**5. Conclusion**

Raman mapping is a powerful technique for mineralogy and petrography. The small spatial resolution of the laser beam allows detection and identification of very small mineral phases that are impossible to identify by optical microscopy. The spectral resolution is also considerably improved by the rapid acquisition of several thousands of spectra. Finally, various data processing methods can be used to characterise particular structural or compositional properties of individual crystalline phases, thus vastly improving analytical possibilities. In the near future, mapping is likely to become the standard procedure for Raman analysis.
