Microprobe Analysis of Titanium in Zircon: an Estimation of Secondary Fluorescence

Microprobe study of the effects of secondary fluorescence from high-titanium glass (TiO 2 ≈ 16 wt %) on the apparent titanium content in the adjacent Ti-free zircon was conducted. It was demonstrated that small crystals (<10 µm) are not suitable for analysis. In the margins of large zircon crystals (20–30 µm), the error in Ti estimation may reach 10–23%. However, in the cores of large crystals (>30 µm), the microprobe analysis gives practically undistorted titanium contents.