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Raman study of radiation-damaged zircon under hydrostatic compression

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Abstract

Pressure-induced changes of Raman band parameters of four natural, gem-quality zircon samples with different degrees of self-irradiation damage, and synthetic ZrSiO4 without radiation damage, have been studied under hydrostatic compression in a diamond anvil cell up to ~10 GPa. Radiation-damaged zircon shows similar up-shifts of internal SiO4 stretching modes at elevated pressures as non-damaged ZrSiO4. Only minor changes of band-widths were observed in all cases. This makes it possible to estimate the degree of radiation damage from the width of the ν3(SiO4) band of zircon inclusions in situ, almost independent from potential “fossilized pressures” or compressive strain acting on the inclusions. An application is the non-destructive analysis of gemstones such as corundum or spinel: broadened Raman bands are a reliable indicator of self-irradiation damage in zircon inclusions, whose presence allows one to exclude artificial color enhancement by high-temperature treatment of the specimen.

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Acknowledgments

Zircon samples were kindly made available by J. M. Hanchar (synthetic ZrSiO4), W. Hofmeister (M144), and A. K. Kennedy (BR231, OR1, G168). Thoughtful comments of M. Gaft and an anonymous reviewer are gratefully acknowledged. Partial funding of this research was provided by the European Commission, contract no. MEXC-CT-2005-024878, and the FWF Austrian Science Fund, grant P20028-N10.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Mineralogie und Kristallographie, Universität Wien, Althanstr. 14, 1090, Wien, Austria

    Lutz Nasdala, Katja Ruschel & Tamás Váczi

  2. Mineralogisches Institut, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 236, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany

    Ronald Miletich

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  1. Lutz Nasdala
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  2. Ronald Miletich
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  4. Tamás Váczi
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Correspondence to Lutz Nasdala.

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Nasdala, L., Miletich, R., Ruschel, K. et al. Raman study of radiation-damaged zircon under hydrostatic compression. Phys Chem Minerals 35, 597–602 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00269-008-0251-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00269-008-0251-5

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