An Effective Polychromatic X-ray Beam for Quantitative Analysis of Fossil Compositions

A presentation of preliminary results of an ongoing study of fossils deposited in the Frenchman Formation near Eastend, Saskatchewan and the Wapiti Formation in westcentral Alberta, Canada, is given in this thesis. Specifically, those of a tyrannosaur and a hadrosaur from the Frenchman and Wapiti Formations, respectively, are studied and compared to others from these formations. The bulk of the analysis is done using Synchrotron X-ray Fluorescence data collected at the Canadian Light Source in Saskatchewan, Canada. Several methods to facilitate both qualitative and quantitative analysis of this data are used and developed. In particular, a method for replacing a polychromatic X-ray spectrum with an effective set of monochromatic beams is explored. Using these methods, the depositional and diagenetic conditions are analyzed. A clear difference can be drawn between the sample locations, offering an explanation for the exceptional preservation of a three dimensional skin fossil in the latter locality.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MSc)

Level thesis:degree_level

Master's

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Physics

Grantor dc:publisher

Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina

Year dc:date.issued

2013

Author dc:creator

• Tolhurst, Thomas Myron

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Barbi, Mauricio

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Mobed, Nader
• Kolev, Nikolay I.

Language dc:language.iso

en

DOI

https://doi.org/10.82465/4657

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:uregina.scholaris.ca:10294/5480