Testing of different disintegration methods for micropalaeontological analyses

Three different preparation methods have been tested in order to determine the most suitable for disintegration of chalk for micropalaeontological analysis. Several factors have been examined, including the extent of disintegration, time consumed, state of foraminiferal preservation, and diversity of foraminifera. For the sediments used in this study, we find that a combination of the modified Glauber's salt and detergent methods are the most successful, while the acid-hot water method may be better suited for extraction of larger fossils. The study shows that not only is the preservation influenced by the chosen preparation method but also environmental indices such as the planktic to benthic ratio.