Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Core Preparation and Analysis Laboratory and Sample Repositories
Learn about the sediment core lab and refrigerated sample repositories at the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in Santa Cruz, California.
We process and analyze sediment cores collected from coastal, fluvial, estuarine, lacustrine, and marine environments. We have a Geotek core splitter, shrink wrap system, and a wide assortment of sampling tools and balances for core sample preparation and analysis. We store the cores, along with other sediment samples, in a large, walk-in refrigerated room that features library-style rolling shelving for efficient storage and easy access to all cores. All samples are cataloged and cross-referenced to their field activity ID, which provides the metadata about the samples.
(Left to right) Danny Brothers (PCMSC), Peter Haeussler (USGS Alaska Science Center), Maureen Walton (PCMSC), and Jamie Conrad (PCMSC) select seafloor sediment samples from cores collected along the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather fault. They are working in the Geological Survey of Canada laboratories in British Columbia, which has very similar facilities to ours in Santa Cruz.
Credit: Amy East, USGS
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Removal of sediment-filled core liner
USGS scientists Brandon Nasr, Jenna Hill, Nora Nieminski, and Jenny McKee removing a sediment-filled core liner from the jumbo piston core barrel with the picturesque northern California coastline in the background.
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USGS scientists Pete Dal Ferro and Jenny McKee securing a recently collected jumbo piston core (JPC) on the back deck of M/V Bold Horizon for preliminary core processing.
Examining core stratigraphy within Humboldt slough
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Jumbo piston corer on deck of Healy in the Arctic
Jumbo piston corer on deck of Healy in the Arctic Ocean
Jumbo piston corer
Marine technicians from the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility (MarFac) guide the jumbo piston corer into position for deployment off the ship.
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Jumbo piston corer with mud from the seafloor
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