Preparation and analysis techniques for studies of laminated sediments

Laminated sediments commonly represent the highest resolution continuous records available of marine and lacustrine variability. To exploit this information effectively careful sampling and preparation procedures must be followed, thus the method of analysis chosen must have sufficient resolution to recover the data. The scanning electron microscope, because of its good spatial resolution, is an ideal tool for analyzing laminated sediment fabric. Backscattered electron imagery produces preserved flux data on intra-annual time-scales, which enables high-resolution fabric studies, palaeoenvironmental reconstructions and compilation of data for time-series analysis. This contribution summarizes the techniques used for laminated sediment fabric investigation and discusses the use of the scanning electron microscope, including the best preparation method for thin sections and the procedure for backscattered electron imagery analysis