Digital Thin-Sections are a significant step up from scans of thin-sections captured using a flat-bed slide scanner.  Digital Thin-Sections are made using  optical microscope images, and are gigapixel images of entire thin-sections.  Our digital thin-sections are viewable using any web browser.

Digital Thin-Sections:

• Enable investigation of features that span scales in individual samples.
• Create a readily accessible record of samples that are only available on loan.
• Enable samples to be revisited away from the microscope.
• Are a great visual aid for teaching, or presentations and work meetings.
• Are platform independent and can be viewed using any modern web-browser from local or remote sources.
• Include built-in tools for adjusting image appearance – brightness / contrast / gamma.

View a selection of our digitial thin-sections in our gallery.

Deep Zoom Imaging

Gigapixel, deep zoom images are also made using other microscope imaging modes.  This includes optical microscopy at higher magnifications than we would use for digital thin-sections, scanning electron microscopy (polished thin-sections and stub samples at a wide range of magnifications) and cathodoluminesence microscopy.

Our deep-zoom images:

• Capture both  large scale heterogeneities and fine-scale details in the same image.
• May incorporate data from multiple microscope sources / imaging modes in a single browser [e.g. QEMSCAN mineral maps overlain on BSEM deepzoom images].
• Include tools in the browser for adjusting image appearance – brightness / contrast / gamma / opacity – of individual layers
• Enable samples to be revisited away from the microscope.
• Can provide a permanent record of samples only available as limited-time loans.
• Enable multiple users to view and explore the same sample simulataneously.
• Are platform independent, and can be viewed using any modern web-browser from local or remote sources.
• Provide a great visual aid for teaching, for presentations and work meetings. They can be printed at poster-scale for decorative purposes.

View a selection of our Deep Zoom petrographical images in our gallery.

Our Deep Zoom Imaging is powered by openseadragon