APPLICATION OF MOIRE TOPOGRAPHY TO SMALL OBJECTS IN PALEONTOLOGY AND SEDIMENTOLOGY

For contouring the relief of small palaeontological or sedimentologica l objects the method of Shadow Moire Topography, already successfully applied in other fields, is recommended. When a whitened three-dimensi onal object is seen or photographed through a grating and the illumini ng light bundle passes through the same grating, equidistant planes of shadow can be produced. The latter generate contour lines on the obje ct where they intersect its surface. The theory of Shadow Moire Topogr aphy is explained by the principles of geometric optics. A simple and cost effective apparatus is proposed and examples of contoured objects are figured.