Mineralogy and costituents of rocks with laboratory 1Module Laboratory
Academic Year 2023/2024 - Teacher: EUGENIO FAZIOExpected Learning Outcomes
Macroscopic and microscopic identification of minerals, on the basis of the physical properties. Knowledge of the most common analytical techniques Skill: ability to use optical properties to determine mineral species; to understand the basic functions of the polarizing microscope. Ability to read the manuals with mineral data. Preparation of a report based on thin sections observation.
Course Structure
Required Prerequisites
Attendance of Lessons
Mandatory. For working students, see the guidelines of Catania University
If the lectures will be held in mixt mode or in remote, 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; optical indicatrix; 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 (interference color, extinction angles types of extinction, zoning, twinning); conoscopic (interference image, optical character, optical sign) observations.
X-RAY DIFFRACTION: 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 this section microscopy - M.M. Raith, P- Raase, J. Reinhardt, 2nd Edition
Course Planning
| Subjects | Text References | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to the course | - Mineralogia - Klein C. - Zanichelli Editore- Mineralogia 1 - (Carobbi) Fondamenti di cristallografia e ottica cristallografica - Mazzi F. e Bernardini G.P. - USES Ed. Scientifiche Firenze -UTET |
| 2 | Mineralogy in the context of geosciences disciplines | - Mineralogia - Klein C. - Zanichelli Editore- Mineralogia 1 - (Carobbi) Fondamenti di cristallografia e ottica cristallografica - Mazzi F. e Bernardini G.P. - USES Ed. Scientifiche Firenze -UTET |
| 3 | Practical exercises about minerals identification with their physical properties | - Mineralogia - Klein C. - Zanichelli Editore- Mineralogia 1 - (Carobbi) Fondamenti di cristallografia e ottica cristallografica - Mazzi F. e Bernardini G.P. - USES Ed. Scientifiche Firenze -UTET |
| 4 | Symmetry elements, exercises with 3D models, stereographic projections | - Mineralogia - Klein C. - Zanichelli Editore- Mineralogia 1 - (Carobbi) Fondamenti di cristallografia e ottica cristallografica - Mazzi F. e Bernardini G.P. - USES Ed. Scientifiche Firenze -UTET |
| 5 | Space groups, exercises with 3D models | - Mineralogia - Klein C. - Zanichelli Editore- Mineralogia 1 - (Carobbi) Fondamenti di cristallografia e ottica cristallografica - Mazzi F. e Bernardini G.P. - USES Ed. Scientifiche Firenze -UTET |
| 6 | Optics, isotropic and anisotropic media, polaroids, monometric, dimetric and trimetric minerals | - Mineralogia - Klein C. - Zanichelli Editore- Mineralogia 1 - (Carobbi) Fondamenti di cristallografia e ottica cristallografica - Mazzi F. e Bernardini G.P. - USES Ed. Scientifiche Firenze -UTET |
| 7 | Optical indicatrices, thin sections preparation | - Mineralogia - Klein C. - Zanichelli Editore- Mineralogia 1 - (Carobbi) Fondamenti di cristallografia e ottica cristallografica - Mazzi F. e Bernardini G.P. - USES Ed. Scientifiche Firenze -UTET |
| 8 | Polarized light microscope | - Mineralogia - Klein C. - Zanichelli Editore- Mineralogia 1 - (Carobbi) Fondamenti di cristallografia e ottica cristallografica - Mazzi F. e Bernardini G.P. - USES Ed. Scientifiche Firenze -UTET- Guide to this section microscopy - M.M. Raith, P- Raase, J. Reinhardt, 2nd Edition |
| 9 | Extinction angle, auxiliary lenses, cleavage traces | - Mineralogia - Klein C. - Zanichelli Editore- Mineralogia 1 - (Carobbi) Fondamenti di cristallografia e ottica cristallografica - Mazzi F. e Bernardini G.P. - USES Ed. Scientifiche Firenze -UTET- Guide to this section microscopy - M.M. Raith, P- Raase, J. Reinhardt, 2nd Edition |
| 10 | Pleochroism, retardation equation, c-gamma angle | - Mineralogia - Klein C. - Zanichelli Editore- Mineralogia 1 - (Carobbi) Fondamenti di cristallografia e ottica cristallografica - Mazzi F. e Bernardini G.P. - USES Ed. Scientifiche Firenze -UTET- Guide to this section microscopy - M.M. Raith, P- Raase, J. Reinhardt, 2nd Edition |
| 11 | Interference colors and birifrangence; Michel Levy interference color chart | - Mineralogia - Klein C. - Zanichelli Editore- Mineralogia 1 - (Carobbi) Fondamenti di cristallografia e ottica cristallografica - Mazzi F. e Bernardini G.P. - USES Ed. Scientifiche Firenze -UTET- Guide to this section microscopy - M.M. Raith, P- Raase, J. Reinhardt, 2nd Edition |
| 12 | Thin section identification of the main minerals (quartz, garnets, feldspars, plagioclases, amphibole, pyroxene, calcite, olivine, biotite, muscovite, chlorite) | - Mineralogia - Klein C. - Zanichelli Editore- Mineralogia 1 - (Carobbi) Fondamenti di cristallografia e ottica cristallografica - Mazzi F. e Bernardini G.P. - USES Ed. Scientifiche Firenze -UTET- Guide to this section microscopy - M.M. Raith, P- Raase, J. Reinhardt, 2nd Edition |
| 13 | Uniaxial and biaxial minerals optical sign | - Mineralogia - Klein C. - Zanichelli Editore- Mineralogia 1 - (Carobbi) Fondamenti di cristallografia e ottica cristallografica - Mazzi F. e Bernardini G.P. - USES Ed. Scientifiche Firenze -UTET- Guide to this section microscopy - M.M. Raith, P- Raase, J. Reinhardt, 2nd Edition |
Learning Assessment
Learning Assessment Procedures
Description of the symmetry elements after the observation of 3D models. Description of optical indicatrices.
Examples of frequently asked questions and / or exercises
- Make measurements of extinction angles relevant to the microscopic recognition of minerals using the polarising microscope.
- Recognise symmetry elements from visual examination of a three-dimensional model.
- Determine the optical sign of minerals
- Michel-Levy table and interference colours
- Estimating the relief of minerals using Becke's line method
- Recognition of minerals in thin section
- Recognition of cleavages traces on basal sections of pyroxenes and amphiboles
- Optically isotropic and anisotropic minerals
- Obtaining the pattern of pleochroism by observation under a polarising microscope
- Recognition and description of optical indicatrices