Bascom Laser Diffraction Sedimentology Laboratory, Reston, Virginia

Introduction 

At the Bascom Laser Diffraction Sedimentology Laboratory, which is located in the Florence Bascom Geoscience Center at U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) headquarters in Reston, Virginia, scientists use physical sedimentology and particle characterization techniques to conduct detailed sediment characterization. Scientists address research problems in collaboration with other USGS science centers, State geological surveys, commercial industry, universities, and other partners. Laboratory capabilities include laser diffractometry for quantitative particle-size analysis, portable x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis for determining elemental abundances in rock or sediment samples, petrographic analysis of geologic media, and mechanical sieve analysis. These methods are used to analyze soil and sediment core material from terrestrial, marine, and lacustrine environments, surface sediments from coastal regions, and calcareous materials. Work done by the laboratory supports geologic mapping, resource assessments, land change studies, and geohazard analyses.