Determining the porosity of dyed geological samples by analyzing colour images of the samples

摘要

A method of analysis of an electronic image of a sample is disclosed. The method comprises: identifying manually a first set of elements within the image that have a colour value that indicates a corresponding area of an imaged object meets a required criterion and a second set of elements within the image that have a colour value that indicates a corresponding area of an imaged object does not meet the required criterion. Then, the colour space of the image is divided into two corresponding regions 10, 12. An automatic analysis of the image is then performed to determine which of its elements fall within the first region or second region of the colour space and thereby identify which areas of the sample meet the required criterion. The method has particular application to the petrographic analysis of the porosity of rock samples that have been dyed. The criterion is that sufficient dye has been absorbed by the sample to indicate that it has porosity.