Cathodoluminescence of Carbonate Shells: Biochemical vs Diagenetic Process

Abstract

Cathodoluminescence (CL), or the emission of photons in the visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum under cathodic excitation, is of increasing interest to geologists and is now routinely used in mineralogy, petrology and sedimentology (see reviews in Marshall 1988; Rémond et al. 1992; Neuser et al. 1996; Barbin and Schvoerer 1997). Presently, better knowledge of the physical causes of CL and the use of CL spectroscopy has widened the application of CL in the geosciences. This new generation of CL instruments in combination with micro-scale, trace-chemical analytical techniques has a great potential for improving CL interpretations.