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Overcoming the problems of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy of biogenic aragonite

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 July 2018

S. E. Ness ,
D. W. Haywick  and
C. Cuff
S. E. Ness
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, James Cook University of North Queensland, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia
D. W. Haywick
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, James Cook University of North Queensland, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia
C. Cuff
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, James Cook University of North Queensland, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia
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Abstract

High-resolution transmission electron microscopy of biogenic carbonate minerals is hampered by a lack of stability during exposure to the electron beam. However, aragonite in bivalve shells may be successfully imaged using a modification of the ‘minimal-exposure technique’ of Williams and Fisher (1970). Diffraction patterns taken before and after beam exposure indicate that the aragonite remained stable during imaging. The procedure described here should prove useful for further studies of the ultrastructure and/or the diagenesis of biogenic carbonate minerals.

Keywords

transmission electron microscopycarbonate mineralsaragonite

Information

Type
Mineralogy and Petrology
Information
Mineralogical Magazine , Volume 54 , Issue 377 , December 1990 , pp. 589 - 592
Copyright
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 1990

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