Mineral Physics Laboratory

Location: Room OB01, Basement, Kathleen Lonsdale Building

Telephone Extension: 32397

A range of activities are performed in this laboratory. The area houses a variety of apparatus for the Rock & Ice Physics and Crystallography and Mineral Physics research groups. Undergraduate experimental practical classes are also performed in this laboratory.

Metripol Microscope


The MetriPol is a new automated birefringence analysis system that is being used to study anomalous birefringence diamonds. Not only are we interested in looking at natural diamonds but also diamonds synthesized using both high pressure high temperature techniques (done at UCL in the Haskel Multi-Anvil lab), as well as those made by chemical vapour deposition (CVD) techniques.

Proscan 2000 Surface Profilometer

The Proscan 2000 is a fast and accurate non-contact 3D profilometer. It is used for a wide variety of applications where it is important to know the exact profile and form of the surface. Using the very latest non contact sensor technology it measures the surface profile down to 10 nm at a rate of 2000 points per second.

The profilometer allows us to characterise surfaces in fracture and friction experiments.

Our system allows measurement of ultrasonic (1MHz) P and S wave velocities to be made in 10O steps on rock cores from 25mm to 60mm in diameter. Different sample holders allow for both axial and radial measurement.

Measurements can even be made on poorly-consolidated sedimentary rocks due to the high power (900 volt) pulse generators available.