External-beam proton induced X-ray emission (PIXE) is a high-sensitive
non-destructive and multi-element quantitative analysis method
which can be used to analyze the variety and content of major and trace elements of Chinese archaic jades and jade mineral samples.In this paper
the analysis results of the variety and content of major and trace elements of several Chinese archaic jades and jade mineral samples are presented
which are shown that the external-beam PIXE can be a useful tool for identifying the geological formation of jade minerals and source of Chinese artifacts.