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Figure 44. To study annual skeletal bands in a coral, the core is sliced slightly off center using an electric rock saw with a diamond-tipped blade. A slab ~6 mm thick is then cut from the thicker piece of core for x-radiography. The densest annual bands in the slab are visible to the naked eye. All bands become visible in an x-radiograph.

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Coastal & Marine Geology Program > Center for Coastal & Watershed Studies > Professional Paper 1751