The first question is, what do you want quantify? The types of minerals, the amount of minerals, the content of minerals? The only option I know concerns the first one: the chemical composition using WDS (micro probe). Everything else sound to me not very reasonable. You could select some material as standard but it would not be helpful since in mineralogy/geology everywhere the grain size is different, the amount of phases as well. This means you need to grind them and then you are in the field of PowderXRD where numerous round robins exist which are not limited to minerals existing in rocks. This concerns the phase identification as well as the quantitative phase analysis. Also there a standard possibly does not make so much sense since you might be able to analyse the respective material very well, but the specific (in your case) you don't because of very similar phases, overlapping of peaks, minor phases etc.

Dear Mr. Nolze,

I didn't mean standards in the form of element standards. I mean standards in the form of a recommendation like the German standard (DIN), European norm (EN) etc.

There are a lot of very specific standards for mineralogical quantification e.g. XRD measurements on fly ashes but no general ones for rocks.

My questions is: Are there more general recommendations in the form of an European standard etc.? The aim is to have an overview over standards for mineral quantification in rocks.

Best Regards

Christian Günther

This is what I meant: ashes are comparatively "simple" since they fulfill the requirements of the analytical techniques applied. Rocks don't do this, except you want grind them. But the you can simply also mix all components to a powder.

Standards also have mainly technical reasons. For rocks I do not see this (what can have its reason in my limited point of view).

Best greetings

G. Nolze

Hello,

thank you for your answers.

I think I didn't explain it clear enough. It's not about standards for calibration it's about standards in form of norms (like a laboratory instruction). It could be the case that there are no official norms for rocks but I'm not sure. E.g. is there something like a laboratory intruction for the mineralogical investigation of rocks of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Deutsches Insitut für Normung (DIN), American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) or something like that?

Best Regards

I am not sure what you mean by "standards for mineralogical quantification of rock materials," but there are standard systems for classification of rocks, based on proportions of selected mineral constituents. For example,

the most current and widely accepted of these are the IUGS classification systems by Streckeisen (1973) and Le Maitre (2002, 2004) for igneous rocks, and by Schmid and others (2004) for metamorphic rocks. The index minerals can be identified with a petrographic microscope, and their abundances can be estimated by point-counting.

Thanks Mr. Ufer,

this is what I'm looking for.