Scanning electron microscope (SEM) imaging and analysis of magnetic minerals of lake Diatas peatland section DD REP B 693

Abstract

Peatlands are formed from the accumulation of organic matter that originate from weathering vegetation for a long time. Minerals within peatlands can come from volcanic ash and consist of several types of minerals, one of which is magnetic minerals. This research aims to look the morphology, elemental composition and type of magnetic minerals found in the Lake Diatas peatland in Solok Regency, Indonesia because magnetic minerals have different morphologies depending on the source. The selected samples were from core DD REP B 693, which had a high magnetic susceptibility value. The magnetic minerals in the peatland were imaged and identified using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), which was equipped with Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS). The results of morphological analysis showed that peatland had oval-shaped minerals with fractures and are multidomainal. The Back Scattered Electron (BSE) images show that the minerals have a bright colored surface that indicates the presence of a high amount of Fe. The EDS results showed that magnetic minerals from the peatland predominately contain the elements Fe, Ti, Si, and O. Based on the relative proportions of these elements, the magnetic minerals that can be formed in peatland are Magnetite (Fe304) and Ilminite (FeTiO3)