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Alegret, Ortiz & Kaminski (eds.), 2012. Ninth International Workshop on Agglutinated Foraminifera, Abstract Volume
With respect to similar techniques that perform SEM and EDS analyses mostly on the
agglutinated wall surface (e.g. Murray 1994, Bertram and Cowen, 1998; Thomens and
Rasmussen, 2008; Makled and Langer, 2009; Gooday et al., 2010; Pawlowski and Majewski,
2011) our method focussed on the cross section for: (i) documenting the internal chamber
setting and their morphological features; (ii) measuring the shell thickness and the grain
distribution; (iii) emphasizing the presence of parapores penetrating the test walls; (iv)
detecting the chemical composition of the grains and the cement, in order to eventually
highlight a mineralogical selection/arrangement.
Taking advantage of a multidisciplinary threefold approach with a telescopic
increasing resolution, we propose this methodology as a standard approach in
micropaleontological studies addressed to better understand test microstructure and
composition of fossil agglutinated foraminifera.
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