through its scan shield. Taller samples are possible, but scan times take longer. The _IDEAL_ shaped samples to scan are cylinders, akin to small rock cores. Odd-shaped objects can be wedged to approximate a cylinder and facilitate better scan results. Materials for wedging are available in the Hagadorn lab.

Standard Collections/Lab Blanks:

n/a

Software:

All software needed to process and render scan data (e.g., Amira, VoxBlast, VG Studio Max, NRecon) are available in house, together with 5 Tb of storage and an FTP site.