Hawaii peridotite xenoliths EBSD data

Crystal-preferred orientations (CPO) map data for spinel-peridotite xenoliths of 48 spinel-peridotites from four localities in three Hawaiian islands: Salt Lake (SAL) and Pali (PAL) in Oahu, Grove Farm (GF) in Kauai, and Pu'uwai (PU) in Nihau. CPO of olivine, pyroxenes, garnet, and spinel were measured at the SEM-EBSD facility at Geosciences Montpellier by indexing of electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD) patterns produced by interaction of an incident electron beam with a carefully polished thin section tilted at 70° to the electron beam. Measurements were performed in a JEOL JSM 5600 scanning electron microscope using an acceleration voltage of 17 kV and a working distance of 23 mm. Maps covering almost entirely each thin section were obtained using steps between 15 and 35 μm, depending on grain size. Indexing rates ranged between 80 and 90%. Lower indexation rates (70-80%) were obtained for a few peridotites (GF1B2F, GF4), which show some alteration along grain boundaries due to reaction with the host basalt. Orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene were seldom misindexed for one another. Inaccurate mineral determination and misindexing due to olivine pseudo-symmetry were corrected by careful post-acquisition data treatment controlled by comparing EBSD maps and optical microscopy observations.