The Conodont Laboratory at GSC Calgary extracts conodonts from rocks by acidization and heavy liquid separation, in order to determine the geological age and thermal maturity of samples.

Equipment

• Fume hoods
• Acid baths
• Carpo high-volume magnetic separator
• Heavy liquid for separation (Tetrabromoethane)
• Binocular microscopes

Clients

• GSC paleontologists and geologists
• Oil and gas exploration and mining companies
• International research groups
• Provincial government and university collaborators, local and international

Paleontology services

Conodonts are the microscopic (0.1 - 1 mm), phosphatic remains of a group of primitive chordates. They are mainly tooth-like in shape and functioned as a food-gathering apparatus. They are extinct, having ranged from the Cambrian through the Triassic periods of the Paleozoic Era and early Mesozoic Era (545-210 million years ago) (Geological Time Scale) They evolved rapidly during their history and are especially useful for biostratigraphy (a means of telling the relative age of rock strata).

The conodonts in the illustration are specimens of Plectodina florida Sweet from the Late Ordovician (448 million years old) Vaureal Formation of Anticosti Island, Quebec