In order to dissolve minerals from its compound that are suitable for radiometric dating and to get rid of their adhesions in the best possible way, the stone is ground several times with the jaw crusher and the roller mill. The minerals suitable for the chosen dating methodology are separated using density differences, magnetic properties and grain shape. Subsequently, the millbase is sieved; the finer grain fraction is of interest for further processing.
The Wilfley wet-shaking hearth …

The Geochemistry Group manages a mineral separation lab to obtain minerals for geochronology and geochemical studies. The lab includes a ceramic plate jaw crusher, ball mills, a Frantz Magnetic Separator (separation of minerals according to magnetic susceptibility), sieves, and heavy liquids for density separation.

The sample preparation laboratories provide facilities to prepare geological samples for a wide range of analytical methods. These include mineral separations for geochronologic analysis, mineral powders for geochemical analysis and polished thin sections for microscopy.