Microstructural Analysis and EBSD Applications in Earth Sciences

San Francisco State University, San Francisco CA

Investigators

Abstract

This project supports participation of students and early career researchers in a short course "Microstructural Analysis and EBSD Applications in Earth Sciences" to be held at San Francisco State University. The short course will provide a brief introduction to a unique mathematical approach to analyze integral X-ray, neutron or synchrotron diffraction pole intensity data as well as individual orientation data from electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), Ice Fabric Analyzer or optical universal stage, and hands-on exercises with Windows/Mac/Linux systems applying the free and open MATLAB toolbox MTEX for texture analysis. In particular, estimation of an orientation distribution function and its properties as harmonic coefficients, volume portions, texture index, entropy, calculation of anisotropic properties, for example,. from the different kinds of data and grain reconstruction from EBSD data will be included. An MTEX workshop has never been offered in the U.S. Workshop participants will leave the workshop with some preliminary results from practical sessions under expert instruction and will be able to immediately start using MTEX. Quantitative microstructural analysis is an increasingly important aspect of many fields in the earth sciences including structural geology, experimental rock deformation, and seismology, for example. The wider availability of EBSD, in particular, presents researchers with much larger and more complex data to analyze. Training the next generation in the software tools necessary for such analysis is critical.