Alpha particle emissions from carrara marble specimens crushed in compression and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of correlated nuclear transmutations

Abstract

Neutron emission measurements were carried out by means of a He3 detector on Carrara marble specimens under compression. While granite generated neutrons – due to piezonuclear reactions involving fission of iron into aluminum – this phenomenon did not appear in marble crushing tests. On the other hand, significant alpha particle fluctuations were detected by a 6150 AD-k probe during the same compression tests. The external and fracture surfaces belonging to Carrara marble specimens crushed during the compression tests were analyzed by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). Such quantitative compositional analyses were carried out in order to detect any variation in Carrara marble chemical composition due to brittle failure. A total decrement in Ca, Mg, and O by 13 % as well as an equivalent increment in C were observed on the fracture surface with respect to the external surface. The assumed transmutations involve elements with an equal number of protons and neutrons. For this reason, the micro-chemical analyses suggest piezonuclear reactions accompanied by alpha particle emissions, but without neutron emissions, in the crushing experiments on marble specimens.