Silver halide emulsion, production process of silver halide emulsion, silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material and image formation method

A process for producing a silver halide emulsion which is a silver chlorobromide or silver chloroiodobromide emulsion having a silver chloride content of 90 mol % or more, which comprises forming a silver bromide-rich phase which is an epitaxial deposit, the silver bromide-rich phase containing an iridium compound on a grain surface layer part, a grain edge part or a grain corner part of a silver halide grain in the silver halide emulsion,

• wherein the formation process for forming said silver bromide-rich phase comprises at least two stages and the molar amount of an iridium compound added in one formation process based on the silver added is higher than the molar amount of an iridium compound added in any one of the formation processes subsequent thereto based on the silver added.

A silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material comprising a support having thereon at least one blue-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer, at least one green-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer and at least one red-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer,

• wherein at least one of said blue-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer, green-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer and red-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer contains a silver chlorobromide or silver chloroiodobromide emulsion having a silver chloride content of 90 mol % or more,
• wherein the silver halide grain in said emulsion has a silver bromide-rich phase which is an epitaxial deposit, the silver bromide-rich phase containing an iridium compound on a grain surface layer part, a grain edge part or a grain corner part and
• the silver bromide-rich phase comprises an outer region occupying from 1 to 99% by volume of the silver bromide-rich phase from the surface of the silver bromide-rich phase, and an inner region, wherein the inner region has a higher iridium compound density than the outer region has.

A silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material comprising a support having thereon at least one blue-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer, at least one green-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer and at least one red-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer,

• wherein at least one of said blue-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer, green-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer and red-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer contains a silver chlorobromide or silver chloroiodobromide emulsion having a silver chloride content of 90 mol % or more,
• wherein the silver halide grain in said emulsion has a silver bromide-rich phase which is an epitaxial deposit, the silver bromide-rich phase containing an iridium compound on a grain surface layer part, a grain edge part or a grain corner part,
• wherein the silver halide emulsion is obtained by the formation process for forming said silver bromide-rich phase which comprises at least two stages and the molar amount of an iridium compound added in one formation process based on the silver added is higher than the molar amount of an iridium compound added in any one of the formation processes subsequent thereto based on the silver added.