Application of micro-CT and SEM-based photogrammetry in the three-dimensional imaging of organic-walled microfossils

Abstract

Museum collections are currently undergoing extensive digitisation in the form of three dimensional (3D) imaging of specimens, and palaeontological holdings are no exception. Improved data accessibility brings benefits not only to scientists but also to the general public and science promotion. Microfossils, however, remain a distinct entity in this process because their small size, more complex sample preparation, and higher equipment requirements bring additional challenges. Two representative groups, chitinozoans and scolecodonts, whose average size ranges from 100 to 1000 μ m, were chosen to test suitable methods for 3D modelling and imaging of their inner structures. Earlier 3D imaging techniques were predominantly destructive, rendering them unsuitable for type material and other unique specimens. Our main objective was to introduce and test two 3D modelling approaches appropriate for the online presentation of museum collections