Microprobe

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Distribution within Earth and Environmental Science

Kinds of Microprobe

  • electron microprobe

  • Terms modified by Microprobe

  • microprobe analysis
  • microprobe study
  • microprobe u

  • Selected Abstracts


    Micro-Raman spectroscopic study of El Gasco pumice, western Spain

    JOURNAL OF RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY, Issue 2 2007
    F. Rull
    Abstract A micro-Raman spectroscopic study of pumice materials from El Gasco (Sierra de Gata, Spain) has been performed for the first time. The obtained spectra allow the precise identification of the minerals, quartz, haematite, magnetite, ilmenite, rutile and anatase, in general agreement with results obtained by complementary techniques of X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Electron Microprobe. Also, fayalite and ferroan ringwoodite have been identified. The presence of high-pressure polymorphs indicates that the pumice rocks were subjected to high-pressure conditions quite similar to those observed in shock-induced molten and recrystallised materials, such as some meteorites and impact-related rocks. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Spatially resolved defect studies on fatigued carbon steel

    PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (C) - CURRENT TOPICS IN SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 10 2007
    P. Eich
    Abstract Several samples of the common ferritic tool steel AISI 1045 were fatigued in cyclic load tests. The local distribution of the Von-Mieses stress ,VM was simulated using the finite elements method (FEM). In the regions of interest, where ,VM reaches maximum values, the defect distribution was measured spatially resolved by Doppler-spectroscopy (DBAR) employing the Bonn Positron Microprobe (BPM). The lateral distribution of the S-parameter, which could be described by a simple model derived from linear fracture mechanics, corresponds well with the simulated Von-Mieses stress. (© 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


    Provenance and microprobe assays of phyllite-tempered ceramics from the uplands of central Arizona

    GEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 2 2008
    David R. Abbott
    The ceramics in use across a broad upland zone of central Arizona during the early Classic period (ca. A.D. 1100,1300) were characterized by a lack of mineralogical variability; nearly all of the clay containers were tempered with one rock type, phyllite. Consequently, nearly all of the upland pottery is assigned to a single pottery type, Wingfield Plain. This compositional uniformity has frustrated ceramic provenance studies, and, as a result, little has been learned previously about the organization of ceramic production and exchange in the upland territory. There are, however, considerable and interpretable chemical differences in the phyllite-tempered wares, as shown with microanalyses of the temper fragments and pottery clay fractions with an electron microprobe. The chemical patterning is useful for investigating issues pertaining to the upland zone, including the organization of ceramic manufacture, community arrangements, and pottery transactions during a time of prevalent hostilities in central Arizona. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]


    An electron microprobe study of P645/T390: Evidence for an Early Helladic III Lerna,Aegina connection

    GEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 8 2002
    Michael J. Dorais
    Middle Helladic Aeginetan Ware is widely distributed throughout the Aegean. It is characterized by a "gold mica or volcanic ash" fabric and is abundant at Lerna on the Argive plain, Greece, in the Middle Helladic and Late Helladic I periods. A group of Early Helladic III ceramics at Lerna includes P645/T390, which also has a volcanic fabric. We have sampled all the major rock types of the separate volcanic episodes on Aegina, Methana, and Poros and analyzed the constituent minerals with the electron microprobe. These analyses provide a reference standard against which the mineralogy of P645/T390 and other potential Aeginetan wares can be compared. The compositions of amphibole, clinopyroxene, plagioclase, and biotite in P645/T390 are identical to the same minerals in dacites on Aegina, suggesting an origin on that island. Compositional mismatches with the minerals of Methana and Poros indicated the ceramic was not manufactured at these locations. This narrow-necked jar represents the earliest occurrence of Aeginetan Ware on mainland Greece that has been confirmed by a quantitative method. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]


    Geochemical and mineralogical distinctions between Bonnin and Morris (Philadelphia, 1770,1772) porcelain and some contemporary British phosphatic wares

    GEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 7 2001
    J. Victor Owen
    The major element compositions of 15 ceramic sherds from the Bonnin and Morris factory site were determined by electron microprobe. Thirteen samples are phosphatic; the others consist of (a) "soapstone" (magnesian/plombian) and (b) true porcelain, and are interpreted as exotic artifacts, as is one compositionally distinct (relatively SiO2 -poor, P2O5+CaO-rich) phosphatic sample. Although long considered to be virtually indistinguishable from Bow porcelain (London: ca. 1747,1776), the phosphatic Philadelphia wares have a relatively low mean CaO/P2O5 ratio (3.3 versus 3.8; molecular proportions) and high alumina content (6.6 versus 5.4 wt % Al2O3). Furthermore, unlike Bow, the Bonnin and Morris samples contain calcic plagioclase (bytownite), and in some instances, an orthoclase-rich ternary feldspar. The preservation of calcic plagioclase indicates that Philadelphia porcelain was fired at (rather than above) the thermal minimum in the An-SiO2 -C3P system, although the presence of Na (and other fluxes) in these wares precludes the exact determination of the maximum firing temperature from this phase diagram. These wares are also distinctive insofar as the phosphate and melt phases can contain small amounts of lead; they have bulk lead contents of approximately 0.1,1.2 wt % PbO. This component has not been detected in the body of Bow or other contemporary British phosphatic porcelains. Their principal similarity lies in the fact that both wares contain sulfate. In addition, the glazes on Bonnin and Morris porcelain (e.g., PbO , 35,50 wt %; SnO2 , 1,2%) compositionally resemble those used at Bow. If feldspar is formed at all, then Al-poor phosphatic porcelain (or those with low CaO/P2O5 ratios) will have comparatively low modal calcic plagioclase contents, thereby allowing the rapid depletion of this mineral via resorption by the melt phase during vitrification. Such appears to have been the case for analyzed Bow porcelain, which is therefore interpreted to have been overfired (sensu lato) relative to its Philadelphia counterpart. Conceivably, calcic plagioclase could be preserved in low-Al wares that were fired only briefly at vitrification temperatures. Given the role of firing history in governing the mineralogy of porcelain, compositional criteria are more reliable for distinguishing these wares. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [source]


    Enigmatic sedimentary,volcanic successions in the central European Variscides: a Cambrian/Early Ordovician age for the Wojcieszów Limestone (Kaczawa Mountains, SW Poland) indicated by SHRIMP dating of volcanic zircons

    GEOLOGICAL JOURNAL, Issue 4 2008
    Ryszard Kryza
    Abstract Metamorphosed volcanic and sedimentary successions in the central European Variscides are, in many areas, poorly biostratigraphically constrained, making palaeotectonic interpretations uncertain. In such instances, geochronological data are crucial. Sensitive high resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) dating of volcanic zircons from a quartz,white mica schist (interpreted as deformed metavolcaniclastic/epiclastic rock) within the stratigraphically controversial Wojcieszów Limestone of the Kaczawa Mountains (Sudetes, SW Poland), near to the eastern termination of the European Variscides, has yielded an age of 498,±,5,Ma (2, error), corresponding to late Cambrian to early Ordovician magmatism in that area and constraining the depositional age of the limestones. The new SHRIMP data are not consistent with the recent revision of the age of the Wojcieszów Limestone based on Foraminifera findings that ascribed them to a Late Ordovician,Silurian or even younger interval. They are though, consistent with sparse macrofossil data and strongly support earlier interpretations of the lower part of the Kaczawa Mountains succession as a Cambrian,Early Ordovician extensional basin-fill with associated initial rift volcanic rocks, likely emplaced during the breakup of Gondwana. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Preparation of a Synthetic Titanite Glass Calibration Material for In Situ Microanalysis by Direct Fusion in Graphite Electrodes: A Preliminary Characterisation by EPMA and LA-ICP-MS

    GEOSTANDARDS & GEOANALYTICAL RESEARCH, Issue 2 2005
    Magne Ødegård
    matériaux de calibration; microanalyse; fusion directe; électrodes de graphite; verre de titanite This paper describes a technique for the preparation of a titanite (CaTiSiO5) glass calibration material for use in in situ microanalysis of major, minor, and trace elements in geological materials. The starting composition was a titanite matrix doped with minor and trace elements at , 200 ,g g -1. The elements Sc, Y, REEs, Th and U were added in the form of nitrates in solution, and the elements V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zr, Nb, Hf and W were added as solid oxides. The synthetic titanite glass was produced by direct fusion by resistance heating in graphite electrodes at 1600-1700 °C, and quenched in air. Backscattered electron images indicate good homogeneity, with no signs of separate phases or vesicles, and analysis of the major elements Ca, Ti and Si by electron microprobe showed relative standard deviations between 0.5 and 0.7%, based on six independent measurements. Deviations from nominal concentrations for Ca, Si and Ti were measured to -1.2, -3.3 and -0.8%, respectively. The homogeneity of the trace elements in the glass was assessed by LA-ICP-MS analyses, using NIST SRM 610, 612 and 616 as external calibrators, and Ca as the internal standard element. Determinations were made both with a quadrupole mass spectrometer and a sector field instrument, and both raster and spot modes of analysis were used. For the majority of doped elements, precision was better than 10%, and relative deviations from nominal values were, with few exceptions, between 5 and 10%. Cet article décrit une technique de préparation d'un verre de composition CaTiSiO5 (titanite) pour l'utiliser comme matériau de calibration lors de microanalyses in situ des éléments majeurs, mineurs et en trace dans des matériaux géologiques. La composition de départ a une matrice de titanite, dopée avec des éléments mineurs et en trace à une concentration de , 200 ,g g-1. Les éléments Sc, Y, REE, Th et U ont été ajoutés sous forme de nitrates en solution et les éléments V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zr, Nb, Hf et W sous forme d'oxydes solides. Le verre synthétique de titanite a été produit par fusion directe avec un chauffage par des résistances dans des électrodes de graphite à 1600-1700 °C suivi d'un refroidissement rapide à l'air. Les images obtenues par électrons rétrodiffusés montrent que le verre présente une bonne homogénéité, sans aucun signe de phases individualisées ou de vésicules, et l'analyse des éléments majeurs Ca, Ti et Si par microsonde électronique a des déviations standard relatives (RSD) entre 0.5 et 0.7% provenant de six mesures indépendantes. Les déviations par rapport aux concentrations calculées, pour Ca, Si et Ti, sont de -1.2, -3.3 et -0.8% respectivement. L'homogénéité de répartition des éléments en trace dans le verre a été vérifiée par des analyses LA-ICP-MS, en utilisant les matériaux de référence NIST SRM 610, 612 et 616 pour la calibration externe et Ca comme élément standard interne. Les déterminations ont été faites avec un spectromètre de masse de type quadrupôle et un autre de type secteur magnétique, par des analyses à la fois en mode balayage et en mode ponctuel. Pour la majorité des éléments dopés, la précision est meilleure que 10% et les déviations standard relatives par rapport aux valeurs calculées sont, à quelques exceptions près, entre 5 et 10%. [source]


    Les fards rouges cosmétiques et rituels a base de cinabre et d'ocre de l'époque punique en Tunisie: analyse, identification et caractérisation

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COSMETIC SCIENCE, Issue 5 2001
    A. Alatrache
    Synopsis Natural antique colorants include mainly red pigments such as cinnabar and ochre. These archeological pigments were used especially as funeral and cosmetic makeup and are a material proof of handicraft activities and exchanges. The identification and characterization of a group of punic colorants, corresponding to samples discovered during excavations at several Tunisian archeological sites (Cartage, Ksour Essef, Kerkouane, Bekalta, Makthar, Bou Arada), were conducted using the least destructive analysis techniques such us scanning electron microscopy coupled to X-ray fluorescence microprobe, direct current plasma emission spectroscopy, atomic absorption spectrometry, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry and X-ray diffraction. Eleven natural red colorants from punic period were subject to this investigation and were compared to contemporary substances. Five colorants were cinnabar and the other six were ochre. Résumé Les colorants antiques naturels comportent principalement les pigments rouges tels que le cinabre et l'ocre. Ces pigments archéologiques ont été utilisés spécialement comme fards funéraires et cosmétiques, qui sont des témoins matériels d'activités artisanales et d'échanges. La caractérisation et l'identification d'un ensemble de colorants puniques correspondant à des échantillons découverts lors des fouilles sur divers sites de Tunisie (Carthage, Ksour Essef, Kerkouane, Bekalta, Makthar, Bou Arada) ont été conduites en employant des techniques d'analyse les moins destructives possibles telles que la microscopie électronique à balayage (MEB) couplée à une microsonde de fluorescence X (XRF), les spectrométries d'émission plasma à courant direct (DCP), d'absorption atomique (SAA) et infrarouge à transformée de Fourier (FTIR) et la diffraction aux rayons X (RX). Onze colorants naturels rouges puniques ont été soumis à l'étude et comparés avec des matières contemporaines. Cinq d'entre eux sont des composés de cinabre, les six autres des ocres. [source]


    Quantitative trace element imaging using PIXE and the nuclear microprobe

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF IMAGING SYSTEMS AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 4 2000
    C. G. Ryan
    Abstract The X-ray spectra of pure elements, excited using MeV energy beam of protons from the nuclear microprobe, have known spectra signatures. This makes X-ray spectra for more complex mixtures amenable to decomposition into contributions from the component elements. By devising this procedure as a matrix operation that transforms directly from spectrum vector to elemental concentration vector, the decomposition can be performed very efficiently enabling the real-time projection of the component element signals. In the case of a raster-scanned beam, with data that contain position information for each X-ray event, this approach enables the real-time projection of component element spatial distribution images. This paper describes the matrix transform approach called dynamic analysis (DA), which enables on-line real-time imaging of major and trace elements using proton-induced X-ray emission (PIXE). The method also provides off-line iterative yield corrections to these images to compensate for changing sample composition across an image area. The resulting images are quantitative in two respects: (1) they resolve the pure element components and strongly reject interferences from other elements and (2) they can be directly interrogated for sample composition at each pixel, over areas, or along lines across the image area, with accuracy comparable to microanalytical point analysis methods. The paper describes the DA method, presents tests, and discusses its application to quantitative major and trace element imaging in geology. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol 11, 219,230, 2000 [source]


    SHRIMP zircon and EPMA monazite dating of granitic rocks from the Maizuru terrane, southwest Japan: Correlation with East Asian Paleozoic terranes and geological implications

    ISLAND ARC, Issue 3 2008
    Masahiro Fujii
    Abstract The Maizuru terrane, distributed in the Inner Zone of southwest Japan, is divided into three subzones (Northern, Central and Southern), each with distinct lithological associations. In clear contrast with the Southern zone consisting of the Yakuno ophiolite, the Northern zone is subdivided into the western and eastern bodies by a high-angle fault, recognized mainly by the presence of deformed granitic rocks and pelitic gneiss. This association suggests an affinity with a mature continental block; this is supported by the mode of occurrence, and petrological and isotopic data. Newly obtained sensitive high mass-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) zircon U,Pb ages reveal the intrusion ages of 424 ± 16 and 405 ± 18 Ma (Siluro,Devonian) for the granites from the western body, and 249 ± 10 and 243 ± 19 Ma (Permo,Triassic) for the granodiorites from the eastern body. The granites in the western body also show inherited zircon ages of around 580 and 765 Ma. In addition, electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) monazite U,Th,total Pb dating gives around 475,460 Ma. The age of intrusion, inherited ages, mode of occurrence, and geological setting of the Siluro,Devonian granites of the Northern zone all show similarities with those of the Khanka Massif, southern Primoye, Russia, and the Hikami granitic rocks of the South Kitakami terrane, Northeast Japan. We propose that both the Siluro,Devonian and Permo,Triassic granitic rocks of the Northern zone are likely to have been juxtaposed through the Triassic,Late Jurassic dextral strike-slip movement, and to have originated from the Khanka Massif and the Hida terrane, respectively. This study strongly supports the importance of the strike-slip movement as a mechanism causing the structural rearrangement of the Paleozoic,Mesozoic terranes in the Japanese Islands, as well as in East Asia. [source]


    Eclogites from the Chinese continental scientific drilling borehole, their petrology and different P-T evolutions

    ISLAND ARC, Issue 4 2007
    Yong-Feng Zhu
    Abstract Four phengite-bearing eclogites, taken from different depths of the Chinese continental scientific drilling (CCSD) borehole in the Sulu ultrahigh pressure terrane, eastern China, were studied with the electron microprobe. The compositional zonations of garnet and omphacite are moderate, whereas phengite compositions generally vary significantly in a single sample from core to rim by decrease of the Si content. Various geothermobarometric methods were applied to constrain the P-T conditions of these eclogites on the basis of the compositional variability of the above minerals. The constrained P-T path for sample B218 is characterized by pressure decrease from ca 3.0 GPa (ca 600°C) to 1.3 GPa (ca 550°C). Eclogite B310 yielded P-T conditions of 3.0 GPa and 750°C. The path for eclogite B1008 starts at about 650°C and 3.6,3.9 GPa (stage I) followed by a pressure decrease to 2.8,3.0 GPa and a significant temperature rise (stages II and IIIa, 750,810°C). Afterwards, this rock cooled down to 620,660°C at still high pressures (2.5,2.7 GPa, stage IIIb). Retrograde conditions were about 670°C and 1.3 GPa (stage IV). Eclogite B1039 yielded a P-T path starting at ca 600°C and 3.3,3.9 GPa (stage I). A pressure decrease to about 3.0 GPa (stage II, 590,610°C) and then a moderate isobaric temperature increase to ca 630°C (stage III) followed. Stage IV is characterized by temperatures of 650°C at pressures close to 1.3 GPa. During and after this stage (hydrous) fluids partially rich in potassium penetrated the rocks causing minor changes. Relatively high oxygen fugacities led to andradite and magnetite among the newly formed minerals. We think that the above findings can be best explained by mass flow in a subduction channel. Thus, we conclude that the assembly of UHP rocks of the CCSD site, eclogites, quartzofeldspathic rocks, and peridotites, cannot represent a crustal section that was already coherent at UHP conditions as it is the common belief currently. The coherency was attained after significant exhumation of these UHP rocks. [source]


    Application of otolith microchemistry to estimate the migratory history of Japanese eel Anguilla japonica on the Sanriku Coast of Japan

    JOURNAL OF APPLIED ICHTHYOLOGY, Issue 2 2004
    A. Kotake
    Summary The age and migratory history of the Japanese eel, Anguilla japonica Temminck & Schlegel, collected in Miyako Bay along the Sanriku coast of Japan, was examined using the otolith microstructure and analysis of strontium (Sr) and calcium (Ca) concentrations conducted with wavelength dispersive X-ray spectrometry by an electron microprobe. The line analysis of Sr : Ca ratios along the life history transect of each otolith showed a peak (ca. 15,17 × 10,3) which corresponded with the period of their leptocephalus and early glass eel stages in the ocean. The mean Sr : Ca ratios from the elver mark to the otolith edge indicated that there were eels with several general categories of migratory history, including sea eels that never entered freshwater (average Sr : Ca ratios, ,6.0 × 10,3), and others that entered freshwater for brief periods but returned to the estuary or bay. This evidence of the occurrence of sea eels in this northern area indicates that Japanese eels of the Sanriku coast do not necessarily migrate into freshwater rivers during recruitment as do glass eels at the beginning of their growth phase; even those that do enter freshwater may later return to the marine environment. Thus, anguillid eel migrations into freshwater are clearly not an obligatory migratory pathway, but rather a facultative catadromy with seawater or estuarine residents as an ecophenotype. [source]


    Amphibolite facies retrograde metamorphism of the Zhujiachong eclogite, SE Dabieshan: 40Ar/39Ar age constraints from argon extraction using UV-laser microprobe, in vacuo crushing and stepwise heating

    JOURNAL OF METAMORPHIC GEOLOGY, Issue 5 2010
    H.-N. QIU
    Abstract The Zhujiachong eclogite in the south-eastern Dabieshan ultra-high- P terrane has been overprinted during retrograde metamorphism, with the development of garnet-amphibolite mineral assemblages in most rocks in the outcrop. This study is focused on providing age constraints for the retrograde amphibolite facies and greenschist facies mineralogy by 40Ar/39Ar dating. By applying a novel approach of combining three different techniques for extracting argon: laser stepwise heating of single grains and small separates, a spot fusion technique by UV-laser ablation microprobe on polished sections and an in vacuo crushing technique for liberating radiogenic argon from fluid inclusions, it is demonstrated that an internally consistent thermal history can be derived. The 40Ar/39Ar ages indicate that phengite formed before 265 Ma, probably during the ultra-high- P event. Ages associated with amphibolite facies retrograde metamorphism range from 242 to 217 Ma by the analyses of amphibole. Ages of c. 230 Ma were found for the symplectite matrix that formed during retrogression from eclogite pyroxene. Late stage hydrothermal activity leading to the formation of coarse-grained paragonite and fluid inclusions in vein amphibole was dated at c. 200 Ma. These age results agree well with the mineral crystallization sequence observed from thin-sections of the retrograded eclogite: phengite , paragonite and amphibole in matrix , amphibole in the corona. [source]


    Fluid flow and Al transport during quartz-kyanite vein formation, Unst, Shetland Islands, Scotland

    JOURNAL OF METAMORPHIC GEOLOGY, Issue 1 2010
    C. E. BUCHOLZ
    Abstract Quartz-kyanite veins, adjacent alteration selvages and surrounding ,precursor' wall rocks in the Dalradian Saxa Vord Pelite of Unst in the Shetland Islands (Scotland) were investigated to constrain the geochemical alteration and mobility of Al associated with channelized metamorphic fluid infiltration during the Caledonian Orogeny. Thirty-eight samples of veins, selvages and precursors were collected, examined using the petrographic microscope and electron microprobe, and geochemically analysed. With increasing grade, typical precursor mineral assemblages include, but are not limited to, chlorite+chloritoid, chlorite+chloritoid+kyanite, chlorite+chloritoid+staurolite and garnet+staurolite+kyanite+chloritoid. These assemblages coexist with quartz, white mica (muscovite, paragonite, margarite), and Fe-Ti oxides. The mineral assemblage of the selvages does not change noticeably with metamorphic grade, and consists of chloritoid, kyanite, chlorite, quartz, white mica and Fe-Ti oxides. Pseudosections for selvage and precursor bulk compositions indicate that the observed mineral assemblages were stable at regional metamorphic conditions of 550,600 °C and 0.8,1.1 GPa. A mass balance analysis was performed to assess the nature and magnitude of geochemical alteration that produced the selvages adjacent to the veins. On average, selvages lost about ,26% mass relative to precursors. Mass losses of Na, K, Ca, Rb, Sr, Cs, Ba and volatiles were ,30 to ,60% and resulted from the destruction of white mica. Si was depleted from most selvages and transported locally to adjacent veins; average selvage Si losses were about ,50%. Y and rare earth elements were added due to the growth of monazite in cracks cutting apatite. The mass balance analysis also suggests some addition of Ti occurred, consistent with the presence of rutile and hematite-ilmenite solid solutions in veins. No major losses of Al from selvages were observed, but Al was added in some cases. Consequently, the Al needed to precipitate vein kyanite was not derived locally from the selvages. Veins more than an order of magnitude thicker than those typically observed in the field would be necessary to accommodate the Na and K lost from the selvages during alteration. Therefore, regional transport of Na and K out of the local rock system is inferred. In addition, to account for the observed abundances of kyanite in the veins, large fluid-rock ratios (102,103 m3fluid m,3rock) and time-integrated fluid fluxes in excess of ,104 m3fluid m,2rock are required owing to the small concentrations of Al in aqueous fluids. It is concluded that the quartz-kyanite veins and their selvages were produced by regional-scale advective mass transfer by means of focused fluid flow along a thrust fault zone. The results of this study provide field evidence for considerable Al mass transport at greenschist to amphibolite facies metamorphic conditions, possibly as a result of elevated concentrations of Al in metamorphic fluids due to alkali-Al silicate complexing at high pressures. [source]


    Occurrence of calcite in Sanbagawa pelitic schists: implications for the formation of garnet, rutile, oligoclase, biotite and hornblende

    JOURNAL OF METAMORPHIC GEOLOGY, Issue 2 2002
    A. Goto
    Abstract The frequency of occurrence of minerals in 1876 samples of Sanbagawa pelitic schist in central Shikoku is summarized on the basis of microscopic observation accompanied, in part, by use of an electron microprobe. All samples contain quartz, plagioclase, phengite, chlorite and graphite. More than 90% of samples contain clinozoisite, titanite and apatite. Garnet is present in 95% of samples from the garnet zone, and biotite is present in 64% of samples from the albite-biotite zone. Calcite is found in about 40% of samples of the pelitic schist collected from outcrop, but occurs in 95% of the pelitic schist from drill cores. Calcite was apparently ubiquitous in the pelitic schist during the Sanbagawa metamorphism, but must have been dissolved recently by the action of surface or ground water. The mineral assemblages of the Sanbagawa pelitic schist have to be analyzed in the system with excess calcite, quartz, albite (or oligoclase), clinozoisite, graphite and fluid that is composed mainly of H2O, CO2 and CH4. In the presence of calcite, reactions that produce garnet, rutile, oligoclase, biotite and hornblende, some of which define isograds of the metamorphic belt, should be written as mixed volatile equilibria that tend to take place at lower temperature than the dehydration reactions that have been proposed. The presence of calcite in pelitic schist suggests that fluid composition is a variable as important in determining mineral assemblages as pressure and temperature. Thus Ca-bearing phases must be taken into account to analyze the phase relations of calcite-bearing pelitic schist, even if CaO content of Sanbagawa pelitic schist is low. As calcite is a common phase, the mineral assemblages of the biotite zone pelitic schist may contravene the mineralogical phase rule and warrant further study. [source]


    A novel transverse push,pull microprobe: in vitro characterization and in vivo demonstration of the enzymatic production of adenosine in the spinal cord dorsal horn

    JOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY, Issue 1 2001
    Shawnna L. Patterson
    Adenosine produces analgesia in the spinal cord and can be formed extracellularly through enzymatic conversion of adenine nucleotides. A transverse push,pull microprobe was developed and characterized to sample extracellular adenosine concentrations of the dorsal horn of the rat spinal cord. Samples collected via this sampling technique reveal that AMP is converted to adenosine in the dorsal horn. This conversion is decreased by the ecto-5,-nucleotidase inhibitor, ,,,-methylene ADP. Related behavioral studies demonstrate that AMP administered directly to the spinal cord can reverse the secondary mechanical hyperalgesia characteristic of the intradermal capsaicin model of inflammatory pain. The specific adenosine A1 receptor antagonist 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dimethylxanthine (CPT) inhibits the antihyperalgesia produced by AMP. This research introduces a novel microprobe that can be used as an adjunct sampling technique to microdialysis and push,pull cannulas. Furthermore, we conclude that AMP is converted to adenosine in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord by ecto-5,-nucleotidase and subsequently may be one source of adenosine, acting through adenosine A1 receptors in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, which produce antihyperalgesia. [source]


    Tephrological implications of beam size,sample-size effects in electron microprobe analysis of glass shards

    JOURNAL OF QUATERNARY SCIENCE, Issue 2 2001
    John B. Hunt
    Abstract This paper concerns the potential consequences of varying procedures for the determination of tephra geochemistry by electron microprobe. Application of electron probe microanalysis to tephrostratigraphical methods has increasingly facilitated the resolution and refinement of Quaternary chronology associated with records of proxy-environmental or proxy-climatic change. The geographical range over which tephras are recovered has expanded significantly with the identification and analysis of crypto (or hidden) tephras in areas far removed from tephra sources. These tephras are dominated by glass shards, which, in many distal environments, may be either small in size (,m) or may be highly pumiceous with low glass:void ratios and thin (<10 ,m) shard walls. We demonstrate that reducing the size of the electron beam used to analyse shard geochemistry cannot be used reliably to permit analysis of thin glass walls. This approach distorts the geochemical data, creating analytical differences that may generate inappropriate tephrogeochemical fingerprints. Additional distortion of the geochemical fingerprint in the form of hybrid analyses may be encountered in glass fragments containing micron-sized crystalline phases such as feldspar. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    In situ micro Raman investigation of electrochemically formed halide and pseudohalide films on mercury electrodes,

    JOURNAL OF RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY, Issue 3 2002
    Alexandre G. Brolo
    Oxidation of pure mercury electrodes was followed by in situ surface-unenhanced Raman spectroscopy. A special spectroelectrochemical cell allowed the observation of spectral features of the oxidation products using a Raman microprobe. The electrochemical behaviour of mercury in basic solution, halide (F,, Cl,, Br, and I,) and pseudohalide (SCN,) media was investigated. Insoluble films were formed during the anodic processes in all these systems. The identities of the electrochemically generated films were clearly determined from the Raman spectra. The main product of the electrochemical oxidation of mercury in basic solutions was solid HgO. The anodic behaviour of mercury in the presence of halide yielded insoluble Hg2X2 compounds (where X is the halide). The time dependence of the Raman signals indicated a diffusion-controlled growth of the halide films. The oxidation of mercury in SCN, solutions also produced a solid precipitate [Hg2(SCN)2]. Raman bands due to soluble mercury(II) thiocyanate complexes [Hg(SCN)x2,x], present in the electrochemical diffusion layer, were also observed. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Beamline 10.3.2 at ALS: a hard X-ray microprobe for environmental and materials sciences

    JOURNAL OF SYNCHROTRON RADIATION, Issue 3 2004
    Matthew A. Marcus
    Beamline 10.3.2 at the ALS is a bend-magnet line designed mostly for work on environmental problems involving heavy-metal speciation and location. It offers a unique combination of X-ray fluorescence mapping, X-ray microspectroscopy and micro-X-ray diffraction. The optics allow the user to trade spot size for flux in a size range of 5,17,µm in an energy range of 3,17,keV. The focusing uses a Kirkpatrick,Baez mirror pair to image a variable-size virtual source onto the sample. Thus, the user can reduce the effective size of the source, thereby reducing the spot size on the sample, at the cost of flux. This decoupling from the actual source also allows for some independence from source motion. The X-ray fluorescence mapping is performed with a continuously scanning stage which avoids the time overhead incurred by step-and-repeat mapping schemes. The special features of this beamline are described, and some scientific results shown. [source]


    The role that bond coat depletion of aluminum has on the lifetime of APS-TBC under oxidizing conditions

    MATERIALS AND CORROSION/WERKSTOFFE UND KORROSION, Issue 7 2008
    D. Renusch
    Abstract Bond coat oxidation as well as bond coat depletion of Al are still believed to be a major degradation mechanism with respect to the lifetime of thermal barrier coating (TBC) systems. In this study the top coat lifetime is described as being limited by both bond coat depletion of Al and mechanical failure of the top coat. The empirical results are introduced by considering three spallation cases, namely, Al depletion failure, thermal fatigue failure, and thermal aging failure. Al depletion failure occurs when the Al content within the bond coat reaches a critical value. In this paper bond coat depletion of Al is modeled by considering the diffusion of Al into both the thermally grown oxide (TGO) and substrate. The diffusion model results are compared to Al concentration profiles measured with an electron beam microprobe. These measured results are from oxidized air plasma sprayed TBC systems (APS-TBC) with vacuum plasma sprayed (VPS) bond coats for exposures up to 5000 h in the temperature range of 950,1100,°C. This paper focuses on the Al depletion failure and how it relates to top coat spallation. [source]


    Carbonates in CM chondrites: Complex formational histories and comparison to carbonates in CI chondrites

    METEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 4 2010
    Simone De LEUW
    Two different carbonate minerals (calcite/aragonite and dolomite) together constitute 1.4,2.8 vol% of CM chondrites. In contrast, CI chondrites contain four different carbonate minerals: calcite/aragonite, dolomite, breunnerite, and siderite. CI chondrites have abundant dolomite, a mineral that seems to be absent in the most aqueously altered CM chondrites. In this study, carbonates in seven CM chondrites (Y-791198, LaPaz Icefield 04796, Cold Bokkeveld, Nogoya, Queen Alexandra Range 93005, Allan Hills 83100, and Meteorite Hills 01070) were studied petrographically and by electron microprobe. The results indicate that carbonate formation in CM chondrites differs from that in CI chondrites and is more complex than previously recognized. Our studies of CM chondrites indicate that (1) carbonates formed on the parent asteroid in an aqueous environment that gradually changed in composition, (2) at some stage, Ca and Mg activities in the environment were high enough to form metastable dolomite, and (3) dolomites disappeared in the most aqueously altered CM chondrites. [source]


    Origin of kamacite, schreibersite, and perryite in metal-sulfide nodules of the enstatite chondrite Sahara 97072 (EH3)

    METEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 2 2010
    Stephen W. LEHNER
    We have measured concentrations of Ni, Cu, Ga, Au, Ir, Ru, and Pd in these minerals with laser ablation, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). We also measured their Fe, Ni, P, Si, and Co concentrations with electron microprobe. In kamacite, ratios of Ru/Ir, Pd/Ir, and Pd/Ru cluster around their respective CI values and all elements analyzed plot near the intersection of the equilibrium condensation trajectory versus Ni and the respective CI ratios. In schreibersite, the Pd/Ru ratio is near the CI value and perryite contains significant Cu, Ga, and Pd. We propose that schreibersite and perryite formed separately near the condensation temperatures of P and Si in a reduced gas and were incorporated into Fe-Ni alloy. Upon further cooling, sulfidation of Fe in kamacite resulted in the formation of additional perryite at the sulfide interface. Still later, transient heating re-melted this perryite near the Fe-FeS eutectic temperature during partial melting of the metal-sulfide nodules. The metal-sulfide nodules are pre-accretionary objects that retain CI ratios of most siderophile elements, although they have experienced transient heating events. [source]


    Ca,Al-rich inclusions in Rumuruti (R) chondrites

    METEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 9 2008
    Surya Snata ROUT
    Many of these meteorites are breccias containing primitive type 3 fragments as well as fragments of higher petrologic type. Ca,Al-rich inclusions (CAIs) occur within all lithologies. Here, we present the results of our search for and analysis of Al-rich objects in Rumuruti chondrites. We studied 20 R chondrites and found 126 Ca,Al-rich objects (101 CAIs, 19 Al-rich chondrules, and 6 spinel-rich fragments). Based on mineralogical characterization and analysis by SEM and electron microprobe, the inclusions can be grouped into six different types: (1) simple concentric spinel-rich inclusions (42), (2) fassaite-rich spherules, (3) complex spinel-rich CAIs (53), (4) complex diopside-rich inclusions, (5) Al-rich chondrules, and (6) Al-rich (spinel-rich) fragments. The simple concentric and complex spinel-rich CAIs have abundant spinel and, based on the presence or absence of different major phases (fassaite, hibonite, Na,Al-(Cl)-rich alteration products), can be subdivided into several subgroups. Although there are some similarities between CAIs from R chondrites and inclusions from other chondrite groups with respect to their mineral assemblages, abundance, and size, the overall assemblage of CAIs is distinct to the R-chondrite group. Some Ca,Al-rich inclusions appear to be primitive (e.g., low FeO-contents in spinel, low abundances of Na,Al-(Cl)-rich alteration products; abundant perovskite), whereas others were highly altered by nebular and/or parent body processes (e.g., high concentrations of FeO and ZnO in spinel, ilmenite instead of perovskite, abundant Na,Al-(Cl)-rich alteration products). There is complete absence of grossite and melilite, which are common in CAIs from most other groups. CAIs from equilibrated R-chondrite lithologies have abundant secondary Ab-rich plagioclase (oligoclase) and differ from those in unequilibrated type 3 lithologies which have nepheline and sodalite instead. [source]


    Investigation of ion beam techniques for the analysis and exposure of particles encapsulated by silica aerogel: Applicability for Stardust

    METEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 9 2004
    G. A. GRAHAM
    These particles will be the first sample return from a solid planetary body since the Apollo missions. In preparation for the return, analogue particles were implanted into a keystone of silica aerogel that had been extracted from bulk silica aerogel using the optical technique described in Westphal et al. (2004). These particles were subsequently analyzed using analytical techniques associated with the use of a nuclear microprobe. The particles have been analyzed using: a) scanning transmission ion microscopy (STIM) that enables quantitative density imaging; b) proton elastic scattering analysis (PESA) and proton backscattering (PBS) for the detection of light elements including hydrogen; and c) proton-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) for elements with Z > 11. These analytical techniques have enabled us to quantify the composition of the encapsulated particles. A significant observation from the study is the variable column density of the silica aerogel. We also observed organic contamination within the silica aerogel. The implanted particles were then subjected to focused ion beam (FIB) milling using a 30 keV gallium ion beam to ablate silica aerogel in site-specific areas to expose embedded particles. An ion polished flat surface of one of the particles was also prepared using the FIB. Here, we show that ion beam techniques have great potential in assisting with the analysis and exposure of Stardust particles. [source]


    Inversion domain boundaries in GaN studied by X-ray microprobe

    PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI - RAPID RESEARCH LETTERS, Issue 1-2 2010
    Gema Martínez-Criado
    Abstract In this study, we report on the application of synchrotron spectro-microscopic techniques to the examination of inversion domain boundaries formed intentionally in a GaN-based lateral polarity heterostructure. Using X-ray sub-microbeams, no evidence of field-driven electrodiffusion effects has been observed on spatially separated inversion domain boundaries. In addition, XANES data around the Ga K-edge strongly supported hexagonal Ga site configurations, suggesting high local order reconstruction. Based on inner-shell excited luminescence on the micrometer scale, the uniform spectral distribution of the radiative centers was discussed. (© 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


    In-situ doping and implantation of GaN layers with Mn

    PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (C) - CURRENT TOPICS IN SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue S2 2009
    k Sofer
    Abstract In this paper we present a growth of Ga1,xMnxN layers by MOVPE and ion implantation of GaN layers with Mn. The Mn concentration detected by electron microprobe and PIXE was well below the solubility limit, ranging from 0.2 to 1.1 at.%. Implanted doses of Mn ions were in the range 1x1016 -5x1016 Mn atoms.cm,2 with energy of 330 keV. The analysis of the MOVPE deposition process of Ga1,xMnxN thin films revealed an unfavorable ratio between the apparent Mn concentration in the gas phase and its doping level in the deposited layer. On the other hand, the incorporation of Mn has a positive effect on the resulting surface morphology. The optimal deposition temperature of 1000 °C was found out as a compromise between the layer quality and Mn concentration. In both in-situ grown and implanted samples, a ferromagnetic component persisting up to room temperature and a prevailing paramagnetic phase were observed. The ferromagnetic moment observed in implanted samples was influenced by free carrier concentration in GaN layers which were used for implantation. (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


    Matrix vapor deposition/recrystallization and dedicated spray preparation for high-resolution scanning microprobe matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization imaging mass spectrometry (SMALDI-MS) of tissue and single cells

    RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY, Issue 3 2010
    Werner Bouschen
    Matrix preparation techniques such as air spraying or vapor deposition were investigated with respect to lateral migration, integration of analyte into matrix crystals and achievable lateral resolution for the purpose of high-resolution biological imaging. The accessible mass range was found to be beyond 5000 u with sufficient analytical sensitivity. Gas-assisted spraying methods (using oxygen-free gases) provide a good compromise between crystal integration of analyte and analyte migration within the sample. Controlling preparational parameters with this method, however, is difficult. Separation of the preparation procedure into two steps, instead, leads to an improved control of migration and incorporation. The first step is a dry vapor deposition of matrix onto the investigated sample. In a second step, incorporation of analyte into the matrix crystal is enhanced by a controlled recrystallization of matrix in a saturated water atmosphere. With this latter method an effective analytical resolution of 2,µm in the x and y direction was achieved for scanning microprobe matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization imaging mass spectrometry (SMALDI-MS). Cultured A-498 cells of human renal carcinoma were successfully investigated by high-resolution MALDI imaging using the new preparation techniques. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Chemical Composition of Rock-Forming Minerals in Copper,Gold-Bearing Tonalite Porphyries at the Batu Hijau Deposit, Sumbawa Island, Indonesia: Implications for Crystallization Conditions and Fluorine,Chlorine Fugacity

    RESOURCE GEOLOGY, Issue 2 2007
    Arifudin Idrus
    Abstract Copper,gold mineralization at the world-class Batu Hijau porphyry deposit, Sumbawa Island, Indonesia, is closely related to the emplacement of multiple stages of tonalite porphyries. Petrographic examination indicates that at least two texturally distinct types of tonalite porphyries are currently recognized in the deposit, which are designated as "intermediate tonalite" and "young tonalite". They are mineralogically identical, consisting of phenocrysts of plagioclase, hornblende, quartz, biotite and magnetite ± ilmenite, which are set in a medium-coarse grained groundmass of plagioclase and quartz. The chemical composition of the rock-forming minerals, including plagioclase, hornblende, biotite, magnetite and ilmenite in the tonalite porphyries was systematically analyzed by electron microprobe. The chemical data of these minerals were used to constrain the crystallization conditions and fluorine,chlorine fugacity of the corresponding tonalitic magma during its emplacement and crystallization. The crystallization conditions, including temperature (T), pressure (P) and oxygen fugacity (fO2), were calculated by applying the hornblende,plagioclase and magnetite,ilmenite thermometers and the Al-in-hornblende barometer. The thermobarometric data indicate that the tonalite porphyries were emplaced at 764 ± 22°C and 1.5 ± 0.3 × 105 kPa. If the pressure is assumed to be lithostatic, it is interpreted that the rim of hornblende and plagioclase phenocrysts crystallized at depths of approximately 5.5 km. As estimated from magnetite,ilmenite thermometry, the subsolidus conditions of the tonalite intrusion occurred at temperatures of 540,590°C and log fO2 ranging from ,20 to ,15 (between Ni-NiO and hematite,magnetite buffers). This occurred at relatively high fO2 (oxidizing) condition. The fluorine,chlorine fugacity in the magma during crystallization was determined on the basis of the chemical composition of magmatic biotite. The calculation indicates that the fluorine,chlorine fugacity, represented by log (fH2O)/(fHF) and (fH2O)/(fHCl) in the corresponding tonalitic magma range from 4.31 to 4.63 and 3.62 to 3.79, respectively. The chlorine fugacity (HCl) to water (H2O) is relatively higher than the fluorine fugacity (HF to water), reflecting a high activity of chlorine in the tonalitic magma during crystallization. The relatively higher activity of chlorine (rather than fluorine) may indicate the significant role of chloride complexes (CuCl2, and AuCl2,) in transporting and precipitating copper and gold at the Batu Hijau deposit. [source]


    THE PIEDMONT WHITE MARBLES USED IN ANTIQUITY: AN ARCHAEOMETRIC DISTINCTION INFERRED BY A MINERO-PETROGRAPHIC AND C,O STABLE ISOTOPE STUDY*

    ARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 6 2009
    A. BORGHI
    The metamorphic rocks outcropping in the Western Alps are characterized by a great variety of white marbles, which have been poorly studied in the archaeometric field even though they have been used since antiquity. Typical examples are the Arc of August of Roman times in Susa (Piedmont, Italy) and lots of monuments and historical buildings of Turin (Italy). A multi-analytical approach based on petrographic (optical and scanning electron microscopy), electron microprobe and stable isotope analysis of Piedmont white marbles has been performed in order to carry out a detailed description, summarizing their main microtextural, mineralogical and isotopic features. Eight historical Piedmont marbles have been sampled from well-known quarry sites belonging to different metamorphic geological units of the Western Alps (Ornavasso, Crevola, Pont Canavese, Foresto, Chianocco, Prali, Brossasco and Garessio marbles). Their different metamorphic conditions, ages and structural evolution allowed us to draw a discriminative flowchart based on microscopic and minero-chemical data. [source]


    Chemical U-Th-Pb Monazite Dating of Deformations versus Pluton Emplacement and the Proterozoic History of the Arkansas River Region, Colorado, USA

    ACTA GEOLOGICA SINICA (ENGLISH EDITION), Issue 5 2009
    Hui CAO
    Abstract: Five lengthy periods involving multiple phases of cordierite and andalusite growth were revealed by detailed studies of foliation inflection/intersection axes (FIA) preserved in porphyroblasts in schists from the Arkansas River region in Colorado, USA. The regionally consistent character of the succession of five different FIA trends enabled the relative timing of each FIA with respect to the next to be determined. The FIA succession from first to last is: FIA 1 trending W-E, FIA 2 trending SSW-NNE, FIA 3 trending NNW-SSE, FIA 4 trending NW-SE and FIA 5 trending SW-NE. For four of the FIA sets, samples were found containing monazite grains preserved as inclusions. These were dated on an electron microprobe. The ages obtained concur exactly with the FIA succession, with FIA 1 at 1506 ± 15 Ma, FIA 2 at 1467 ± 23 Ma, FIA 3 at 1425 ± 18 Ma, FIA 4 not dated and FIA 5 at 1366 ± 20 Ma. These ages are directly reflected in a succession of plutons in the surrounding region dated by other isotopic approaches, suggesting that deformation, metamorphism and pluton emplacement occurred together episodically, but effectively continuously, for some 140 Ma. [source]