Too much crushing for the foraminifera?

[cnk]

Hi everyone, this is my first post and it is about how much crushing may break down my forams.

Do you think this much crushing (picture) is too much for the forams? As I was crushing my samples down with my physicist friend, he said the amount of pressure we applied to a foram is extremely small and it cannot hurt the foram test. But the results show that my six control samples which i washed with different methods contain NO forams, this is impossible because I observe them in thin sections. What do you think?

Edited October 9, 2015 by cnk

[Auspex]

Well, whatever the reason, it is not achieving the desired results. Is the matrix one that will break down in detergent or peroxide?

[Ridgehiker]

There are too many variables.

Firstly what is the matrix?

Size of Forums?

When you say seeing then in a thin section, are these large like Fusilinids?

If calcite in a hard limestone, we would just do thin sections. There are industrial detergents for harder clays, etc, but these are effective using a specific regimen.

Edited October 9, 2015 by Ridgehiker

[cnk]

Thank you for the answers.

Auspex, I couldn't understand the question. Regarding other questions, I am looking for Santonian globigerinids (sample location: Turkey). Their size changes between 63-125 microns. My samples are firm claystone, so the matrix is clay. So far I applied hydrogen peroxide (50%), acetic acid (33%) and liquid nitrogen (freeze-thaw). These are my second control samples, in the first set I obtained a small number of foraminifera so in this set I crushed my samples down to the size shown in the picture with the hope of getting a much higher number of foraminifera in my washed samples. But there is none, I definitely did not expect this result.

[Ptychodus04]

With a specimen size of 63-125 microns (.0025-.0049 in), I seriously doubt you destroyed them. Most likely, there just wasn't any in this sample.

Did you apply acetic acid to your first test batch? If not, maybe they are acid soluble.

[cnk]

Actually, I washed only 10 grams from each sample to see which method works. As far as my thin sections show, they unfortunately contain a very little number of foraminifera. Considering the very small amount of samples, as you say, it is likely that the samples do not contain foraminifera. I applied acetic acid (50%) to the first batch, tests were corroded. Therefore I diluted it down to 33%. It could not have dissolved them.

Edited October 9, 2015 by cnk