Laboratory Methods

Physical Properties

Lab Documentation

This site covers most of the physical properties measurements on sediment and rock cores. For paleomagnetic measurements on cores, see the Paleomagnetism laboratory. For downhole measurements of physical properties, see Downhole Measurements.

Physical Properties Measurement Types

MEASUREMENT	SYSTEM TYPE
Core logging
Whole core multisensor track (WC-MST)	ODP custom design
• Gamma ray attenuation (WC-GRA) bulk density	GEOTEK
• Magnetic susceptibility (WC-MS)	Bartington MS2C
• Natural gamma radiation (WC-NGR)	ODP custom design
• P-wave velocity logger (WC-PWL)	modified GEOTEK
Split core logger A	ODP custom design
• Diffuse color reflectance and colorimetry	Minolta CM-2002
• Magnetic susceptibility (SC-MS)	Bartington MS2E1
• Line-scan color imaging	x
Split core logger B	ODP custom design
• Gamma ray attenuation (SC-GRA) bulk density	GEOTEK
• P-wave velocity logger (WC-PWL)	GEOTEK
• Resistivity	x
Discrete measurements on whole core or split core
• Thermal conductivity (TC) on whole or split core	TK04 needle probe system
• P-wave velocity on split core	ODP (PWS1, PWS2, PWS3)
• Shear strength on split core	ODP automated vane shear (AVS)
Measurements on extracted core samples
• Moisture and Density (MAD)	Quantachrome pycnometer
• P-wave velocity on rock cubes or cylinders	ODP (PWS3)

Resources

Ship tour
ODP Technical Note 27: Physical properties handbook: a guide to the shipboard measurement of physical properties of deep-sea cores (Blum, 1997) (ODP web site)
Thermal Data Collection and Heat Flow Recalculations for ODP Legs 101-180 (ODP web site)

For comments or questions, please contact webmaster@iodp.tamu.edu.