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University Daily Kansan Thursday, Sept. 12, 1957
AEC, KU Plan To Investigate Limestone Age
A new $23,000 contract between the University and the Atomic Energy Commission will enable KU scientists to carry out research in the field of geochemistry and to construct a "hot lab" for work with radioactive materials.
Dr. Edward J. Zeller, assistant professor of geology, will direct the study. He and an associate, Dr. Richard H. Benson, also an assistant professor of geology, will work toward the improvement of a method for the measurement of the geologic age of limestone.
They will work with the thermoluminescence method, developed by Dr. Zeller, Thermoluminescence is the light given off by a substance, in this case calcium carbonate (limestone) crystals, at a temperature between room temperature and red heat.
The amount of natural radiation is determined by measuring the light given off by the limestone. This information, with the knowledge of the natural radiation rate, enables the scientist to calculate the age of the sample.
Can Calculate Age
The first step in the study will be the investigation of the precipitation of limestone. There are two schools of thought about the precipitation, Dr. Zeller said. Some believe that chemical precipitation is a significant process in the formation of limestone, while others believe it to be precipitated only by animals or plants.
They collected samples of limestone and water from the "white tides," areas of water in which line particles of limestone are suspended. They also took measurements of the temperature and salinity of the water.
The chemical precipitation, Dr. Zeller said, is very rare. One location where it is found is near the Florida Keys, where the two scientists spent several weeks this summer.
While in Florida Dr. Zeller and Dr. Benson worked with the University of Miami Marine Laboratory, which is cooperating in the Florida phase of the study.
Study Limestone
Dr. Zeller and Dr. Benson hope to discover how the limestone is formed, the characteristics of its crystals, and to do basic research in radiation damage. They are especially interested in the incorporation of radioactive impurities, such as uranium and thorium, into the crystals.
The "hot lab" will be used extensively in this study by Dr. Zeller, who will train graduate assistants in the work. The laboratory will be a small concrete pillbox containing an eight-foot well. Inside the well will be a block of lead containing cobalt 60, the radioactive source material.
The limestone crystals will be subject to 30,000 roentgens of radiation per hour. Thus, in an hour's time, it will be possible to equal the damage done by natural radiation in 300 or 400 million years.
The male narwhal, a small whale, has a long spiral tusk growing out of its upper jaw. Medieval Europeans mistook the javelinike armament for the horn of the mythical unicorn. Scientists still puzzle over the spear's function, say the National Geographic Society.
Find It In The Kansan Classifieds
Granada Cafe
Steaks - Chops
Dinners
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1022 Mass.
George B. Smith, dean of the University and summer session director, reported an enrollment of 2.857 students, second in size only to sessions following World War II.
Summer Session Enrollment 8 Percent Over Last Year
Enrollment at the University of Kansas Summer session showed an increase of 8 percent over 1956.
The Lawrence campus had 2,455 students, while 402 attended the KU Medical Center in Kansas City. There were 1,656 men and 1,201 women enrolled in all schools.
The Graduate School, with an enrollment of 927 students, 12 percent more than in 1956, was by far the largest of K.U.'s 10 schools.
Registration in the other schools:
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences,
492; School of Medicine, 440; School of
Engineering and Architecture,
322; School of Education, 237; School of
Fine Arts, 126; School of Business,
109; School of Law, 74; School of
Pharmacy, 14; School of Journalism,
13; special students, 105.
The Colorado River, one of the greatest waterways in the United States, is 1,450 miles long.
Alexander Hamilton was a native of the island of Nevis in the West Indies.
Store Hours
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Other days ___9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
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