Elemental mapping
 | This article is actively undergoing a major edit for a little while. To help avoid edit conflicts, please do not edit this page while this message is displayed. This page was last edited at 19:14, 20 October 2008 (UTC) (16 years ago) – this estimate is cached, . Please remove this template if this page hasn't been edited for a significant time. If you are the editor who added this template, please be sure to remove it or replace it with {{Under construction}} between editing sessions. |
Elemental mapping is a microscopic technique where the distribution of elements over the surface of a sample is determined. It requires the use of an electron microprobe, using Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy or Wavelength-Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy[1]
How it works
Uses
Palaeontology
In exceptionally preserved fossils, such as those of the Burgess shale, soft parts of organisms may be preserved. Since these fossils are often compressed into a 2D fil, it can be difficult to deduce what features were what: a famous example is that of triangular extensions in Opabinia, which were interpreted as either legs or extensions of the gut. Elemental mapping showed that they had a similar composition to the gut, favouring the second interpretation.[2]
- For more information about element abundance in the Burgess shale, see Burgess_shale_type_preservation#elemental mapping
References
- ^ http://serc.carleton.edu/research_education/geochemsheets/elementmapping.html
- ^ Zhang, X. & Briggs, D.E.G. (2007). "The nature and significance of the appendages of Opabinia from the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale". Lethaia. 40 (2): 161–173. doi:10.1111/j.1502-3931.2007.00013.x. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)