PROGRESS OF QUANTITATIVE MICRO-PIXE APPLICATIONS IN GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY

The scope and depth of micro-PIXE applications in geology and mineralogy are increasing steadily. including those with direct relevance to the minerals industry. The power of micro-PIXE as a quantitative, in-situ nondestructive multielement microanalyzer addresses a whole range of problems, from cosmochemistry to ore mineralogy, from the basic geosciences to minerals exploration problems. Despite the progress of other microbeam techniques, micro-PIXE maintains its advantage on a number of points, including ease of quantification and compatibility with a number of ion beam analytical techniques that complement its capabilities. Alone, or in combination with other IBA techniques, micro-PIXE has a secure place as a viable tool for the geosciences and the minerals industry alike.