Facilities
Axial-torsion ice rig
A custom-made apparatus for measuring the strength of ice under a broad range of glaciological conditions. Designed in collaboration with ADMET, Inc.. Cylindrical ice samples sit within a cryogenic environmental chamber and can be deformed to large strains in compression, extension, torsion, and transpression/transtension. High resolution sensors record stress, strain, and strain rate during each experiment.
Thermo Scientific Helios 5 Hydra DualBeam SEM
We regularly use scanning electron microscopy to examine deformed rock and ice samples. The Central Microscopy Facility at the Marine Biological Laboratory (Woods Hole village) houses a state-of-the-art Thermo Scientific Helios 5 Hydra PFIB-SEM (plasma focused ion beam scanning electron microscope), installed in May 2024. The SEM is equipped with an Oxford Instruments Symmetry S3 EBSD detector, capable of analyzing 4500 points per second, and an Oxford Instruments UltimMax 100 EDS detector, and a Thermo Scientific cryostage. We are also capable of performing transmission Kikuchi diffraction (TKD) and high-angular-resolution EBSD (HR-EBSD) analyses, which provide spatial and angular resolution down to 10 nm and 0.006°, respectively.
Dead-weight ice creep apparatus
We have three dead-weight rigs for constant-load ice compression experiments. The dead-weight rigs were built in-house at WHOI, and use Arduino microcontrollers that log displacement and temperature at up to 5 measurements per second.
Petrographic microscopes
The lab contains a Leica DM2700 P polarizing light microscope, and a Leica S9 D stereoscope, which are used to examine natural and experimental rock samples. The DM2700 P has plane-polarized, cross-polarized, and reflected light capabilities, at magnifications up to 50x. The S9 D can take large field-of-view images (up to 38 mm across) at up to 55x magnification. A 12-megapixel CMOS camera enables us to capture high-resolution photomicrographs.
Sample preparation equipment
To cut and prepare polished rock samples for microscope analyses, we have a Buehler Isomet 1000 low-speed saw, and a Buehler Vibromet 2 vibratory polisher.
Workshop
We have a small in-house workshop, containing a benchtop lathe, drill press, band saw, and 10-ton hydraulic bench press for cutting, shaping, and coring materials.
Walk-in freezer
We are in the process of installing a 150 sq. ft. Polar King walk-in freezer (delivered September 2024), which will eventually house our various ice deformation rigs at temperatures down to −25°C.
Triaxial Griggs apparatus
The Griggs rig is a workhorse of experimental rock and mineral physics. Modified from a piston-cylinder design, this apparatus is used to measure the strength of small rock samples at high temperatures (up to 1300°C) and high pressures (up to 1.5 GPa). This apparatus was inherited from the late Harry Green II. It is currently undergoing restoration.