I direct an Archaeometry lab in 306 Young Hall which serves mainly as a sample preparation lab. Archaeometric analyses, such as Stable Isotope Analysis, Electron Microprobe, and X-Ray Diffraction, are generally carried out at other laboratories on campus.
Lab Safety Documents:
- Anthropology Emergency Action Plan
- Anthropology Injury and Illness Prevention Program
- UCD Guidelines for Chemical Spill Control (SafetyNet #13)
- UCD Laboratory Safety Manual v1.2
Equipment in the archaeometry lab includes:
Fume Hood
SP Scientific Freeze Dryer
Thin sectioning equipment:
- Buehler Ecomet 3 grinder-polisher
- Buehler Isomet saw
- Vacuum pump, vacuum bell, resin, etc.
Lindberg Blue Electric Kiln with programmable controller (to 1100 C)
Low-temperature Oven (Fisher)
Organic Residue Equipment:
- N-Evap Nitrogen Evaporator (Organomation N112)
- Micro Centrifuge
Other Sample Preparation Equipment:
- Foredom Micro-Drill
- Agate Mortars and Pestles
- Rock Saw
Analytical Equipment:
- Bruker Tracer III SD Portable XRF
- Nikon Eclipse LV100 Polarizing Microscope
- Ohaus Balance (microgram sensitivity)
Digital Calipers
Dissecting Microscopes
Four thermocouples (to 1200 C) with digital data logger and PC program
A range of analytical equipment exists on campus that students can access. The anthropology department also owns a flot-tech flotation machine. In the past undergraduate students, graduate students, and myself have used the following equipment on campus:
- Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer (for chemical composition)
- X-Ray Diffractometer (for mineralogy)
- Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer (for H, C, N, S, and O isotopes)
- Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (for organic residues)
- Electron Microprobe
