Elemental Mapping of Epidote

User Benefits

�- Metamorphic processes of rock-forming minerals can be analyzed from physical and chemical information obtained by elemental mapping. �- The information of minerals used in jewelry can be obtained for use in gem identification.

Introduction

The minerals contained in a rock record the physical and chemical information of the rock when it was formed. Furthermore, it is also known that the metamorphic process that the rock altered after its formation is preserved as the distribution and structure of the elements. The minerals are also used for ornamental purposes such as in the production of jewelry and garden stones. The compositional analysis of minerals can determine the distribution of elements in gemstones and analyze trace elements, and the information obtained can be used for gem appraisal, geographic origin determination, etc. To study the two-dimensional distribution of elements in rocks and minerals, EPMA is effective. In this article, we used an EPMATM, Electron Probe Microanalyzer (EPMA-1720HT) to perform elemental mapping of commercially available stones believed to contain epidote (hereafter, epidote containing stones). We also conducted phase analysis to identify the minerals in rocks and visualized their distribution.

June 29, 2021 GMT