Elements Magazine Past Issues

The application of Raman (microprobe) spectroscopy in the geosciences has rapidly broadened and deepened over the past 40 years. This has been sparked by both improvements in technology and recognition of the quantitative, as well as qualitative, capabilities of the technique. Raman spectroscopy claims relative ease of use; is typically nondestructive at the (sub-)micrometer scale; has the ability to analyze solids, liquids, and gases; can differentiate polymorphs; and can enlarge the available spectral databases for minerals especially. Petrologists, geologists, mineralogists, geochemists, and geobiologists can create Raman maps/images based on selected spectral features, which simultaneously capture chemical–structural and microtextural information. In a single sample, one may investigate quantitatively the P–T path history during metamorphism, determine the composition and internal pressure of mixed volatiles in micrometer-size fluid inclusions, study the strain pattern or radiation damage in minerals, and/or target possible biosignatures.