Micro-Computed Tomography (CT) Fossil identification

Micro and Nano-Computed Tomography is based on the interaction between the radiation and the material (according to the Beer–Lambert law). In other words, the radiation transmitted is the information captured by a detection system in image form (radiography). In this manner, a "slice" of material within a solid can be described, based on the different images taken at various different angles. During the tomographic reconstruction process, the main objective is to reconstruct an object that is considered as a 2D distribution of some type of function μ(x,y), which represents the attenuation coefficient of the object in question. The reconstruction of the object is obtained by resolving a mathematical problem, generally implemented in several packages of software. This reconstruction process makes it possible to easily obtain a volumetric representation of the object, enabling the study and evaluation of different parameters thereof (for example: dispersion of particles, detection of defects, density profiles, etc.). It can therefore be stated that micro-computed tomography is an x-ray image technique that makes it possible to scan, explore and model samples in 3D. Thus, it is a NON-destructive technique, the basic principle of which is the virtual reconstruction of the sections of an object based on images (radiographies) that have been acquired over 360º. The Micro CT analysis could be completed from a physico-chemical point of view using a range of techniques to enhance the recording and interpretation of arqueological objects including information about the creation, use, modification and burial of objects. These accesory techniques for image adquisition and for multielemental analysis include Optical Microscopy, Confocal Laser and Electron Microscopy, Raman microscopy, FTIR, X-Ray Diffraction (XDR) and X-Ray Fluorescence (XFR).