A wide range of stage of the art micro-analytical facilities are available to us, either at the Adelaide Microscopy (University of Adelaide) and through a network of domestic and international collaborations. These techniques allow us to obtain information about the composition and structure of biominerals and solutions and hence obtain fundamental information about their origins. Techniques we use include X-ray fluorescence and diffraction (XRF and XRD), Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled-Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), electron microprobe (EPMA), X-ray Dispersive Analysis (EDXA), Electron Backscatter Diffraction Analysis (EBSD), Nano Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (Nano-SIMS), Proton Induced X-ray Emission analysis (PIXE)