Issue 4, 2024

Ultrafast μLIBS imaging for the multiscale mineralogical characterization of pegmatite rocks

Abstract

This article presents an innovative application of kHz regime μLIBS – Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy for generating detailed compositional maps of geological samples. The method effectively covers large areas (tens of cm2) rapidly while maintaining high lateral resolution (below 20 μm), producing some of the most extensive LIBS compositional images to date, with a size of 10 million pixels. Employing elemental-based images, we developed a direct methodology for mineral phase identification through mask-creation operations and logical relationships. This approach was successfully applied to reconstruct the mineralogical map of a Li-ore from the west-European Variscan belt, identifying 14 different mineral phases, including economically valuable ones like lepidolite, cassiterite, and columbite-group minerals. Furthermore, based on the reverse normative calculation, the chemical composition of the sample was calculated from the mineral phases previously obtained. The kHz μLIBS approach marks a significant advancement in elemental and phase imaging, especially pertinent to geological applications, providing comprehensive petro-geochemical insights, essential for a fast geological characterization.

Graphical abstract: Ultrafast μLIBS imaging for the multiscale mineralogical characterization of pegmatite rocks

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
08 Dec 2023
Accepted
06 Feb 2024
First published
08 Feb 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2024,39, 1077-1086

Ultrafast μLIBS imaging for the multiscale mineralogical characterization of pegmatite rocks

C. Alvarez-Llamas, A. Tercier, C. Ballouard, C. Fabre, S. Hermelin, J. Margueritat, L. Duponchel, C. Dujardin and V. Motto-Ros, J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2024, 39, 1077 DOI: 10.1039/D3JA00438D

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications, without requesting further permission from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given and it is not used for commercial purposes.

To request permission to reproduce material from this article in a commercial publication, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party commercial publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements