In geology, SEM is widely used for microscopic morphology and compositional analysis of minerals, rocks, fossils, meteorites, and sediments. It can observe mineral crystal habits, surface growth striations, dissolution and weathering features, clay mineral aggregates, rock pore structures, and microcrack distribution; identify heavy minerals such as zircon and apatite, as well as microfossils; and analyze the surface microstructure of meteorite and lunar samples. With backscattered electron imaging and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), it enables mineral phase discrimination and qualitative and mapping analysis of micro-area elements. In low-vacuum mode, some uncoated samples or samples containing a small amount of moisture can also be observed directly, providing intuitive and reliable microscopic evidence for tectonic evolution, ore deposit genesis, paleoenvironmental reconstruction, and planetary science research.
