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

Resumen

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.