SDSS Sample Preparation Laboratory
We are pleased to share that the Sample Preparation Laboratory (SPL) is now partially reopened following the renovation.
Several facilities are currently available to trained users, including rock saws, crushing equipment, and sieving tools. Additional instruments and capabilities will continue to come online in the coming weeks. We are now resuming user training and access approvals on a rolling basis.
If you are interested in using the SPL or scheduling training, please contact Fatemeh Rassouli (fsrassouli@stanford.edu). We appreciate your patience during the renovation and look forward to supporting your research in the upgraded SPL facilities.
The Sample Preparation Laboratory (SPL) is a shared, open-access laboratory that provides centralized sample preparation techniques, instruments, technical expertise, and training that anyone at Stanford can use. SPL is equipped for various sample preparation methods, including sample crushing, grinding, and pulverization, as well as sample cutting, coring, and drilling, and mineral separation for a wide range of sample types, such as rocks, minerals, soils, and plant tissues. The most common sample preparation workflows in SPL are:
- Cutting/drilling/coring rocks for geophysical analysis or generating thin section billets.
- Powdering samples for geochemical or isotopic analysis.
- Mineral separation.
- Resin mounting and sample polishing
- Sample imaging
These work flows can be manipulated to accommodate other sample preparation needs. Reach out to the Laboratory Manager to learn more. Facilities are free to use and open to all Stanford affiliated students, staff, faculty, and visitors. The SDSS Sample Preparation Laboratory is very concerned with safe uses of machinery & chemicals and avoiding sample cross contamination.
The Sample Prep Lab is a collection of rooms in the sub-basement of the Mitchell Earth Sciences Building. Please navigate to the Equipment tab to learn more about what is available. For access to these lab rooms, read the training instructions under the Access and Training and Safety tabs or reach out to the Laboratory Manager.