Microfossil extraction methods

Each microfossil has a unique geochemical composition, likely to yield information on the conditions in at the sea surface when it formed. Due to their minute size, their extraction from sediments remains a scientific challenge.

Multiple microseparation techniques exist, some of which I experimented with during my PhD. An emerging field of study in microseparations is the use of microfluidics to isolate micro-objects from a sample. In 2025, together with colleagues from the MANTA team at CEREGE and at the FEMTO-ST lab in Besançon (France), we obtained funding to start experimenting with these technologies for microfossil extractions.

Size fractions of nanofossil oozes from the Atlantic Ocean. Microfossils can have drastically different geochemical compositions depending on their size, motivating the scientific studies focusing on their extraction from the sediment. Figure from Godbillot (thesis, unpublished).

References

2021

  1. Parallel between the isotopic composition of coccolith calcite and carbon levels across Termination II: Developing a new paleo-CO2 probe
    Camille Godbillot, Fabrice Minoletti, Franck Bassinot, and 1 more author
    Climate of the Past Discussions, Sep 2021
    DOI