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Mineral identification using a scanning electron microscope

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Abstract

Quick, inexpensive and accurate mineral-phase identification is of utmost importance to applied mineralogists. The precise relationship between the intensity of measured backscattered electrons in a scanning electron microscope and the average atomic number of the specimen is still argued. Nevertheless, much can be gained by using backscattered electron images to identify mineral phases in a specimen. An application was developed to facilitate this method and makes it a practical, inexpensive and valuable option in many mineralogical investigations.

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Harding, D.P. Mineral identification using a scanning electron microscope. Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration 19, 215–219 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03403272

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03403272

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