Collection and preparation of thin sections of oriented samples

Many techniques of microstructural analysis have become available for determining the shear sense in ductilely deformed tectonites; however, these techniques require that one collect oriented samples from the field and retain the sample orientation throughout the thin-section process in order to correctly determine shear sense with respect to map structures. The trick to collecting oriented samples is having a system, or conventions, which become familiar; a system with built-in redundancies is best because it helps one minimize and correct mistakes. In this paper, I outline a method for collecting and cutting oriented samples for microstructural analysis. -Author