Grinding Tomography Laboratory

Contact Person

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Stinnesbeck
Institute of Earth Sciences
Im Neuenheimer Feld 234
69120 Heidelberg
Phone +49 6221 54-6057
wolfgang.stinnesbeck@geow.uni-heidelberg.de
Homepage

Grinding tomography

Grinding tomography is a computer-based method for the three-dimensional analysis of the morphology of fossils, but also of other objects. Stacked parallel photos of polished surfaces are assembled to a three-dimensional model in the computer. Although the fossil is destroyed, it persists virtually in three dimensions and can thus be inventarised virtually in collections. The dataset produced with Grinding Tomography allows for a much more detailed insight into the interior morphology of fossils which are otherwise only accessable by two-dimensional polished sections.
The maximum size is ca. 200 mm x 200 mm x 250 mm and the maximum resolution is 5 µm per Voxel in all three dimensions. Precision of the three-dimensional models is thus enormously high.
The method is applied in Palaeontology, but also suitable for other fields of geosciences and beyond. In case of interest contact christina.ifrim@geow.uni-heidelberg.de.