Abstract
Cathodoluminescence (CL) can greatly enlarge the capabilities of classical investigation techniques in earth sciences such as optical and electron microscopy. However, CL remains underexploited despite the considerable progress which has been made in development and applications of the technique since a few decades. The reasons most probably lie in the fact that not all the minerals exhibit CL, and when they do, the processes behind are often complex and still obscure in a number of aspects. After a brief overview of these processes and some technical aspects, the presentation will focus on applications of CL and perspectives thereof in various fields of earth sciences, especially petrology.