A concise synchrotron X-ray microdiffraction field guide for the Earth scientists

Abstract

Most geological samples are intrinsically heterogeneous at the micron scale making their quantitative study with conventional laboratory techniques challenging. The use of synchrotron radiation, which provides high quality data with unprecedented spatial and angular resolution, has become quite ubiquitous in many branches of experimental sciences, and geology, geochemistry, Earth and environmental sciences are no exception. The present chapter offers an overview of what can be measured using synchrotron X-ray microdiffraction using an X-ray beam size in the range between 100 nm to a few microns. Experiments using geological samples are described. Two techniques, their strengths and limitations, are emphasized: powder microdiffraction and Laue microdiffraction.