Abstract
Specimen preparation using abrasives results in surface and subsurface mechanical (stresses, strains), geometrical (roughness), chemical (contaminants, reaction products) and physical modifications (structure, texture, lattice defects). The mechanisms involved in polishing with abrasives are presented to illustrate the effects of surface topography, surface and subsurface composition and induced lattice defects on the accuracy of quantitative x-ray microanalysis of mineral materials with the electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA).