A simple high-precision Jacob's staff design for the high-resolution stratigrapher

The new generation of high-resolution stratigraphic research depends upon detailed bed-by-bed analysis to enhance regional correlation potential. The standard Jacob's staff is not an efficient and precise tool for measuring thin-bedded strata. The high-precision Jacob's staff design presented and illustrated in this paper meets the qualifications required of such an instrument. The prototype of this simple design consists of a sliding bracket that holds a Brunton-type compass at right angles to a ruled-off staff. This instrument provides rapid and accurate measurement of both thick- or thin-bedded sequences, thus decreasing field time and increasing stratigraphic precision. -Author