21st Century mineral identification with micro-XRF

A micro-XRF instrument produces non-destructive high resolution (<20um) chemical maps on a wide variety of materials. In the geosciences, such images will enable precise documentation of the minerals present in rocks, as well as their mutual relations and potential reaction products in order to understand their nature and origin, providing fundamental background for more advanced studies. This instrument will have wide-reaching applications within geoscientific research including the study of volcanoes, ore formation, carbon storage, earth's climatic evolution, and the origin and growth of the continents. The instrument will also provide a modern means of demonstrating rock textures and mineralogy in geoscience teaching programmes and thus be accessible to both researchers and students.