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A sledge microtome for high resolution subsampling of freeze cores

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Abstract

We describe a sledge microtome designed for the high-resolution subsampling of freeze cores. This inexpensive freeze-core microtome is capable of producing precise subsamples at mm to sub-mm resolution without sediment loss and cross-contamination. Such a subsampling resolution permits recognition of sub-decadal to annual events even in systems with low sedimentation rates. The freeze-core microtome is particularly useful for obtaining high-resolution subsamples at the environmentally important sediment-water interface due to freeze corers being capable of capturing this boundary with minimal disturbance as compared to other coring methods.

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Acknowledgments

Development of the Sledge Freeze core microtome was supported by a NSERC Strategic Project Grant and Discovery grant to RTP. We particularly thank Steve Tremblay and his team at the Carleton University Science Technology Centre (STC) for their help with instrument design and manufacture of the prototype. The STC is also acknowledged for contributing the technical drawings presented in this contribution. Additional drawings are available through the primary author, while the complete blueprints are archived with the STC and available upon request.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada

    Andrew L. Macumber, R. Timothy Patterson & Lisa A. Neville

  2. NWT Geoscience Office, P.O. Box 1500, Yellowknife, NT. X1A 2R3, Canada

    Hendrik Falck

Authors
  1. Andrew L. Macumber
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  2. R. Timothy Patterson
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  3. Lisa A. Neville
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  4. Hendrik Falck
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Correspondence to Andrew L. Macumber.

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Macumber, A.L., Patterson, R.T., Neville, L.A. et al. A sledge microtome for high resolution subsampling of freeze cores. J Paleolimnol 45, 307–310 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-010-9487-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-010-9487-4

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