Mineralogy and costituents of rocks with laboratory 2Module Laboratory
Academic Year 2023/2024 - Teacher: CRISTINA MARIA BELFIOREExpected Learning Outcomes
Acquire adequate knowledge and ability to understand the properties of minerals, develop skills in the application of the knowledge acquired with particular reference to the techniques and practical procedures for the identification of the most common minerals. Recognize the main minerals from the macroscopic observation of rocks or single crystalline individuals. Recognize morphological elements, including the degree of symmetry, from the observation of 3D models. Become familiar with the polarized microscope and understand how it works. Be able to make thin section observations and recognize the main minerals based on their optical characteristics.
Course Structure
Frontal teaching and practice exercises.
Required Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of chemistry and physics.
Attendance of Lessons
Mandatory according to the Degree Course regulation. For working students, see the guidelines of Catania University.
If the lectures will be held in mixed or remote mode, variations could be applied.
Detailed Course Content
INTRODUCTION. Role of mineralogy in Earth Sciences. Definition of mineral. Crystalline and amorphous state. Isotropy and anisotropy.
DESCRIPTIVE MINERALOGY: Main physical properties of minerals. State of aggregation: aggregates, associations, twins. Crystal habit.
CRYSTALLOGRAPHY: Crystal morphology and symmetry. Fundamental laws. Miller indices. Crystal forms. Point groups. Crystal groups and systems. Principles of structural crystallography. Planes lattices. Space lattices and unit cell. The 14 Bravais lattices. Outline of the space groups. Crystal structure.
OPTICS: Interactions between crystalline solids and polarized light; birifrangence; polarized light microscope (components and operating principles); polaroids; Snell law; refractive index; principles of optics phenomena and geometric optics laws.
THIN SECTIONS OBSERVATION: Notes about thin sections preparation; parallel polar light observations (color, pleochroism, cleavage traces, relief, shape, dimensions, alterations, inclusions), crossed polar light observations (interference color, extinction angles types of extinction, zoning, twinning); conoscopic observations (interference image, optical character, optical sign).
X-RAYS: notes about X-ray diffraction and its application in mineralogy.
Textbook Information
1. Mineralogia - Klein C. - Zanichelli Editore
2. Mineralogia 1 - (Carobbi) Fondamenti di cristallografia e ottica cristallografica - Mazzi F. e Bernardini G.P. - USES Ed. Scientifiche Firenze -UTET
3. Guide to thin section microscopy - M.M. Raith, P. Raase, J. Reinhardt, 2nd edition
| Author | Title | Publisher | Year | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Klein C. | Mineralogia | Zanichelli | ||
| Mazzi F., Bernardini G.P. (Carobbi) | Mineralogia 1 - Fondamenti di cristallografia e ottica cristallografica | USES Ed. Scientifiche Firenze -UTET | ||
| M.M. Raith, P. Raase, J. Reinhardt | Guide to thin section microscopy | 2012 |
Course Planning
| Subjects | Text References | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to the course | 1) Mineralogia, Klein C., Zanichelli Ed.2) Mineralogia 1-Fondamenti di cristallografia e ottica cristallografica, Mazzi F. e Bernardini G.P. (Carobbi), USES Ed. Sc. Firenze, UTET. |
| 2 | Mineralogy in the context of geosciences disciplines | 1) Mineralogia, Klein C., Zanichelli Ed.2) Mineralogia 1-Fondamenti di cristallografia e ottica cristallografica, Mazzi F. e Bernardini G.P. (Carobbi), USES Ed. Sc. Firenze, UTET. |
| 3 | Physical properties and practical exercises about minerals identification | 1) Mineralogia, Klein C., Zanichelli Ed.2) Mineralogia 1-Fondamenti di cristallografia e ottica cristallografica, Mazzi F. e Bernardini G.P. (Carobbi), USES Ed. Sc. Firenze, UTET. |
| 4 | Symmetry elements, exercises with 3D models, stereographic projections | 1) Mineralogia, Klein C., Zanichelli Ed.2) Mineralogia 1-Fondamenti di cristallografia e ottica cristallografica, Mazzi F. e Bernardini G.P. (Carobbi), USES Ed. Sc. Firenze, UTET. |
| 5 | Space groups, exercises with 3D models | 1) Mineralogia, Klein C., Zanichelli Ed.2) Mineralogia 1-Fondamenti di cristallografia e ottica cristallografica, Mazzi F. e Bernardini G.P. (Carobbi), USES Ed. Sc. Firenze, UTET. |
| 6 | Optics, isotropic and anisotropic media, polaroids, monometric, dimetric and trimetric minerals | 1) Mineralogia, Klein C., Zanichelli Ed.2) Mineralogia 1-Fondamenti di cristallografia e ottica cristallografica, Mazzi F. e Bernardini G.P. (Carobbi), USES Ed. Sc. Firenze, UTET. |
| 7 | Optical indicatrices | 1) Mineralogia, Klein C., Zanichelli Ed.2) Mineralogia 1-Fondamenti di cristallografia e ottica cristallografica, Mazzi F. e Bernardini G.P. (Carobbi), USES Ed. Sc. Firenze, UTET. |
| 8 | Polarized light microscope | 1) Mineralogia, Klein C., Zanichelli Ed.2) Mineralogia 1-Fondamenti di cristallografia e ottica cristallografica, Mazzi F. e Bernardini G.P. (Carobbi), USES Ed. Sc. Firenze, UTET.3) Guide to thin section microscopy, M.M. Raith, P. Raase, J. Reinhardt, 2nd Edition. |
| 9 | Interference colors and birifrangence; Michel Levy interference color chart | 1) Mineralogia, Klein C., Zanichelli Ed. 2) Mineralogia 1-Fondamenti di cristallografia e ottica cristallografica, Mazzi F. e Bernardini G.P. (Carobbi), USES Ed. Sc. Firenze, UTET.3) Guide to thin section microscopy, M.M. Raith, P. Raase, J. Reinhardt, 2nd Edition. |
| 10 | Auxiliary lenses and their applications | 1) Mineralogia, Klein C., Zanichelli Ed. 2) Mineralogia 1-Fondamenti di cristallografia e ottica cristallografica, Mazzi F. e Bernardini G.P. (Carobbi), USES Ed. Sc. Firenze, UTET.3) Guide to thin section microscopy, M.M. Raith, P. Raase, J. Reinhardt, 2nd Edition. |
| 11 | Orthoscopic observations in plane-polarized light (habitus, color and pleochroism, fractures, cleavage traces, inclusions, relief with Becke's line method) | 1) Mineralogia, Klein C., Zanichelli Ed.2) Guide to thin section microscopy, M.M. Raith, P. Raase, J. Reinhardt, 2nd Edition. |
| 12 | Orthoscopic observations in cross-polarized light (extinction and c-gamma angle, birefringence, sign of elongation, geminations, zoning) | 1) Mineralogia, Klein C., Zanichelli Ed.2) Guide to thin section microscopy, M.M. Raith, P. Raase, J. Reinhardt, 2nd Edition. |
| 13 | Observation under conoscopic light (interference figures and optical sign in uniaxial and biaxial minerals) | 1) Mineralogia, Klein C., Zanichelli Ed.2) Guide to thin section microscopy, M.M. Raith, P. Raase, J. Reinhardt, 2nd Edition. |
| 14 | Thin section identification of the main minerals (quartz, garnets, feldspars, plagioclases, amphiboles, pyroxenes, calcite, olivine, biotite, muscovite, chlorite) | 1) Mineralogia, Klein C., Zanichelli Ed.2) Guide to thin section microscopy, M.M. Raith, P. Raase, J. Reinhardt, 2nd Edition. |
Learning Assessment
Learning Assessment Procedures
Oral examination on the topics covered during the lessons - practical examination about microscopic mineral identification and description of the symmetry elements after the observation of 3D models.
Examples of frequently asked questions and / or exercises
- Recognize the elements of symmetry from the visual examination of a three-dimensional model
- Recognize and describe optical indicatrices
- Recognize optically isotropic and anisotropic minerals
- Estimate mineral relief using the Becke line method
- Obtain the pleochroism scheme through observations under a polarizing microscope
- Carry out measurements of extinction angles relevant for the microscopic recognition of minerals
- Determine the optical sign of minerals
- Recognize the main minerals in thin section