Introduction to optical mineralogy and petrography the practical methods of identifying minerals in thin section with the microscope and the principles involved in the classification of rocks, m. John faithfull 1998 identification tables for common minerals in thin section these tables provide a concise summary of the properties of a range of common minerals. Albite tends to be more common than anorthite, with the exception of metamorphosed carbonates and amphibolite. Within the tables, minerals are arranged by colour so as to help with identification. Minerals in thin section is the perfect supplement for mineralogy, optical mineralogy, and petrography courses. Garnet mineral group name, from latin granatum pomegranate, the seeds of which it was thought to resemble. The arrangement and relationships between minerals in soils is probably more complex than that found in most rocks since many types of mineral and their weathered products can occur in juxtaposition. For clear minerals note if they are actually transparent or if they have a cloudy look, such as cloudy brown transparent. Nesse continues his detailed discussions of the petrographic microscope, the nature and properties of light, and the behavior of light in isotropic and anisotropic minerals, with detailed.
Orthoclase mineral physicaloptical properties, uses. Optical properties of dielectric and semiconductor thin films 3 analytic solutions can be given if we assume that the incident wave is a pure wave and that the boundary layers are regular. It contains valuable coverage of the optical properties of minerals, as well as uptodate descriptions of common rockforming minerals. In more complicated situations, numerical solutions are necessary. These crystals have a lot of inclusions of quartz and feldspar. Microscopic identification of minerals, eberhardt william heinrich, 1965, nature, 414 pages. Optical mineralogy is the study of the optical properties of rocks and fine minerals, generally through the preparation and study of thin sections or slices of rock, for examination under a petrographic or polarizing microscope. This category was created to upload macro photos of minerals, thin sections and rocks taken by means of any kind of microscope. White light, or visible light, is a form of electromagnetic radiation energy waves produced by the motion of an electric. Prismatic crystals elongated along 001 or 100, perhaps the largest of any species, to 50 m and,500 t.
The majority of minerals are transparent to light in thin section with the exception of metallic minerals which are opaque. However, even in the case where analytic calculations. Accompanying this exercise is a pdf which illustrates many of the features one can see in a thin section. The first item to be introduced will be the petrographic microscope. Mineralogical society of america open access publications. In this laboratory exercise you will investigate the optical properties of minerals when viewed in thin section. Geol209 properties of minerals in thin section youtube. Almandine locality at alabanda, in asia minor, where garnets were cut and polished in ancient times.
A common empirical formula showing some of the range of substitution in zircon is zr 1y, ree ysio 4 1x oh 4xy. A study of these rockforming minerals entails their examination under the microscope, either as tiny grains or as thin 0. Such a section is called a thin section of a mineral or rock. As different minerals have different optical properties, most rock forming minerals can be easily identified. A final lab exercise that uses the optical mineralogy skills learned in the previous labs and begins the transition to petrographic analysis of thin sections. In this free course, an introduction to minerals and rocks under the microscope, you will experience the study of minerals using a polarising microscope. Optical thin section analysis is an essential tool for rock and mineral characterization, whether as a standalone method or in combination with microbeam and xrd techniques. Optical mineralogy is used to identify the mineralogical composition of geological materials in order to. In many minerals, however, the color can vary over an immense range, mostly because of impurities.
Some minerals calcite, augite show colour changes as they are rotated on the plane of the microscope stage in plane polarized light pleochroism. Students look at some of the same minerals and others in thin section. Both transmittedlight microscopy and reflectedlight microscopy are dealt with, the former involving examination of transparent minerals in thin section and the latter involving examination of opaque minerals in polished section. Optical mineralogy geology wiki fandom powered by wikia. The book is therefore suitable for the novice either studying as an individual or participating in classwork. Fundamental terminology used to describe the optical properties of minerals when viewed with a petrographic microscope.
This chapter deals with the optical properties of those minerals which make up the common rocks of the earths crust, the socalled rockforming minerals. But, note that some minerals are better magicians than others i. Mineralogy and optical mineralogy download ebook pdf. Although there are a large number of mineral deposits, this article takes into consideration only a few. Learn the properties of light associated with techniques governing the use of a petrographic microscope. Even in such instances, the color range of a mineral can be a useful diagnostic property. Its chemical name is zirconium silicate, and its corresponding chemical formula is zr sio 4.
Prismatic crystals elongated along 001 or 100, perhaps the largest of. Luster is appearance or quality of light reflected from the surface of the mineral. With proper equipment, jewelers can easily distinguish a ruby from garnet or red glass, even if their outward appearance may be identical. The ordynary thin section is recomended for transmited light microscope observations. Minerals can be identified based on physical properties. Optical mineralogy is the study of minerals and rocks by measuring their optical properties. While the study of minerals can involve electron or ion beam chemical analysis, the polarising microscope remains the prime tool for the study of rock thin sections and is the foundation of. In the center of this case, some special optical properties are displayed. The intensity of light transmitted through each grain is used to fit a curve yielding the angle of extinction. Introduction to optical mineralogy, 2009, 348 pages. He has had research appointments at the university of chicago and the universite blaise pascal and has been a regular faculty member in the department of geology and geological engineering at the university of.
Diaphaneity translucent to transparent mohs hardness 6 defining mineral specific gravity 2. When first looking at a thin section under uncrossed polars, color is likely the optical property that most draws the eye, especially in samples where crystals of one or two strikingly colored minerals contrast against an otherwise colorless matrix such as the homepage introductory photo featuring bright blue. He has had research appointments at the university of chicago and the universite blaise pascal and has been a regular faculty member in the department of geology and geological engineering at the university of north dakota for. Properties of minerals in thin sections springerlink. To link to this object, paste this link in email, im or document. Download mineralogy and optical mineralogy or read online books in pdf, epub, tuebl, and mobi format.
An introduction to minerals and rocks under the microscope. This liberally illustrated guidebook provides a concise overview on the basics of polarizedlight microscopy and its application to thin section based mineralogical and. Rush valley mining district stockton mining district ugms bull 117 minerals and mineral. The latter will always be much darker and more intense than thin section colours. Optical properties glasses are among the few solids that transmit visible light thin film oxides might, but scattering from grains limit their thickness mica windows at acoma pueblo glasses form the basic elements of virtually all optical systems. Minerals in thin section university of north carolina 17 minerals in thin sectionshumboldt state 18. Therefore it is essential to give an account of the optical properties of the principal minerals in soil including those derived from the parent.
Introduction to mineralogy and petrology by cornelis klein and anthony philpotts, minerals and rocks are presented in the context of their geologic setting. The crystal structure of zircon is tetragonal crystal system. Addition and subtraction can be easily recognised by observing the changes in the colour sequence along the wedgeshaped edge of the grain. It describes in detail more than 125 common rockforming minerals and a selection of ore minerals. A photograph of a rock in thin section is often referred to as a photomicrograph. If a mineral commonly has a range of colours, it will appear once for each colour.
A thin sliver of rock is cut from the sample with a diamond saw and ground optically flat. A practical introduction to optical mineralogy colin. It can be difficult to see cleavage in thin section due to orthoclases low relief. This is an ideal textbook for both advanced undergraduates and graduate students. Optical mineralogy is the study of minerals by measuring their optical properties. Use properties of light absorption and propogation through a mineral a affected by atomic arrangement and composition. Optical mineralogy is used to identify the mineralogical composition of geological materials in order to help reveal their origin and.
H depend on many parameters and will therefore be different for different samples. Students learn how to use a microscope to observe thin sections. Insular sio 4 groups and o, oh, f, and h 2 o with cations in 6 coordination only. Nesosilicates insular sio 4 groups and o,oh,f,h 2 o 3.
The fourth edition of introduction to optical mineralogy has been thoroughly revised and updated to increase reading comprehension and improve the clarity of its illustrations. Changes in color under ppl with stage rotation are due to changes in the minerals orientation with respect to polarized light pleochroism useful for identification of some minerals for uniaxial minerals 2 hues. For most properties, a low power objective is usually used up to x 10. In optical mineralogy and petrography, a thin section or petrographic thin section is a laboratory preparation of a rock, mineral, soil, pottery, bones, or even metal sample for use with a polarizing petrographic microscope, electron microscope and electron microprobe. The natural colour of zircon varies between colourless, yellowgolden, red, brown, blue and green. Zircon forms in silicate melts with large proportions of high field. Guide to thin section microscopy extinction raith, raase, reinhardt january 2011 figure 4. Good but difficult to see in thin section extinction. In the lecture part of the course we have discussed the various optical properties of minerals. Color in plane light minerals in thin section can not only vary by actual color, but also by degree of clarity. Jings senior year thesis introduction to mineralogy science education video songs by local musicians. The latter will involve the identification of minerals or specific optical properties for a given sample in a spotting quiz and the identification of the minerals within a single thin section. Revised chapters on optical theory discuss the petrographic microscope, the nature and properties of light, the behaviour of light in isotropic and anisotropic materials, and uniaxial and biaxial anisotropicoptics.
Zircon forms in silicate melts with large proportions of high field strength incompatible elements. Josh reeves the global reality channel recommended for you. If this interference is constructive or destructive depends on the wavelength. Home rocks and minerals muscovite thin section reference url share. Carlsbad, polysynthetic, pericline other important id. Gems and mineralsthe ultimate rock video1989 laserdisc hd encode duration. For example, hafnium is almost always present in quantities ranging from 1 to 4%. Dec 01, 2017 a petrographic microscope is a type of optical microscope used in petrology and optical mineralogy to identify rocks and minerals in thin sections. Mineralogy and optical mineralogy download ebook pdf, epub.
This organization and the many field, hand sample, and thin sections photos in color make this book interesting and one that students are more inclined to read. The second part section 5 deals with a brief overview of mineral deposits and their classification. By looking at the chart, see which properties might help you distinguish. Study of optical properties of a mineral requires that. Theoretical considerations discussing the interaction of minerals and light, the properties of minerals in thin section, and the most practical aspects of optical mineralogy. The virtual microscope minerals makes optical mineralogy easier to examine a thin section and to understand the characteristic properties of each mineral without a petrographic microscope, which is known to be very expensive. This work is a part of petrology and helps to reveal the origin and evolution of the parent rock. 63 crystal system monoclinic tenacity brittle parting. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Most transparent minerals are colourless in thin section. The microscope is used in optical mineralogy and petrography, a branch of petrology which focuses on detailed descriptions of rocks. A new computer automated optical method to determine the orientation of biaxial mineral grains in thin sections has been developed. It is mainly addressed to geoscience studentsgeologists as a guide in individual or supervised laboratory work.
Has perfect cleavage on 001 and good cleavage on 010. In the lab portion of this course the following will be covered. Several important optical properties are applicable to minerals and gemstones, and can be very useful for gem identification. Thin sections are prepared in order to investigate the optical properties of the minerals in the rock.
Download introduction to optical mineralogy, william d. Part three defining optical microscopy and light ray terms. Ppl in thin sections most minerals are weakly colored to colorless. They note chemical and physical similarities and differences and why there are several varieties of minerals in each group. Microcline kalsi3o8 c 20 1m i nera ld t pub sh g, v o. The rheooptical properties of different viscoelastic solutions of surfactants are. Theyll give your presentations a professional, memorable appearance the kind of sophisticated look that. Thin section preparation petrography and mineralogy examination. In crosspolarized light aegerine can be seen to have a smaller extinction angle than. The ph value of the bath has been used to control structural and optical properties of mnseo 4 thin films. Given refer to the value of 2v normally a range is given, followed by the optic sign.
Study of how light passes through thin sections rock cut and polished to about 0. Using the petrographic microscope and polarized light to identify minerals in thin sections makes use of a couple of optical and morphological properties. Winner of the standing ovation award for best powerpoint templates from presentations magazine. In this study, structural and optical properties natural mnseo 4 mineral thin films, which were produced via chemical bath deposition method, have been investigated. The system takes images of a thin section sample between rotating crossed polarizers. The thickness of rock sample is 30 microns and the thin rock sample is covered with glass.
Stewart, walker, wright and fahey 1966, physical properties of calcic labradorite from lake county oregon, american mineralogist, vol. Worlds best powerpoint templates crystalgraphics offers more powerpoint templates than anyone else in the world, with over 4 million to choose from. A last look at igneous minerals in thin section dexter perkins, univ. The pleochroic colors are similar to hornblende, but it has approximately rightangle cleavage intersections like the all pyroxenes. Anhydrite grain showing a colour sequence covering seven orders. Ppt optical mineralogy powerpoint presentation free to. Optical and structural properties of natural mnseo mineral. Most commonly, rock and mineral samples are prepared as thin sections or grain mounts for study in the laboratory with a petrographic microscope.
959 577 176 169 92 843 1347 766 526 59 916 428 66 71 513 1067 1461 722 1140 692 1159 211 693 372 1347 1284 1577 1122 915 1522 1330 1208 91 384 244 293 266 1205 245 6 522 665