Fall 2019 - Chemical Analysis Class Projects
Files
Download Poster (1.7 MB)
Document Type
Open Access Poster
Keywords
Mastodons--Iowa--Franklin County; Fossils--Collection and preservation--Iowa;
Description
The 12-foot, 600-pound mastodon tusk was discovered in Hampton, Iowa, in the 1930s by a man digging in the gravel. It was the largest discovered mastodon tusk until the 1970s. The tusk was donated to UNI in 1933, under Dr. Cable, and put on display at the UNI Museum in the 1960s. Over the years, there have been many efforts to conserve the tusk, but it has still sustained breakage and water damage. It has also been subject to inadvertent degradation from some of the previous conservation efforts.
The purpose of the research conducted was to create a spectral map of the lacquers on the mastodon tusk at the UNI Museum. To accomplish this, a spectroradiometer with a diffuse reflectance tip was used to non-destructively collect UV-Vis spectra. In order to create a coordinate system for the mapping, a grid map was made for the tusk. Creating a UV-Vis map of the lacquers on the tip of the tusk will allow conservationists at the UNI museum a better understanding on how to proceed in their preservation of the tusk.
Publication Date
Fall 2019
Faculty Advisor
Joshua Sebree
Department
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Publisher
Rod Library, University of Northern Iowa
Copyright
©2019 Teresa Feldman
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Feldman, Teresa, "Mapping the Exterior of a Mastodon Tusk using UV-Vis Diffuse Reflectance" (2019). Fall 2019 - Chemical Analysis Class Projects. 4.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/chemanaly_fa2019/4
