Continuous physical, geotechnical and geochemical characterization of unconsolidated marine sediment cores for sedimentological and environmental studies
The marine core processing and sedimentology facility performs non–destructive sedimentological analyses of physical properties of marine sediment cores including X-ray computed tomography, gamma density, P-wave velocity, magnetic susceptibility, color spectrophotometry and X-ray fluorescence for elemental composition. The laboratory also routinely does discrete physical properties of sediment such as shear vane measurements and transverse longitudinal acoustic velocity. Sediment core subsamples can then be analysed for particle size and shape as well as X-ray diffraction for identification of clay minerals. The laboratory has expertise in marine and lacustrine sedimentology.
Specialized analysis and method development.
Collaborative projects are treated on a case-by-case basis and selected through a proposal system. Criteria for collaborative projects include that the project is aligned and contributes to advancing laboratory strategic goal and that it is closely aligned with current Geological Survey of Canada program. Collaborative projects are undertaken on a cost-recovery basis.
- Construction (including building, civil engineering, specialty trades)
- Energy
- Environmental technologies and related services
- Mining, minerals and metals
- Ocean industries
Specialized labs and equipment
| Equipment | Function |
|---|---|
| Geotek XCT (X-Ray computed tomography) | 2D or 3D X-ray reconstruction of sediment cores |
| Geotek MSCL-S (multi-sensor core logger – standard), whole core | Whole core physical properties (gamma density, P-wave velocity, magnetic susceptibility, non-contact resistivity) |
| Geotek MSCL-S (multi-sensor core logger – standard), split core | Split core physical properties of sediment (point sensor magnetic susceptibility, color spectrophotometry, photography) |
| Geotek MSCL-XZ (multi-sensor core logger – benchtop) | X-ray fluorescence core logger with magnetic susceptibility and color spectrophotometry |
| Beckman Coulter LS 13 320 Particle sizing analyzer | Grain-size from 0.017 µm to 2000 µm |
| ATS Scientific Camsizer | Digital image processing particle size and shape analysis system for particles 20 µm to 30 mm |
| Siemens D-500 X-ray diffractometer | X-ray diffractometer for qualitative identification of clay minerals |