Microbeam Auger elemental mapping of surfaces is both time consuming and, for topographically rough surfaces, difficult to interpret. Backscattered electron imaging can provide maps where intensity is a function of atomic numberZ. Using a coaxial detector, and moderate primary beam energy, qualitative elemental maps are easily obtained. These maps are used to identify regions for point quantitative analysis by Auger electron spectroscopy. The analysis of heavy‐metal defects in metallurgical‐grade silicon is presented to demonstrate the application of this potentially powerful technique.