Mineral identification using X-ray diffraction

Abstract

X-ray diffraction is a valuable tool in determining the mineralogy of sedimentary rocks. Not only can the mineral species be identified, but in some cases a semi-quantitative determination of mineral substance can also be made. This is especially important for mudrock where petrographic methods are of limited utility. Indeed it is the most important technique in evaluating the chemical composition in some solid-solution series, such as mole-percent MgO in dolomite and magnesian calcite.