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Cesar M. Salvan
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Posted: Aug 21, 2014 05:14 Post subject: Favourite SEM photos |
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Microscopy is one of my passions. I am fortunate to be a scientist and, during my career, I learned and used several microscopy techniques. One of them is the scanning electron microscope (SEM). During the last 8 years, I handled the SEM instrument in my former research institution and performed hundreds of EDS micro-analyses for my research projects, for other colleagues and, of course, EDS analysis of minerals. In my happiest memories always will be my SEM sessions, sitting at the controls of the instrument until dawn, exploring the micro-world in a sort of "vertical journey" that I would never change for the best trip you can imagine (perhaps a trip in the starship Enterprise could compete...).
As a result of this work, I have a huge personal archive of SEM images and EDS spectra. Most of them probably will never be used in papers or publications. For a reason irrelevant here, I have reviewed my photo collection and I thought why not share these beautiful (at least for me) photos with a community that could appreciate it (at least I feel that). I cannot imagine a better place to create this "virtual gallery" than FMF. So here goes...in successive posts I will share my favorite pictures (by aesthetics or significance). Better to enjoy them than to forget them in the depths of a hard drive.
Almost all images were taken using backscattering electron detector and are in false color.
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Jarosite El Arteal tunnel, Sierra Almagrera, Cuevas del Almanzora, Almería, Andalusia, Spain Probably one of my favorites SEM photos ever. Jarosite on goethite, used during an extensive study of the jarosite for astrobiological application. |
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![jarosita rodalquilar.jpg](files/thumbs/t_jarosita_rodalquilar_193.jpg)
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Galena Las Cruces mine, Gerena, Sevilla, Spain One of the most recent finds: bacteria encapsulated (or fossilized by) in galena, as a result of their sulfate reducing activity. |
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![bichos copia.jpg](files/bichos_copia_120.jpg)
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Galena Las Cruces mine, Gerena, Sevilla, Spain Although published in other post, I think is worth to add it to this gallery. The galena on siderite from Las Cruces are the main components of the intriguing "black rock" of this copper mine. |
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![galena siderita sem copia.jpg](files/thumbs/t_galena_siderita_sem_copia_183.jpg)
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Proustite Las Cruces mine, Gerena, Sevilla, Spain Proustite on Galena. The proustite was locally abundant in Las Cruces, although currently all the silver rich zone has gone. |
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![proustita lcc-barrillo copia.jpg](files/thumbs/t_proustita_lcc_barrillo_copia_106.jpg)
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Pearceite Las Cruces mine, Gerena, Sevilla, Spain Pearceite, tennantite and galena on chalcocite matrix. |
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![pearceita las cruces2.jpg](files/thumbs/t_pearceita_las_cruces2_981.jpg)
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Pyrostilpnite Santa Teresa mine, Hiendelaencina, Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha, Spain Continuing with Ag minerals, a small galena crystal attached to the rare dimorph of pyrargyrite. |
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![galena pirostilpnita hiendelaencina.jpg](files/thumbs/t_galena_pirostilpnita_hiendelaencina_149.jpg)
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Linarite Coto La Luz, Linares, Linares-La Carolina District, Jaén, Andalusia, Spain. From the type locality. This come from San Pascual mines. |
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![linarita san pascual la luz linares3.jpg](files/thumbs/t_linarita_san_pascual_la_luz_linares3_194.jpg)
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Jordi Fabre
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Posted: Aug 21, 2014 05:23 Post subject: Re: Favorite SEM photos |
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Woow!
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captaincaveman
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Posted: Aug 21, 2014 06:16 Post subject: Re: Favorite SEM photos |
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Stunning pictures
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Pierre Joubert
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Posted: Aug 21, 2014 06:22 Post subject: Re: Favorite SEM photos |
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Keep them coming Cesar!
_________________ Pierre Joubert
'The tree of silence bears the fruit of peace. ' |
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Tobi
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Posted: Aug 21, 2014 06:37 Post subject: Re: Favorite SEM photos |
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Incredible!!!
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Darryl
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Posted: Aug 21, 2014 06:45 Post subject: Re: Favorite SEM photos |
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Wooow and stunning are under statements but at least they are printable on a public forum. I can see why you enjoyed your work so much. Please send additional photos so we can share your "journey". You comment about a voyage on a space ship reminded me of my days in optical mineralogy. There were about 10 of us in a small lab, all using heavy oils to determine refractive indexes of minerals etc. Changing the depth of focus on the petrographic scopes gave a "zooming" view much like going into warp drive on the Startreck TV series. But after a while you realized it was time to get out of the lab for some fresh air or you were going to go on a real trip and not get the assignment done.
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Roger Warin
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Posted: Aug 21, 2014 08:52 Post subject: Re: My favorite SEM photos |
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Thank you for sharing your experience. Amazing pictures.
Roger.
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Ed Huskinson
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Posted: Aug 21, 2014 14:15 Post subject: Re: Favorite SEM photos |
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Holy cow!! Great photos, Cesar. Please post more. These are so unusual. I envy you your time spent at the controls of the SEM machine. Thanks for sharing.
Ed in Kingman
_________________ La respuesta está en las rocas!! Estudiadlas!!
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Don Lum
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Posted: Aug 21, 2014 15:29 Post subject: Re: Favorite SEM photos |
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Cesar,
Thank you for posting these incredible images. They are fascinating. Please keep posting.
Don
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Cecil Bankston
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Posted: Aug 21, 2014 17:43 Post subject: Re: Favorite SEM photos |
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How are the colors added to the SEM images?
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Martin Rich
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Posted: Aug 22, 2014 21:47 Post subject: Re: Favorite SEM photos |
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Great!!!!
Martin
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Cesar M. Salvan
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Posted: Aug 25, 2014 03:43 Post subject: Re: Favorite SEM photos |
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Thanks for the enthusiastic reception.
Darryl wrote: | But after a while you realized it was time to get out of the lab for some fresh air or you were going to go on a real trip and not get the assignment done. |
hahah, I agree. Your comment made me remember a text that should be a must read to all scientist, professionals or amateurs: Advice for a Young Investigator (Ramón y Cajal, 1897). One chapter is devoted to the "Diseases of the Will", the negative qualities to avoid. When I read this chapter, I think I suffer all of them!. One of these negative qualities is the contemplation: is dangerous to be entrapped by the mere contemplation or the searching for the aesthetic manifestations of Nature, its beauty and elegance. He said:
"if the scientist is geologist, he will remain enraptured examining under polarized light the splendid colors displayed by rocks in polished sections".
I think that the difference between a rockhound or collector and a mineralogist is precisely the contemplation: one are focused in the mineral as an aesthetic manifestation of Nature. The second are engaged in a quest to unravel the history behind. But, I, as a contemplator, enjoy the beauty and the SEM pictures I share now is a good example...
Cecil Bankston wrote: | How are the colors added to the SEM images? |
There are several methods to transform the gray-scale in color. The idea is not to add color arbitrarily, but to transform the grays in "false color" acceptable in scientific publications. The methods include the use of image processors and several algorithms applied during the image rendering in the SEM. It is relatively easy. I have my method, but in internet there are a lot of guidelines and tutorials.
I hope you enjoy the images I share today, centered in a little known deposit: the El Laco iron deposit (Chile), in which beautiful magnetite crystals and complex phosphate assemblages could be found. Following with the phosphates, two rarities from Hiendelaencina (Spain).
Mineral: | Rockbridgeite |
Locality: | El Laco Fe deposit, San Pedro de Atacama, El Loa Province, Antofagasta Region, Chile | ![](templates/FabreMinerals/images/LocalidadesGreen.png) |
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The strongly beautiful El Laco iron deposit, located in a barely inaccesible elevation, are composed by a magnetite volcano!. The magnetite lava formed a giant lens and, in the tubes and fumaroles, beautiful crystals of magnetite and phosphates were formed. In this case, we have rockbridgeite on magnetite. |
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![fosfato magnetita el laco.jpg](files/thumbs/t_fosfato_magnetita_el_laco_168.jpg)
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Mineral: | Fluorapatite |
Locality: | El Laco Fe deposit, San Pedro de Atacama, El Loa Province, Antofagasta Region, Chile | ![](templates/FabreMinerals/images/LocalidadesGreen.png) |
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Apatites (both fluor and chloro) are the most frequent phosphates in the mineral assemblage of El Laco. It forms beautiful hexagonal prisms. |
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![apatito el laco.jpg](files/thumbs/t_apatito_el_laco_139.jpg)
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Mineral: | Rockbridgeite |
Locality: | El Laco Fe deposit, San Pedro de Atacama, El Loa Province, Antofagasta Region, Chile | ![](templates/FabreMinerals/images/LocalidadesGreen.png) |
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Other beautiful image of the El Laco rockbridgeite. |
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![fosfato el laco3.jpg](files/thumbs/t_fosfato_el_laco3_245.jpg)
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Mineral: | Pyromorphite |
Locality: | Hiendelaencina, Comarca Serranía de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain | ![](templates/FabreMinerals/images/LocalidadesGreen.png) |
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The phosphates are very scarce in the Pb-Ag-Sb deposit of Hiendelaencina, but are present as alterations of galena. |
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![piromorfita hiendelaencina.jpg](files/thumbs/t_piromorfita_hiendelaencina_107.jpg)
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Mineral: | Unnamed lead phosphate |
Locality: | Hiendelaencina, Comarca Serranía de Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain | ![](templates/FabreMinerals/images/LocalidadesGreen.png) |
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This lead phosphate, the P analog of schultenite, was found independently by U. Kolitsch in Clara mine and by me in Hiendelaencina. Is still under description. I observed it a very rare alteration product of galena. |
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![nuevo fosfato.jpg](files/thumbs/t_nuevo_fosfato_138.jpg)
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Pedro Alves
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Posted: Aug 25, 2014 09:04 Post subject: Re: My favorite SEM photos |
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Good initiative Cesar.
Let's share something!
Pyromorphite: yellow;
Corkite: pink;
quartz: bluish grey;
Goethite: brown.
From Serra da Mina mine, Cercal do Alentejo, Portugal.
Mineral: | Pyromorphite |
Locality: | Serra da Mina Mine, Cercal, Santiago do Cacém, Setúbal District, Portugal | ![](templates/FabreMinerals/images/LocalidadesGreen.png) |
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Dimensions: | 119 microns (FOV) |
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![pyromorphite.jpg](files/thumbs/t_pyromorphite_340.jpg)
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Pedro Alves
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Posted: Aug 25, 2014 09:21 Post subject: Re: Favorite SEM photos |
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Kintoreite and goethite.
From Pinhal do Souto Mine, Tragos, Portugal.
Mineral: | Kintoreite and goethite |
Locality: | Pinhal do Souto Mine, Tragos, Chãs de Tavares, Mangualde, Viseu District, Dão-Lafões, Centro, Portugal | ![](templates/FabreMinerals/images/LocalidadesGreen.png) |
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Dimensions: | 30 microns (FOV) |
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![kintoreite.jpg](files/thumbs/t_kintoreite_179.jpg)
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Vinoterapia
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Posted: Aug 25, 2014 10:01 Post subject: Re: Favorite SEM photos |
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Amazing pictures, thanks to you both for showing them. I enjoy being a "Contemplanionists".
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James Catmur
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Posted: Aug 25, 2014 14:58 Post subject: Re: Favorite SEM photos |
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Just to add my vote - superb!
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Peter Van Hout
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Posted: Aug 26, 2014 16:41 Post subject: Re: Favorite SEM photos |
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Hard to choose a favorite but if I have to choose only one I go for the kintoreite with goethite. But all these color SEM's truly are incredible !
Peter Van Hout
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