Molecular Environmental Science

Microgeometry of Geological Materials

STUDY OF MICROGEOMETRY OF GEOLOGICAL MATERIALS USING SYNCHROTRON COMPUTED MICROTOMOGRAPHY

K.W. Jones

This program studied the microgeometry of geological materials using synchrotron-computed microtomography (CMT). Experiments were done using both absorption and fluorescence modes. The major portion of the work was performed at the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) X27A beam line. The CMT facility acquired data using an area detector to collect images as the sample rotated through 180 degrees. The image data were reconstructed using software developed at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The three-dimensional data obtained were then visualized using several open source and commercial software packages. The images are then displayed using either a conventional monitor or the Brookhaven Scientific Visualization Facility to see a volume representation of the data.

Experimental results included measurements on sandstones, volcanic tuff, soil and sediment samples, and micrometeorites. The data were analyzed using the 3dma program developed by W. B. Lindquist (State University of New York at Stony Brook) to obtain porosity and pathways through the porous materials. Several experiments were also carried out with fluorescence CMT at the NSLS x-ray microprobe beam line X26A and at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility to measure the distribution of trace elements in estuarine sediments. The program achieved an integrated system for CMT measurements of geological materials and completed investigations of many different systems.

Last Modified: January 31, 2008
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