Equipment and Facilities - Vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory

Vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory, with 250,000 cataloged fossil specimens, nearly 8000 Recent skeletons, and an extensive library on vertebrate evolution.

Non-vertebrate Paleontology Lab, a collection of fossil invertebrates consisting of nearly 3,400,000 specimens, including over 6,000 types and figured specimens. This collection is especially strong in the following areas: Cambrian trilobites and echinoderms, Ordovician echinoderms and other groups from Oklahoma and the Rocky Mountains, Carboniferous and Permian echinoderms, insects, and other invertebrates from Texas, the Midwest, and Rocky Mountains, Jurassic ammonoids, Cretaceous ammonoids, rudistids, oysters, and other invertebrates from the southern and western US and Mexico, and Tertiary mollusks, crustaceans, insects, and other invertebrates from the southern US.

Texas Natural History Collections, a large and active collection of Recent vertebrates and non-vertebrates from Texas and adjacent regions, and from other parts of the world.

The Walther Geology Library, one of the finest collections of geological and paleontological publications and maps in the world.

High-resolution X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) Facility, a state-of-the-art high-resolution CT scanner, designed and operated expressly for the purpose of studying natural objects and materials, with associated image processing lab.

Facilities for chemical analysis, including J-Y ICPS for sequential and simultaneous analysis of major and trace elements, and atomic absorption.

Rigaku X-ray diffractometer with automated sample changer. Siemens X-ray diffractometer.

JEOL 733 microprobe, four spectrometers + EDS, image analysis.

JEOL T330A Scanning Electron Microscope with energy dispersive spectrometer and CL.

Laboratories for study of radiogenic isotope systems (K-Ar, Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd, U-Pb, and fission-track), and a multicollector Finnigan MAT 261 thermal ionization mass spectrometer with an ultra-clean laboratory.

Stable isotopes: facilities for H, O, and C analysis.

Apparatus for hydrothermal experiments to 800 degree C and 2 kb, and experiments at atmospheric pressure to 1500C under controlled oxygen fugacity.

GeoSec software for 2D cross-section construction and restoration.

Global Positioning Satellite receivers with capability for differentially corrected mapping.

Fluid inclusion laboratory with a USGS-type gas-flow heating/freezing stage for geothermometry investigations.

Fission-track thermochronology laboratory with computer automated stage and on-line data processing.

CRAY T3E &J90 with SSD supercomputers; IBM 3090; Sun Sparc stations and numerous microcomputers are available.

Paleomagnetism laboratory including superconducting magnetometer and magnetically shielded room.

Time and training on all of the above facilities are available for research projects by graduate students.