As part of a MAGUS equipment demonstration, minerals with carbon inclusions dating back about 2.5 billion years were analyzed.
Two complementary microscopy techniques were used for the analysis. A MAGUS Lum 400 fluorescence microscope equipped with a MAGUS CLM50 digital camera was used to examine the fluorescence characteristics of carbon inclusions of biological origin. The captured images highlighted the differences between the structures under study and the surrounding mineral matrix. They also provided data for carrying out additional comparative analysis of the samples.
In addition, the samples were studied using a MAGUS Metal 630 metallurgical microscope with a MAGUS CBF70 digital camera. Reflected light microscopy allowed for a detailed examination of the mineral microstructure, the morphology of the inclusions, and their distribution within the rock.
The combined use of fluorescence and metallurgical microscopy made it possible to evaluate the samples from different perspectives and obtain the necessary data for conducting further scientific work.