The use of electron backscatter diffraction and orientation contrast imaging as tools for sulphide textural studies: example from the Greens Creek deposit (Alaska)

The Greens Creek polymetallic massive sulphide deposit is hosted in a typical polyphase deformed lower greenschist facies orogenic setting. The structure of the host rocks is well constrained, exhibiting a series of three superimposed ductile deformations followed by two brittle episodes. The ore is found both in fold hinges where early-formed depositional features are preserved and in fold limbs where primary features are typically strongly modified or obliterated. Samples from both settings have been investigated using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) coupled with forescatter orientation contrast (OC) imaging in order to observe the effects of deformation and lower greenschist facies metamorphism on pyrite. Results suggest that colloform pyrite may preserve information relevant to palaeoenvironment, that apparently simple textures are generally more complex, and that pyrite can deform plastically by dislocation glide and creep processes at lower temperatures and/or strain rates than generally accepted. This analysis indicates that EBSD and OC imaging provide powerful tools for observing textural relationships in pyrite that are not shown by more traditional methods. They should become routine tools for pyrite texture analysis.Editorial handling: D. Lentz     

Oriented inclusions of pyroxene,amphibole and rutile in garnet from the Lüliangshan garnet peridotite massif,North Qaidam UHPM belt,NW China: an electron backscatter diffraction study

Oriented inclusions of clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene, sodic amphibole and rutile have been identified in garnet from the Lüliangshan garnet peridotite massif in the North Qaidam ultrahigh‐pressure metamorphic (UHPM) belt, northern Tibetan Plateau, NW China. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analyses demonstrate that nearly half of the measured intracrystalline clinopyroxene (8 out of 17) have topotactic crystallographic relationships with host garnet, that is, (100)_Cpx//{112}_Grt, (010)_Cpx//{110}_Grt and [001]_Cpx//<111>_Grt. One‐fifth of the oriented sodic amphibole (23 out of 110) inclusions of have topotactic crystallographic relationships with host garnet, that is, (010)_Amp//{112}_Grt, (100)_Amp//{110}_Grt and [001]_Amp//<111>_Grt. Over a third of rutile (36 out of 99) inclusions also show a close crystallographic orientation relationship with host garnet in that one <103>_Rt and one <110>_Rt parallel to two <111>_Grt while the axes of [001]_Rt exhibit small girdles centred the axes of <111>_Grt. But, no ‘well‐fit’ crystallographic relationship was observed between orthopyroxene inclusions and host garnet. Considering a very long and complex history for the Lüliangshan garnet peridotite, we suggest that the low fit rates for these oriented minerals may result from several possible assumptions including different generations or multi‐stage formation mechanisms, heterogeneous nucleation and growth under non‐equilibrium conditions, and partial changes of initial crystallographic orientations of some inclusions. However, the residual quantitative ‘well‐fit’ crystallographic information is sufficient to indicate that the nucleation and growth of many pyroxene, amphibole and rutile are controlled by the lattice of the host garnet. The revealed close topotactic relationships accompanied by clear shape orientations provide quantitative microstructural evidence demonstrating a most likely exsolution/precipitate origin for at least some of the oriented phases of pyroxene, sodic amphibole and rutile from former majoritic garnet and support an ultra‐deep (>180 km depth) origin of the Lüliangshan garnet massif.     

Trace element compositions of submicroscopic inclusions in coated diamond: A tool for understanding diamond petrogenesis

Trace element compositions of submicroscopic inclusions in both the core and the coat of five coated diamonds from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC, formerly Zaire) have been analyzed by Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Mass Plasma Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Both the diamond core and coat inclusions show a general 2-4-fold enrichment in incompatible elements relative to major elements. This level of enrichment is unlikely to be explained by the entrapment of silicate mantle minerals (olivine, garnet, clinopyroxene, phlogopite) alone and thus submicroscopic fluid or glass inclusions are inferred in both the diamond coat and in the gem quality diamond core. The diamond core fluids have elevated High Field Strength Element (Ti, Ta, Zr, Nb) concentrations and are enriched in U relative to inclusions in the diamond coats and relative to chondrite. The core fluids are also moderately enriched in LILE (Ba, Sr, K). Therefore, we suggest that the diamond cores contain inclusions of silicate melt. However, the Ni content and Ni/Fe ratio of the trapped fluid are very high for a silicate melt in equilibrium with mantle minerals; high Ni and Co concentrations in the diamond cores are attributed to the presence of a sulfide phase coexisting with silicate melt in the diamond core inclusions. Inclusions in the diamond coat are enriched in LILE (U, Ba, Sr, K) and La over the diamond core fluids and to chondrite. The coats have incompatible element ratios similar to natural carbonatite (coat fluid: Na/Ba ≈0.66, La/Ta≈130). The coat fluid is also moderately enriched in HFSE (Ta, Nb, Zr) when normalized to chondritic Al. LILE and La enrichment is related to the presence of a carbonatitic fluid in the diamond coat inclusions, which is mixed with a HFSE-rich hydrous silicate fluid similar to that in the core. The composition of the coat fluid is consistent with a genetic link to group 1 kimberlite.     

Revealing hidden structures: The application of cathodoluminescence and back-scattered electron imaging to dating zircons from lower crustal xenoliths

The use of cathodoluminescence (CL) and/or back-scattered electron (BSE) imaging techniques with in situ ion probe analyses of zircons can help unravel complex crustal histories of metamorphic rocks that otherwise might remain elusive. Using these techniques we have imaged zircons from three lower crustal xenolith suites that have previously been dated by SHRIMP (sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe). In all three cases, the zircons are featureless in transmitted light but CL and BSE reveal internal structures that correlate with distinct growth events. Generally, CL and BSE images reveal similar structures, with CL showing finer detail. Neither imaging technique is capable of delineating all growth features in every sample and the best results are obtained using a combination of the two techniques. Igneous cores in zircons commonly emit a different color CL emission. In many cases zoning in the cores is truncated, indicating that the zircons either spent time in the supracrustal environment after their initial crystallization and prior to the granulite facies event (s) or that part of the core zircon was resorbed during the subsequent metamorphic event. Metamorphic rims, when present, are commonly 10 to 30 μm thick, and are nearly always unzoned and featureless.

Igneous cores and metamorphic overgrowths commonly have distinctive CL emission spectra and trace element concentrations. However, the CL spectra can only be used to qualify chemical differences, as a linear relationship has not been shown to exist between CL intensity and trace element concentration in natural zircons. In many cases the Hf, Y, P, U and the heavy rare-earth elements (HREEs) concentrations can be correlated to igneous and metamorphic growth using a combination of CL and BSE imaging techniques and in situ trace element analyses with either the electron microprobe or PIXE (particle induced X-ray emission).     

迁安铁矿变形岩石的EBSD组构分析

迁安铁矿是我国大型沉积变质型铁矿之一,该矿区含矿变质岩系为前寒武纪老变质岩石,时代老,变质程度深,现存岩石的内部矿物发生过多次变形、变质和重结晶等变化,宏观上表现为该区岩石矿物组构的复杂性。为了更深入、清晰地了解该区变形岩石的组构,采用电子背散射衍射(EBSD)技术对该区岩石样品做了分析,通过EBSD系统的配套软件(HKL公司开发的Channel 5),对采集数据进行处理绘制成相应磁铁矿和石英的极图,经分析后重点总结出变形岩石内部石英的组构特点,由此进一步反映出本区构造变形时主要为中温-中高温的变形温度环境,少量组构图反映叠加了中低温变形。     

Tectono‐metamorphic history recorded in garnet porphyroblasts: insights from thermodynamic modelling and electron backscatter diffraction analysis of inclusion trails

In a Barrovian metamorphic sequence, garnetiferous mica schists document a heterogeneously developed superposition of sub‐orthogonal fabrics and multiple garnet growth episodes. In the variably deformed domains, four types of garnet porphyroblasts have been defined based on inclusion trail patterns. Modelled garnet zoning in the MnNCKFMASHTO system indicates a prograde evolution from 4–4.5 kbar and 490–510 °C to 5–6 kbar and 520–550 °C in the earliest subhorizontal fabric progressing towards 6.5–7.5 kbar and 560–590 °C in the subsequent subvertical foliation. This fabric is heterogeneously deformed into a shallow‐dipping retrograde foliation associated with garnet resorption. In situ electron backscatter diffraction measurements of ilmenite inclusions in individual garnet grains yield precise data on included planar and linear elements. Consistent orientations of internal foliations, lineations and foliation intersection axis sets indicate a superposition of three sub‐orthogonal foliation systems. Weak variations of internal records with increasing intensity of deformation suggest that a moderate buckling stage occurred, but apparent lack of porphyroblast rotation is interpreted as a result of dominant passive flow. Coupling the orientation of internal fabric sets with P–T estimates is used to complement the tectono‐metamorphic evolution of the thickened crust. We demonstrate that garnet porphyroblasts preserve features which reflect large‐scale tectonic processes in orogens.     

Garnet inclusions in diamond and the state of the upper mantle

Temperature and pressure estimates for Earth's upper mantle generally are based on indirect information derived from phase equilibria studies and the measurement of temperature and pressure dependent physical and chemical properties for relevant mantle materials. This paper describes an alternative approach, based on solid-inclusion piezothermometry, which utilizes the thermoelastic properties of direct mantle derived mineral samples. In particular, this study provides the theoretical development, based on the Murnaghan equation of state for solids, for a simple method of calculating isomeke lines for host and inclusion minerals of cubic symmetry which may be extrapolated accurately to upper mantle pressure and temperature conditions. The method is demonstrated for the particular case of garnet inclusions in diamond, for which adequate laboratory thermoelastic data are available. A specific application is made in the evaluation of the depth of formation of the D1 garnet-diamond inclusion system described by Harris et al. (1970). The pressure and temperature conditions of inclusion formation lie along the calculated isomeke line within the range constrained by recent graphite-diamond phase equilibria data. However, because the isomeke line for the garnet-diamond system and the graphite-diamond phase transition are very similar in slope, a further constraint is required. Assuming, therefore, that temperature in the upper mantle is bounded by the “Oceanic” and “Shield” geotherms of Clark and Ringwood (1964), the present results indicate that the D1 garnet-diamond system formed within the depth range 138 to 155 km (about 45 to 53 kbar pressure). This result, which relates to the genesis of kimberlite xenoliths, is generally consistent with the results of other studies which utilize phase equilibria data.     

Petrogenesis of the Eppawala carbonatites, Sri Lanka: A cathodoluminescence and electron microprobe study

Field and petrographic investigations, cathodoluminescence (CL) studies as well as microprobe analyses of major rock-forming minerals were conducted to establish the crystallization processes in the Eppawala carbonatites, Sri Lanka. The well preserved magmatic textures and crystal morphologies combined with the chemistry of apatite, calcite and dolomite indicate two major stages of crystal growth, which were accompanied by dynamic crystallization conditions. Initially, nucleation of apatite, ilmenite and possibly olivine was associated with rapid crystal growth during slow cooling of the carbonatite melt at depth. The heat loss through the roof and crystallization processes induced the development of turbulent convective currents, which in turn prevented further nucleation and growth of crystals and led to the dispersion of these earlier formed crystals within the magma chamber. Then, rapid upward movement of magma along structural weaknesses led to (i) the transport of mineral clusters, (ii) deformation of ilmenite, (iii) fracturing of apatite and (iv) the emplacement of the carbonatite melt as dykes. Here, the conditions were favourable for the simultaneous crystallization of magnetite, calcite and dolomite in a non-turbulent environment. Subsequent subsolidus alteration caused the hydrothermal overprint of the documented mineral assemblages, particularly along grain boundaries. The study demonstrates that detailed textural examinations of carbonatites combined with mineral chemical analyses and CL investigations can reveal the crystallization processes within carbonatite melts.     

Syngenetic phlogopite inclusions in kimberlite-hosted diamonds: implications for role of volatiles in diamond formation

We discuss the chemistry of exceptionally rare phlogopite inclusions coexisting with ultramafic (peridotitic) and eclogitic minerals in kimberlite-hosted diamonds of Yakutia, Arkhangelsk, and Venezuela provinces. Phlogopite inclusions in diamonds are octahedral negative crystals following the diamond faceting in all 34 samples (including polymineralic inclusions). On this basis phlogopite inclusions have been interpreted as syngenetic and in equilibrium with the associated minerals. In ultramafic diamonds phlogopites coexist with subcalcic high-Cr₂O₃ pyrope and/or chromite, olivine and enstatite (dunite/harzburgite (H) paragenesis) or with clinopyroxene, enstatite, and/or olivine and pyrope (lherzolite (L) paragenesis). Ultramafic phlogopites have high Mg# [100?Mg/(Mg+Fe)] from 92.4 to 95.2 and Cr₂O₃ higher than TiO₂ in H-phlogopites (1.5–2.5 wt.% versus 0.1–0.4 wt.%, respectively) but lower in L-phlogopites (0.15–0.5 wt.% versus 1.3–3.5 wt.%, respectively). Eclogitic (E) phlogopites show Mg# from 47.4 to 85.3 inclusive, and very broad ranges of TiO₂ up to 12 wt.%. The primary syngenetic origin of phlogopite is indicated, besides other factors, by its compositional consistency with the associated minerals. The analyzed phlogopites are depleted in BaO (0.10–0.79 wt.%), and their F and Cl contents are highly variable reaching 1.29 and 0.49 wt.%, respectively. The latter is in line with high Cl enrichment in some unaltered kimberlites and in nanometric fluid inclusions from diamonds. The presence of syngenetic phlogopite in kimberlite-hosted diamonds provides important evidence that volatiles participated in diamond formation and that at least a part of diamonds may have been related to early stages of kimberlites formation.     

Scanning electron microscopy cathodoluminescence of quartz: Principles,techniques and applications in ore geology

Scanning electron microscopy cathodoluminescence (SEM-CL) of quartz has been a prevalent research technique in porphyry and epithermal systems for the past two decades. Quartz from specific geological environments reveals unique textures in SEM-CL, which can be used to constrain the evolution of these ore-bearing systems when complemented by fluid inclusion, hyperspectral mapping, and trace element studies. We review SEM-CL principles and instrumentation, sample preparation and handling, and experimental conditions of quartz SEM-CL imaging that result in the high quality CL images. The effects of sample polishing, accelerating voltage, beam spot size, working distance, vacuum conditions, image acquisition, and post-processing were examined through experimental trial. For the XL 30 ESEM and the attached Gatan PanaCL detector used, the optimum experimental conditions to obtain high quality panochromatic SEM-CL images of quartz at high vacuum mode for carbon-coated conductive samples are as follows: 15 kV accelerating voltage, relative beam spot size 6 (approximately 500 nm in diameter), HT − 570 V to − 580 V photomultiplier tube (PMT) voltage. Low vacuum mode (with chamber H₂O vapor pressure from 0.1 to 1.0 Torr) working conditions are similar to the conditions at high vacuum mode except the PMT voltage should be reduced to − 550 V to − 560 V. Working distances vary based on the position of user's retractable CL detector. The sample surface should be as close as possible to the CL detector, but a 1 mm clearance between the detector and the sample surface is recommended to prevent detector from possible damage by the sample. Several minutes of beam exposure prior to image acquisition at 320 second scan speeds at 50×–1500× magnifications is recommended to generate the greatest CL emission. Monochromatic CL imaging requires three scans over the same area using red, green, and blue optical filters that can be merged to produce a “true color” image. The red and green filters require stronger PMT voltages to produce sufficient CL emissions by an increase of − 200 V to − 300 V and − 150 V to − 200 V, respectively, from the PMT voltage used for panochromatic imaging. Special attention is given to the challenges associated with imaging hydrothermal quartz veining in ore deposits and the value of CL data as a foundation for geochemical studies. SEM-CL imaging of vein quartz is explored through case studies of the Red Hills Porphyry Cu –Mo Deposit, Texas, USA, and the Ertsberg–Grasberg Cu–Au District, Papua, Indonesia to aid in vein paragenesis. The most common application of quartz SEM-CL in ore geology is to reveal the relative timing of mineral precipitation, mineral dissolution, and inherited structural features. Understanding of temporal relations among these events makes it possible to select specific generations of quartz within a vein for further studies such as the TitaniQ thermometry and fluid inclusion microthermometry in order to establish T–P–X fluctuations throughout the development of a hydrothermal system.     

Computer-controlled scanning electron microscopy: A fast and reliable tool for diamond prospecting

Computer-controlled scanning electron microscopy is introduced as a faster, reliably and cost-reducing alternative to conventional electron microprobe analyses on kimberlite indicator minerals. The method is based on conventional scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry, but due to extended counting times, optimised settings and computer-controlled particle recognition valid data can be obtained on a low amount of operator and machine time. A comparison of the results between both methods yields that computer-controlled scanning electron microscopy is able to investigate major and minor element concentrations in indicator minerals with almost the same precision as the electron microprobe.     

Ca-Al-rich inclusions from the Ningqiang meteorite: continuous assemblages of nebular condensates and genetic link to Type B inclusions

The petrography and mineral chemistry of 110 Ca-, Al-rich inclusions (CAIs) and 9 Ca- and/or Al-rich amoeboid olivine aggregates (AOAs) from the Ningqiang carbonaceous chondrite are reported. These CAIs are referred to as hibonite-bearing and hibonite-free melilite-spinel-rich (Type A), and spinel-pyroxene inclusions. Melilite is more gehlenitic in the hibonite-bearing Type As than in the other two types, and all of them vary within a range of Åk_0-30. Modal compositions of the three types of CAIs overlap with each other, and make up a continuum with wide ranges of melilite: spinel: diopside. The diopside occurs as rims on the CAIs or their individual concentric objects. The 9 AOAs contain spinel ± diopside ± anorthite in the centers of the aggregates; the spinel grains rimmed by diopside in the centers are similar to the spinel-pyroxene inclusions. Bulk compositions of these CAIs vary along the condensation trajectory, with the hibonite-bearing Type As plotting at the beginning followed by hibonite-free Type As then by spinel-pyroxene inclusions as temperature decreases. Bulk compositions of the AOAs are close to the lowest temperature condensation trajectory. Except for a few with compact textures, most of the Type As and spinel-pyroxene inclusions are fluffy aggregates, probably pristine vapor-solid condensates of the nebula.The bulk compositions of the Type As appear to overlap with the range of most melilite-Ti-Al-clinopyroxene-rich (Type B) inclusions. Hence, crystallization of liquids produced by melting the Type As can form Type B inclusions, without significant evaporative loss of MgO or SiO₂. A few Type Bs have bulk compositions deviating from the range of their proposed precursors, and may have suffered significant evaporation, as suggested in previous studies.     

Laser-induced time-resolved luminescence spectroscopy of minerals: a powerful tool for studying the nature of emission centres

The paper summarises new data and results referring to the characterization of the nature of luminescence centres in minerals that were published during the last 8 years. Besides well-established luminescence centres, such as Mn²⁺, Fe³⁺, Cr³⁺, divalent and trivalent rare-earth elements, S₂ ^?, and Pb²⁺, several other centres were proposed and substantiated, such as Mn³⁺, Mn⁴⁺, V²⁺, Ni²⁺, Pb⁺, Mn³⁺, Sb³⁺, Tl⁺, and radiation-induced centres. Also, a relatively new type of luminescence excitation mechanism is discussed briefly, namely plasma-induced luminescence. Here, the emission takes place when the matrix, where the formation of plasma is caused by irradiation with a beam of laser light, is capable to luminescence and contains luminescence centres.     

Regional patterns in the paragenesis and age of inclusions in diamond, diamond composition, and the lithospheric seismic structure of Southern Africa

The Archean lithospheric mantle beneath the Kaapvaal–Zimbabwe craton of Southern Africa shows ±1% variations in seismic P-wave velocity at depths within the diamond stability field (150–250 km) that correlate regionally with differences in the composition of diamonds and their syngenetic inclusions. Seismically slower mantle trends from the mantle below Swaziland to that below southeastern Botswana, roughly following the surface outcrop pattern of the Bushveld-Molopo Farms Complex. Seismically slower mantle also is evident under the southwestern side of the Zimbabwe craton below crust metamorphosed around 2 Ga. Individual eclogitic sulfide inclusions in diamonds from the Kimberley area kimberlites, Koffiefontein, Orapa, and Jwaneng have Re–Os isotopic ages that range from circa 2.9 Ga to the Proterozoic and show little correspondence with these lithospheric variations. However, silicate inclusions in diamonds and their host diamond compositions for the above kimberlites, Finsch, Jagersfontein, Roberts Victor, Premier, Venetia, and Letlhakane do show some regional relationship to the seismic velocity of the lithosphere. Mantle lithosphere with slower P-wave velocity correlates with a greater proportion of eclogitic versus peridotitic silicate inclusions in diamond, a greater incidence of younger Sm–Nd ages of silicate inclusions, a greater proportion of diamonds with lighter C isotopic composition, and a lower percentage of low-N diamonds whereas the converse is true for diamonds from higher velocity mantle. The oldest formation ages of diamonds indicate that the mantle keels which became continental nuclei were created by middle Archean (3.2–3.3 Ga) mantle depletion events with high degrees of melting and early harzburgite formation. The predominance of sulfide inclusions that are eclogitic in the 2.9 Ga age population links late Archean (2.9 Ga) subduction-accretion events involving an oceanic lithosphere component to craton stabilization. These events resulted in a widely distributed younger Archean generation of eclogitic diamonds in the lithospheric mantle. Subsequent Proterozoic tectonic and magmatic events altered the composition of the continental lithosphere and added new lherzolitic and eclogitic diamonds to the already extensive Archean diamond suite.     

山东郯城砂矿金刚石特征及包裹体研究

通过对115粒山东郯城砂矿金刚石样品进行矿物学和光谱学特征研究,结果显示郯城金刚石的粒径集中在1.0～4.0mm之间,晶体形态以菱形十二面体为主,其次八面体与菱形十二面体聚形,八面体较少;晶面形貌除倒三角凹坑、塑性变形滑移线、熔蚀沟、生长丘、生长阶梯、叠瓦状蚀象、滴状丘、晕线等原生形貌发育外,小部分发育有次生形貌-绿色色斑,且大多数金刚石的边棱清晰,磨圆程度不高。研究首次测得了郯城金刚石的拉曼特征峰的半高宽数据和金刚石包裹体拉曼谱图,显示郯城砂矿金刚石结晶程度差异较大,暗示其形成的金刚石地质生长条件和环境的复杂性;金刚石包裹体有橄榄石、黄铜矿、针铁矿、石墨矿物,其中橄榄石包裹体占比较高,表明郯城金刚石包裹体类型以橄榄岩型为主,测试结果与华北东部古老克拉通之下的岩石圈地幔大部分由橄榄岩组成的结论一致。对比郯城金刚石与蒙阴金刚石特征的异同,初步探讨了金刚石砂矿的物质来源,为揭示郯城砂矿金刚石的形成及演化提供了金刚石及其包裹体的新的证据。     

Physicochemical parameters of the material of mantle plumes: Evidence from the thermodynamic analysis of mineral inclusions in sublithospheric diamond

Thermodynamic analysis of equilibria involving minerals of the lower mantle of pyrolite composition and crystalline carbon-bearing compounds indicates that the range of oxygen fugacity values at which diamond can be formed is separated from the region in which Fe-rich metallic alloy is generated by a field in which Fe carbides are stable. This implies that diamond can be formed in the lower mantle under more oxidizing conditions than those thought to be dominant in this geosphere. The absence of a metallic phase from the lower-mantle diamond-bearing mineral assemblage is consistent with the high (approximately 1%) Ni concentration in the ferropericlase found as inclusions in diamonds (Fe-rich metallic alloy is able to intensely extract Ni). An elevated redox potential also follows from the occurrence of carbonate phases found among mineral inclusions in lower-mantle diamonds. The main reason for a local increase in oxygen fugacity in the lower mantle may be shifts of redox equilibria toward a decrease in the amount, and then the disappearance of the Fe-Ni alloy with increasing temperature. An important role in the formation of diamond may be played by the generation of carbonate-phosphate and silicate melts in high-temperature zones and the migration of these melts and their interaction with wall rocks.     

Infrared spectroscopic and X-ray diffraction characterization of the nature of adsorbed arsenate on ferrihydrite

Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to characterize arsenate-ferrihydrite sorption solids synthesized at pH 3-8. The speciation of sorbed arsenate was determined based on the As-O stretching vibration bands located at 650-950 cm⁻¹ and O-H stretching vibration bands at 3000-3500 cm⁻¹. The positions of the As-O and O-H stretching vibration bands changed with pH indicating that the nature of surface arsenate species on ferrihydrite was strongly pH dependent. Sorption density and synthesis media (sulfate vs. nitrate) had no appreciable effect. At acidic pH (3, 4), ferric arsenate surface precipitate formed on ferrihydrite and constituted the predominant surface arsenate species. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses of he sorption solids synthesized at elevated temperature (75 °C), pH 3 clearly showed the development of crystalline ferric arsenate (i.e. scorodite). In neutral and alkaline media (pH 7, 8), arsenate sorbed as a bidentate surface complex (in both protonated FeO₂As(O)(OH)⁻ and unprotonated forms). For the sorption systems in slightly acidic media (pH 5, 6), both ferric arsenate and surface complex were probably present on ferrihydrite. It was further determined that the incorporated sulfate in ferrihydrite during synthesis was substituted by arsenate and was more easily exchangeable with increasing pH.     

Electron probe microanalysis and microscopy: Principles and applications in characterization of mineral inclusions in chromite from diamond deposit

Electron probe microanalysis and microscopy is a widely used modern analytical technique primarily for quantifying chemical compositions of solid materials and for mapping or imaging elemental distributions or surface morphology of samples at micrometer or nanometer-scale. This technique uses an electromagnetic lens-focused electron beam, generated from an electron gun, to bombard a sample. When the electron beam interacts with the sample, signals such as secondary electron, backscattered electron and characteristic X-ray are generated from the interaction volume. These signals are then examined by detectors to acquire chemical and imaging information of the sample. A unique part of an electron probe is that it is equipped with multiple WDS spectrometers of X-ray and each spectrometer with multiple diffracting crystals in order to analyze multiple elements simultaneously. An electron probe is capable of analyzing almost all elements (from Be to U) with a spatial resolution at or below micrometer scale and a detection limit down to a few ppm.Mineral inclusions in chromite from the Wafangdian kimberlite, Liaoning Province, China were used to demonstrate the applications of electron probe microanalysis and microscopy technique in characterizing minerals associated with ore deposits, specifically, in this paper, minerals associated with diamond deposit. Chemical analysis and SE and BSE imaging show that mineral inclusions in chromite include anhydrous silicates, hydrous silicates, carbonates, and sulfides, occurring as discrete or single mineral inclusions or composite multiple mineral inclusions. The chromite–olivine pair poses a serious problem in analysis of Cr in olivine using electron probe. Secondary fluorescence of Cr in chromite by Fe in olivine drastically increases the apparent Cr₂O₃ content of an olivine inclusion in a chromite. From the chemical compositions obtained using electron probe, formation temperatures and pressures of chromite and its mineral inclusions calculated using applicable geothermobarometers are from 46 kbar and 980 °C to 53 kbar and 1130 °C, which are within the stability field of diamond, thus Cr-rich chromite is a useful indication mineral for exploration of kimberlite and diamond deposit. A composite inclusion in chromite composed of silicate and carbonate minerals has a bulk composition of 33.2 wt.% SiO₂, 2.5 wt.% Al₂O₃, 22.0 wt.% MgO, 7.5 wt.% CaO, 2.5 wt.% BaO, 0.8 wt.% K₂O, 25.5 wt.% CO₂, and 0.8 wt.% H₂O, similar to the chemical composition of the Wafangdian kimberlite, suggesting that it is trapped kimberlitic magma.     

Rigid unit modes in the high-temperature phase of SiO2 tridymite: calculations and electron diffraction

Calculations of the rigid unit mode (RUM) spectrum of the high-temperature phase of SiO₂ tridymite are used to explain the patterns of diffuse scattering seen in transmission electron microscopy experiments. These results show that RUM's can occur with wave vectors on curved surfaces in reciprocal space rather than being confined to symmetry points, lines or planes. The fact that the calculations reproduce the detail seen in the diffuse scattering provides a striking nontrivial confirmation of the validity of the rigid unit mode model.