Sample Prep

• Heat a hotplate up to about 200 °C.
• Put a very small amount of sediment on a glass slide that has been labeled.
• Put a drop of water on the slide and smear it around with a toothpick.
• Put the slide on the hotplate with the labeled side hanging off the edge. Wait for it to dry, then remove.
• Put two (SMALL!!!) drops of optical glue on a glass coverslip.
• Flip the coverslip over onto the slide, then press down with a toothpick (or whatever) to spread out the glue and get rid of bubbles.
• Cure for 10 min. under a UV lamp.
• Store in a slide storage box.

Analysis

• Look at the slide in a petrographic microscope.
• Use this Smear Side Atlas to help you identify some of the minerals present in coarser fractions.