Hard rock sample cutting: Kevin Werts (Underway Geophysics Laboratory, IODP-USIO/TAMU) holds thin section billets cut from a core sample. To slice a section out of the hard core, technicians use a modified tile cutter that has a continuous diamond-edged lapidary blade. A variety of sample types can be requested; therefore different types of cutting devices are necessary. Thin sections are made from a rectangular billet cut slightly smaller than a standard 1 × 2 inch glass microscope slide. Water flows over the cutting blade for lubrication. The process is quite noisy, so all of the cutting and splitting equipment is housed in a special soundproof room in the core laboratory. (Credit: Richard Arculus & IODP) [Photo ID: exp351_073] Back to expedition photos.