High-angular resolution electron backscatter diffraction as a new tool for mapping lattice distortion in geological minerals

This is a Preprint and has not been peer reviewed. The published version of this Preprint is available: https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JB017867. This is version 3 of this Preprint.

Add a Comment

You must log in to post a comment.


Comments

There are no comments or no comments have been made public for this article.

Downloads

Download Preprint

Authors

David Wallis, Lars Hansen, T. Ben Britton, Angus J. Wilkinson

Abstract

Analysis of distortions of the crystal lattice within individual mineral grains is central to the investigation of microscale processes that control and record tectonic events. These distortions are generally combinations of lattice rotations and elastic strains, but a lack of suitable observational techniques has prevented these components being mapped simultaneously and routinely in earth science laboratories. However, the technique of high-angular resolution electron backscatter diffraction (HR-EBSD) provides the opportunity to simultaneously map lattice rotations and elastic strains with exceptional precision, on the order of 0.01° for rotations and 10^-4 in strain, using a scanning electron microscope. Importantly, these rotations and lattice strains relate to densities of geometrically necessary dislocations and residual stresses. Recent works have begun to apply and adapt HR-EBSD to geological minerals, highlighting the potential of the technique to provide new insights into the microphysics of rock deformation. Therefore, the purpose of this overview is to provide a summary of the technique, to identify caveats and targets for further development, and to suggest areas where it offers potential for major advances. In particular, HR-EBSD is well suited to characterising the roles of different dislocation types during crystal plastic deformation and to mapping heterogeneous internal stress fields associated with specific deformation mechanisms/microstructures or changes in temperature, confining pressure, or applied deviatoric stress. These capabilities make HR-EBSD a particularly powerful new technique for analysing the microstructures of deformed geological materials.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.31223/osf.io/mbwf6

Subjects

Earth Sciences, Geology, Mineral Physics, Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Keywords

Dates

Published: 2019-04-18 11:15

Older Versions
License

CC BY Attribution 4.0 International