In-Situ Elemental and Mineralogic Analysis of Peat Using SEM and Petrographic Techniques

摘要

A major problem with scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis of elemental and mineralogical components of peats has been to identify the botanical constituents containing or associated with the substances being measured. Observations of these relationships can be an important first step in understanding the distribution, genesis, and digenesis of mineral matter and elements in peat. Both freeze-drying and critical-point-drying techniques have produced non-dessicated peat specimens suitable for SEM analysis. However, neither of these methods allows one to identify the altered, decomposed plant materials which make up the bulk of most plants. Combining methods for producing oriented microtome sections of peat with those for critical-point drying has resulted in a technique that allows one not only to carry out SEM analyses, but also to identify the botanical affinities of the associted plant materials. 9 figures. (ERA citation 08:039991)