Mineralogy and costituents of rocks with laboratory

Module Mineralogy and costituents of rocks

The module aims to provide the students with: a basic understanding of the minerals and of the factors that influence their genesis and stability; the ability to understand basic mineralogical data and the specific terminology; skills in the application of the acquired knowledge for the purposes of recognition, analysis and description of the minerals of main petrographic and environmental  interest.

The contents will be mostly presented  with the interactive teaching method.  Outdoor activities may be developed. 

Attendance of lectures, both frontal and laboratory, will allow students to follow a linear and conscious path in the study of Mineralogy. Attendance is compulsory and is considered acquired if the student has attended at least 50% of the curricular hours required by the discipline.

If the teaching is taught in mixed or remote mode, the necessary variations may be introduced with respect to what was previously declared, in order to respect the planned program and reported in the syllabus.

TO GUARANTEE EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES AND IN COMPLIANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAWS,

INTERESTED STUDENTS CAN ASK FOR A PERSONAL INTERVIEW IN

HOW TO PLAN ANY COMPENSATORY AND/OR DISPENSATIVE MEASURES, IN

BASED ON THE EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES AND SPECIFIC NEEDS.

    YOU CAN ALSO CONTACT THE CINAP REFERENT TEACHER (CENTRE

FOR ACTIVE AND PARTICIPATORY INTEGRATION - SERVICES FOR DISABILITIES

AND/OR THE DSA) OF OUR DEPARTMENT, PROF. G. De Guidi

INTRODUCTION Role of mineralogy in Earth Sciences. Definition of mineral. Crystalline and amorphous state. Isotropy and anisotropy. Melting and solidification of crystalline and amorphous solids. 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 CHEMISTRY Chemical bonds in the crystal structures. Atomic and ionic radius. Ion coordination. Polyhedra and coordination numbers. LInus Pauling's rules. Crystal structure. Isostructuralism. Mineral formulas. Isomorphism and solid solutions. Crystallization of solid solutions: binary systems with complete and partial miscibility in the solid state. MINEROGENESIS Mineral nucleation. Crystal growth. Magmatic, metamorphic and sedimentary processes. Mineral stability. Polymorphism. Postcrystallization processes. MINERAL SYSTEMATICS Mineral classification. Silicates: compositional and structural characteristics of the main subclasses, families and species. General characteristics and main species of the following classes: carbonates, oxides, hydroxides, halides, sulfates, sulfides, native elements. Genesis, stability, distribution and geological paragenetic association of the main minerals of petrographic and petrological interest. Overview on specific minerals of environmental and industrial interest. 

Klein C. - Mineralogia, Zanichelli.

Klein C. , Philpott A. Earth Materials: Introduction to Mineralogy and Petrology (edizione italiana)

Ongoing verification by preparing a report. Final oral interview. Presentation and discussion of a thesis on a mineral. Recognition of minerals and patterns of crystalline structures at the mesoscopic scale. Verification of learning can also be carried out electronically, should conditions require it.

TO GUARANTEE EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES AND IN COMPLIANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAWS,

INTERESTED STUDENTS CAN ASK FOR A PERSONAL INTERVIEW IN

HOW TO PLAN ANY COMPENSATORY AND/OR DISPENSATIVE MEASURES, IN

BASED ON THE EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES AND SPECIFIC NEEDS.

    YOU CAN ALSO CONTACT THE CINAP REFERENT TEACHER (CENTRE

FOR ACTIVE AND PARTICIPATORY INTEGRATION - SERVICES FOR DISABILITIES

AND/OR THE DSA) OF OUR DEPARTMENT, PROF. G. De Guidi