The ability of scanning electron acoustic microscopy (SEAM) to characterize ceramic materials is assessed. SEAM images of Vickers indentations in SiC whisker‐reinforced alumina clearly reveal not only the radial cracks, the length of which can be used to estimate the fracture toughness of the material, but also reveal strong contrast, interpreted as arising from the combined effects of lateral cracks and the residual stress field left in the SiC whisker‐reinforced alumina by the indenter. The strong contrast is removed after the material is heat treated at 1000 °C to relieve the residual stresses around the indentations. A comparison of these observations with SEAM and reflected polarized light observations of Vickers indentations in soda‐lime glass both before and after heat treatment confirms our interpretation of the strong contrast.