42 Paleontology: The Analytical Toolkit: Evaluating Bias, Specimens, and Relationships (Posters)

Sunday, 1 November 2015
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Exhibit Hall

AMBER PROJECTS AT THE ADVANCED PHOTON SOURCE (ANL)

Paper number: 42-7
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM

Authors

Abstract

Synchtron-radiation-based tomography is one of the most versatile techniques for working with amber inclusions. The method allows for detailed study of the anatomy of plants and animals trapped in fossil resins at the micrometer scale, and for virtual dissections and examination of internal structures.

We detail several amber-inclusion projects coordinated by the Advanced Photon Source (APS), one of the primary synchrotron light sources in the USA. We specifically highlight how synchrotron imaging aids in the study of various insect (bees, flies, beetles among others), arachnid (spiders, opilionids), and plant species from both the Mesozoic and Cenozoic. All results were obtained using the tomography beamline 2BM at the APS, but they encompass the wide range of analyses that are possible with synchtron-radiation-based tomography.