Reflectance (R%) and internal reflections (IR) in
the iron variant, sphalerite, are investigated by using the
scanning electron microprobe and reflected light microscope.
Iron contents in sphalerite positively affect reflectance and
can be considered as a control factor of internal reflections
color. Internal reflections of sphalerite grains that contain less
than 10% Fe appear to be whitish yellow color but are with
reddish brown color when Fe rises to 10% to 17%. This
work is an effort for developing ore microscopy and ore
petrography technique by using the optical properties as a
geochemical tool for fast preliminary estimating iron content
in sphalerite by using reflected light microscope.
صالح محمد عوض | Salih Muhammad Awadh | 11122