The Scanning Electron Microscopy Lab houses a JEOL JSM-6610LV scanning electron microscope (SEM). The SEM is equipped with a LaB₆ cathode and is coupled to a Bruker Quantax 800 energy-dispersive X-Ray spectrometer, a cathodoluminescence detector, and an electron-backscatter diffraction detector. The SEM is typically used for structural and chemical analysis of rocks, minerals, and fossils. The large sample chamber holds objects up to ten centimeters in size. The SEM can be operated in a …

The Scanning Electron Microscopy Lab additionally houses a Lumic HC3-LM "hot-cathode" cathodoluminescence (CL) microscope that is coupled to an optical microscope fitted with a color CCD camera. Color CL signals can be obtained from thin-sectioned rock and mineral samples, and CL signals, recorded with the CCD camera, allow, e.g., identification and spatial mapping of zoning patterns in minerals such as zircon and calcite.