Quantification of single fluid inclusions by combining synchrotron radiation-induced micro-X-ray fluorescence and...

Fluid inclusions represent the only direct samples of ancient fluids in many crustal rocks; precise knowledge of their chemical composition provides crucial information to model paleofluid-rock interactions and hydrothermal transport processes. Owing to its nondestructive character, micrometer-scale spatial resolution, and high sensitivity, synchrotron radiation-induced micro-X-ray fluorescence has received great interest for the in situ multielement analysis of individual fluid inclusions. Major uncertainties associated with the quantitative analysis of single fluid inclusions arise from the inclusion depth and the volume of fluid sampled by the incident beam. While the depth can be extracted directly from the fluorescence spectrum, its volume remains a major source of uncertainty. The present study performed on natural and synthetic inclusions shows that the inclusion thickness can be accurately evaluated from transmission line scans. Experimental data matched numerical simulations based on an elliptical inclusion geometry. However, for one nonelliptical inclusion, the experimental data were confirmed using a computed absorption tomography reconstruction. Good agreement between the imaging and scanning techniques implies that the latter provides reliable fluid thickness values independent of the shape of the inclusion. Taking into consideration the incident angle, the incident beam energy, the inclusion fluid salinity, and the transmission measurement stability resulted in errors of 0.3-2 microm on calculated fluid inclusion thicknesses.