A large number of microbeam techniques have been developed for the analysis of geological materials.
Nondestructive techniques are more numerous.
In addition to characteristic X-rays, most microprobes are equipped to analyze other effects produced by electron bombardment of a sample, including backscattered electrons, secondary electrons, and cathodoluminescence. Thus the study of EMP analysis will incidentally cover many of the other analytical techniques. X-rays are still called Rontgenstrahlen in Europe. Rontgen demonstrated that X-rays travel in straight lines and are very penetrative, traversing all materials to varying degrees. Research with X-rays has resulted in other Nobel Prizes .