THE CHARACTERIZATION OF GLASS INCLUSIONS THROUGH NUCLEAR MICROPROBE

In the last decade, nuclear microanalytical methods have been develope d in order to study the distribution of elements of specific interest in natural glasses involving melt (or glass) inclusions trapped in min erals of magmatic origin. The study of these small objects represent a very original application of the microbeam techniques in general. Wit h the nuclear microprobe, we have focused our research in two main dir ections: (1) the determination of light elements by nuclear reaction a nalysis (C, N, F, Li, B) and elastic recoil detection analysis in tran smission mode (H), contributing to the knowledge of the magmatic therm odynamic conditions (pressure, temperature, gas solubility), to the qu antification of volatile budget and to the volcanoes atmospheric contr ibution; (2) the determination of trace elements as geochemical marker s with PIXE, contributing to the knowledge of magmatic processes. In t his paper, after a brief review of the methods developed for light ele ments and their application in volcanology, we present with more detai ls simultaneous use of microPIXE-microPIGE to characterize strontium a nd fluorine in melt inclusions. The experiments were carried out both with the Bruyeres Le Chatel nuclear microprobe (of first generation) a nd with the new nuclear microprobe of the Pierre Sue laboratory.