Darkfield reflection visible microspectroscopy equipped with a color mapping system of a brown altered granite

Visible darkfield reflectance spectroscopy equipped with a color mapping system has been developed and applied to a brown-colored Rokko granite sample. Sample reflectance spectra converted to Kubelka-Munk (KM) spectra show similar features to goethite and lepidocrocite. Raman microspectroscopy on the granite sample surface confirms the presence of these minerals. Here, L*a*b* color values (second Commission Internationale d'Eclairage [CIELab] 1976 color space) were determined from the sample reflection spectra. Grey, yellow, and brown zones of the granite show different L*, a*, and b* values. In the a*-b* diagram, a* and b* values in the grey and brown zones are on the lepidocrocite/ferrihydrite trends, but their values in the brown zone are larger than those in the grey zone. The yellow zone shows data points close to the goethite trend. Iron (hydr)oxide-rich areas can be visualized by means of large a* and b* values in the L*, a*, and b* maps. Although the present method has some problems and limitations, the visible darkfield reflectance spectroscopy can be a useful method for colored-material characterization.