Modern Technology for Magnification of Stone Enscriptions

The smallest objects that the naked eye can see are about 0.1 mm long or 0.0039 inches. That means that under the right conditions, we might be able to see an amoeba, a human egg, and a paramecium without using magnification.

A nanometer is a unit of measurement length in the metric system which is one billionth of the standard unit of measurement “meter”. It is denoted by ‘nm’. It can be expressed as 1 nanometer = 1×10−9m.

Today with the best equipment it is possible to increase the magnification of the smallest object that the naked eye can see by one million times. The whole world changes when our vision increases by a power of one million.

How can we understand the magnitude of today’s magnification technology? Let’s take a look at this example. Consider a tool with a hard point that cuts rock and is the thickness of a pencil point. Make a groove in the stone’s surface. Next, magnify the groove one million times, or to the equivalent of one mile, about the size of the Grand Canyon. A golf ball with a diameter of 1.6 inches could be distinguished in a groove enlarged to the size of the Grand Canyon when viewed using electron microscopy at a million times magnification.

It is difficult to imagine the magnitude of these magnifications.

Collaboration with Lehigh Microscopy Laboratory

It is a great pleasure to announce that the Lehigh Microscopy Laboratory has taken an interest in our research focus on Mississippi Valley engraved stones. The experts understand that this is a topic of high interest, and that it is not a trivial matter.

Some world authority figures have agreed to meet Heartland Research representatives in the coming weeks to discuss how the fundamental techniques of Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Focused Ion Beam (FIB), can assist us in understanding the tools and methods used to engrave the more than 450 stones found in the John White Collection.

Lehigh Microscopy Laboratory has 78 participants from all over the United States and many other countries. It is with great anticipation that we will talk with these leading experts in the field of electron microscopy. We will ask them how we can collaborate so we can gain a better understanding of what tools were used to engrave the stones from the Mississippi Valley. We believe that the stones are ancient and that the engraving tools pre-date European settlement.

You can view 1,274 images of the stones in the John White Collection by clicking here.