A QUICK AND INEXPENSIVE SAMPLE PREPARATION METHOD FOR AMS MICROFABRICANALYSIS IN FINE-GRAINED SEDIMENT

Unless disturbed by postdepositional processes, sedimentary grain fabr ic reflects the physical conditions at the time of sediment deposition . An isotropy of magnetic susceptibility, or AMS, is a sophisticated v et simple method for measuring grain fabric, In most cases this techni que requires a self-supporting, right-cylindrical sample, and as a res ult unlithified sediment needs first to be lithified, Generally this i s done with expensive, time-consuming resin impregnation procedures. I n consolidated, mud-rich, clast-poor sediment, however, a new techniqu e of cyclical steaming and (steam) soaking proved to be highly effecti ve in softening the sediment sample enough so that it could be cored f or AMS-sample preparation. Using this new method, samples were prepare d in about 90% less time and for only 10% of the cost of standard impr egnation techniques.