Rapid estimation of porosity and mineral abundance in backscattered electron images using a simple SEM image analyser

Image analysis is rapidly becoming an integral part of scanning electron microscopy. A number of analogue and digital image analysis systems of varying sophistication are now commercially available for the SEM. This paper illustrates how one such relatively simple system, the IMAS image analyser manufactured by Cambridge Technology, can be used to obtain rapid quantitative estimates of porosity and mineral abundance in backscattered electron images of polished rock sections.