Morphologie externe et interne des phosphates sédimentaires marocains: effet de recuit

Abstract

Study of Moroccan sedimentary phosphate, by optic electronic microscopy (SEM) and X‐ray diffraction, allows us to examine the external and internal morphologies, the microstructure and the composition of apatite grains. Their form, of about 250 µm, is round or stretched and the microstructure, like micro‐porosity and spontaneous fission tracks and the composition of samples studied here, is examined by scattering electronic microscopy (SEM). The coherent domain (Crystallite dimension) is determined by X‐ray diffraction. The analysis from unheated and heated sedimentary samples permitted us to visualize, for the first time, the microstructure of these apatite grains as well as the fossil fission traces and to study their behaviour as a function of annealing.

Keywords:

• Phosphate
• Apatite
• Electronic microscopy
• X‐ray diffraction
• Phosphate grains form
• Microstructure
• Micro‐porosity
• Spontaneous fission tracks
• Crystallite dimension