The Nikon Coolscan 5000 & 9000 slide scanners each enable rapid and easy acquisition of a high-resolution image of an entire thin section in transmitted light. Both cross-polarized and non-polarized images can be obtained for the same thin section. We are using high extinction 38% neutral grey linear polarizer films (AP38-006T) for our cross-polarized images.
Note: very useful video of how to measure selected areas in photoshop: “Using Photoshop to measure areas in a histological section”
Applications
- teaching: capture the features of interest in a thin section to exhibit to a class or student;
- mapping for microanalysis: locate your points for reference during: electron probe microanalysis, or laser-ablation inductive-coupled-plasma mass-spectrometry, or secondary-ion mass-spectrometry;
- publication: for presentations, posters, manuscripts, or books.
The thin sections are scanned at 4000 dpi (optical resolution). This will provide sufficient resolution to print the image of a thin section (1.5 x 1.0 inches or 3.8 x 2.5 cm) on a sheet of paper with dimensions of 12 x 18 inches.
| non-polarized | crossed polarizers |
|---|---|
| Dolostone – Tyndall stone – dolomitized burrows, calcite dyed red Manitoba |
|
 download (30.32 MB) |
 download (28.43 MB) |
| Sandstone – Arkosic wacke Colorado Springs, Colorado |
|
 download (34.21 MB) |
 download (26.35 MB) |
| Limestone – Grainstone, Great Barrier Reef, Australia: red algae, gastropods, bivalves, echinoids, etc. |
|
 download (25.15 MB) |
 download (24.92 MB) |
| Harzburgite – Sheared garnet harzburgite Kimberley, South Africa |
|
 download (31.65 MB) |
 download (29.6 MB) |
| Kimberlite – Tuffisitic kimberlite breccia Kimberley, South Africa Two generations of olivine in perovskite-rich matrix that is highly altered |
|
 download (30.4 MB) |
 download (25.91 MB) |
| Sandstone – Quartz arenite Frontenac County, Ontario |
|
 download (31.29 MB) |
 download (21.49 MB) |
| Marble – with Tremolite vein Pilot Bay, British Columbia |
|
 download (32.24 MB) |
 download (27.06 MB) |
| Granitoid – Porphyritic granodiorite Nelson Batholith, British Columbia |
|
 download (30.86 MB) |
 download (24.34 MB) |
| Schist – Andalusite biotite schist | |
 download (29.97 MB) |
 download (22.78 MB) |
| Komatiite – Spinifex texture Munro Township, Ontario |
|
 download (28.47 MB) |
 download (26 MB) |