Home of Geology and Geochemistry
The Geology & Petrology Lab at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences houses cold-seal hydrothermal experimental equipment for rock and mineral synthesis, a Nikon petrographic microscope for transmitted and reflected light microscopy, and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscope with IR microscope. Sample preparation equipment includes saws, sample polishing equipment and custom-designed sample holders. The main focus of the lab is apatite geochemistry, but recent projects also cover biomaterials such as chitin and amber, as well as growth of efflorescent minerals on pyrite. Collaboration with UNC-CH professor Allen Glazner focuses on growth of crystals in silicic magmas as a function of temperature cycling.
Staff
- Head: Chris Tacker