Special problems in the conservation of palaeobotanical material

Abstract

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Pitfalls, problems and procedures in micropalaeontological preparation and conservation

“…Nonpermanent, reversible processes are favoured by cura tors. Palynologists may opt for high quality glycerol mounts, enabling later removal of material for SEM observation (Collinson 1987), cleaning and re-mount ing (Maybury ef a/. 1991).…”

“…Shelf life of SEM stubs and TEM grids is generally unknown, although the problems have been touched on by authors (e.g. Collinson 1987). Ideally the life of stubs can be prolonged by careful storage within desiccator cabinets containing trays of silica gel.…”

“…Images of type material may best be stored as photographic negatives, or standard illustrations (Chapman 1985, Collinson 1987), a procedure advocated by Lord (1982) for recording calcareous nannofossil specimen type equivalents. However, care must be taken to ensure films are correctly processed and that resin coated paper prints are correctly "fixed" and washed.…”