Core Preparation and Analysis Laboratory and Sample Repositories
Learn about the sediment core lab and refrigerated sample repositories at the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in Santa Cruz, California.
We process and analyze sediment cores collected from coastal, fluvial, estuarine, lacustrine, and marine environments. We have a Geotek core splitter, shrink wrap system, and a wide assortment of sampling tools and balances for core sample preparation and analysis. We store the cores, along with other sediment samples, in a large, walk-in refrigerated room that features library-style rolling shelving for efficient storage and easy access to all cores. All samples are cataloged and cross-referenced to their field activity ID, which provides the metadata about the samples.
Media
We take most of the sediment cores and samples, collected from the field, straight from the loading dock into a large walk-in refrigerator (about 780 square feet). There, samples are kept at the international core curation standard of 4° C plus or minus 2° C. Each core and sample must be labeled with an identifier and metadata, which follows the material through processing and analysis.
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Media
In the cold storage room at the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, we store cores on large racks that can hold about 4,500 full sized cores or D-tubes with split cores, up to 1.5 meters long.
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Media
These track-mounted racks pack together to save space. Cranking a handle moves the aisle between racks for core access.
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Media
The back door of the refrigerator connects to our core and sample processing labs.
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Media
In the core lab, the Geotek core splitter cuts sediment cores in half lengthwise using oscillating saws and a wire cutter.
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News
New Video Offers Virtual Tour of the USGS Sediment Core Lab
New Video Offers Virtual Tour of the USGS Sediment Core Lab
Searching for Evidence of Past Tsunamis in Sediment Cores
Searching for Evidence of Past Tsunamis in Sediment Cores
New evidence for a roughly 600-year-old tsunami impacting the Hawaiian Islands
New evidence for a roughly 600-year-old tsunami impacting the Hawaiian Islands
Publications
Marine paleoseismic evidence for seismic and aseismic slip along the Hayward-Rodgers Creek fault system in northern San Pablo Bay
Distinguishing between seismic and aseismic fault slip in the geologic record is difficult, yet fundamental to estimating the seismic potential of faults and the likelihood of multi-fault ruptures. We integrated chirp sub-bottom imaging with targeted cross-fault coring and core analyses of sedimentary proxy data to characterize vertical deformation and slip behavior within an extensional...
Late Holocene environmental change in Celestun Lagoon, Yucatan, Mexico
Epikarst estuary response to hydroclimate change remains poorly understood, despite the well-studied link between climate and karst groundwater aquifers. The influence of sea-level rise and coastal geomorphic change on these estuaries obscures climate signals, thus requiring careful development of paleoenvironmental histories to interpret the paleoclimate archives. We used foraminifera...
California deepwater investigations and groundtruthing (Cal DIG) I: Fault and shallow geohazard analysis offshore Morro Bay
The California Deepwater Investigations and Groundtruthing (Cal DIG) I project focuses on the potential seafloor hazards and impacts of alternative energy infrastructure in the outer continental shelf region offshore of south-central California. This is one of three reports covering a single study area located between Monterey and Point Conception, California in federal waters outside of...
Science
Cascadia Subduction Zone Marine Geohazards
Societal Issue: Uncertainty related to rupture extent, slip distribution, and recurrence of past subduction megathrust earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest (northern CA, OR, WA, and southern BC) leads to ambiguity in earthquake and tsunami hazard assessments and hinders our ability to prepare for future events.
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, 3-D CT Core Imaging Laboratory, Core Preparation and Analysis Laboratory and Sample Repositories, Multi-Sensor Core Logger Laboratory, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization, Subduction Zone Science
Hazards: EXPRESS
Marine geohazards including earthquakes, landslides, and tsunamis lie offshore of densely populated areas of California, Oregon, and Washington. One goal of EXPRESS is to improve assessments of these hazards.
Coastal and Marine Geohazards of the U.S. West Coast and Alaska
Coastal and marine geohazards are sudden and extreme events beneath the ocean that threaten coastal populations. These underwater hazards include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and tsunamis. The tectonically active west coast of the Americas is prone to such hazards, as it lies along the boundaries of major tectonic plates that make up the Earth's crust—the North American, Caribbean...
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, 3-D CT Core Imaging Laboratory, Core Preparation and Analysis Laboratory and Sample Repositories, Big Sur Landslides, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization, Subduction Zone Science