Yorkton Regional High School- Yorkton, SK
Back: Wayne Clark (Yorkton Regional HS), J. Hay (Parkland College), Robert Blyth (CLS)
Middle: Yorkton Regional High School students
Front: Tracy Walker (CLS), Liz Robertson (U of S)
This group of seven students worked with U of S archaeologist Liz Robertson to analyze heat treated stone tools found near Fort McMurray, AB. Heat treatment enabled the stones to be shaped more easily and allowed it to flake in regular pieces, making it much more workable than untreated stone. Prior research conducted at the CLS indicated that certain elements, specifically iron (Fe), appeared to be shifting in the rock, so this group tested the stone using soft x-rays from the Spherical Grating Monochromator (SGM) beamline to determine if other elements react in a similar way following heat treatment in an effort to explain the chemical changes that are taking place.
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Tour of the CLS facility with Dr. Robert Blyth- the beginning of the journey! |
A view from the mezzanine of the group at work on the beamline |
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The sample of ground stone attached to a disk on carbon tape |
Dr. Liz Robertson loading the sample into the sample chamber |
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Checking the sample location inside the chamber |
An image of the computer screen displaying x-ray absorption data during the scan |
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Comparing the spectral data to known data to determine the speciation of the elements present |
Taking notes for later data analysis |
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Fashioning a “thinking cap” at the end of the day to help to put it all together! |
Last modified: 2012-01-19 17:01:36