Raman spectroscopy and confocal Raman imaging in mineralogy and petrography

Abstract

Raman spectroscopy has long been used in geosciences and a wealth of data and publications are available. The majority of this information originates from point measurements using micro-Raman setups. With the application of confocal Raman imaging, additional analytical possibilities arise with respect to analyzing the three-dimensional spatial distribution of inorganic as well as organic phases on the centimeter to sub-micrometer scale. This chapter will highlight some of the key aspects experimenters should take into consideration when performing confocal Raman measurements as well as experimental results showing the insight gained into geological samples by the use of confocal Raman imaging. © 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.