Physical geography laboratories

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The Palaeoecology Laboratory and Sediment Laboratory are open to all students as well as research and academic staff. 

A range of activities are supported through these laboratories including:

• general bench top needs
• water quality
• loss on ignition
• soil properties and particle size
• tephra, pollen and diatom preparation
• various microscope slide preparations

Both laboratories contain HF-rated fume cupboards with washdown facilities.

Temperature controlled filtered external air supplies have recently been fitted, which help to maintain a clean and safe working environment.

As well as the usual range of glassware and other consumables, the laboratories also contain:  

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The microscope room is open to all students as well as research and academic staff. 

There are various microscopes suitable for diatom, pollen, tephra, geological thin section and plant macrofossil identification.

The equipment includes:

• x1 Olympus BX50 with phase contrast
• x3 Olympus BX40 research microscopes (1 with reflected light source, including petrological stage and polariser)
• x1 Leica S6E stereomicroscope (other Leica S6E stereomicroscopes, one with a digital camera, are shared with the Beetle Lab).
• x4 Olympus C011 teaching microscopes
• x1 Vickers petrological microscope
• x1 Canon EOS 1000D Digital camera (can be connected to any BX40/50 microscope)

There is also an Optical Microscope Laboratory at the Kings Buildings campus, which is around two miles (3km) north of Edinburgh city centre.

Optical Microscope Laboratory

We have a large cold room kept at a constant 4°C.

The new large cold room is accessed from the Sediment Laboratory and provides shelf and floor space for material which needs to be kept at a constant 4°C.

Although free space is limited, the cold room is available to all users within the School and allows cores over 2 metres to be stored.

Material stored here is also available for student dissertation projects.