Neutron diffraction analysis in geophysics

Next year, the 70th anniversary of the discovery of the neutron will be cel ebrated by the scientific community. Here, the latest advances in geophysic s that were achieved by applying neutron diffraction analysis are reviewed in part. For more than 50 years, geologists and geophysicists used neutrons for the prospecting of oil, gas, and ore deposits by neutron logging. Neut ron activation analysis is extensively used for quantitative determination of many elements, in particular, rare, noble, and non-ferrous metals. Durin g the last 15 years of the 20th century, neutron diffraction analysis was i ntensely introduced for solving sonic problems of geosciences. In this revi ew, the advantages of neutron diffraction analysis for examining the struct ure of minerals, the texture of rocks, geodynamic effects, and properties o f geological materials at high pressures and temperatures are demonstrated. Among geophysical problems that are solved by using neutron diffraction an alysis are the interpretation of seismic anisotropy, reconstruction of pale otectonic strains and stresses, determination of the structure and properti es of rocks at high temperatures and mechanical loads. Trends in investigat ions of geological materials by the neutron diffraction method for solving high-priority fundamental and applied geosciences problems are discussed.