Petrography and elements of mineralogy
Academic Year 2024/2025 - Teacher:
EUGENIO FAZIO
Course Structure
The course is delivered through lectures and classroom exercises. It is expected, if necessary, also the distance mode on the platform Teams.
Required Prerequisites
Chemistry and physics basic principles
Attendance of Lessons
Attendance is compulsory and will be noted by the teacher.
Textbook Information
- Klein C. & Philpotts A.R. "Mineralogia e petrografia" edizione italiana Ed. Geologia Zanichelli.
Ulteriori testi per approfondimenti e consultazione:
- Morbidelli L. “Le rocce e i loro costituenti” Bardi Editore, Roma, 2005.
- Deer W.A., Howie R.A., Zussman. Introduzione ai minerali che costituiscono le rocce. Zanichelli, Bologna.
| Author | Title | Publisher | Year | ISBN |
|---|
| Klein C. & Philpotts A.R. | Mineralogia e petrografia | Geologia Zanichelli | 2018 | 978-88-08-32060-5 |
Course Planning
| | Subjects | Text References |
|---|
| 1 | | Earth Materials (Klein & Philpotts - Cambridge ed.) |
Learning Assessment
Learning Assessment Procedures
Oral test on concepts covered in the frontal lectures. The student will be evaluated on the basis of an interview that includes the description and classification of one or more mesoscopic samples of rocks and/or minerals. Appearance dates available on the Graduate Course website.
There are no tests in itinere, is provided to students, along with the teaching material on "Studium", a file with questions on the most important topics, with it the student can test his preparation.
EXAMPLES OF FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND/OR EXERCISES
What is a mineral? Explain what is expressed in the definition. Basic concepts about morphological and structural Crystallography. Enunciate and describe the Pauling rules. Discuss Polymorphism by completing with examples. Discuss Isomorphism and isomorphic mixtures. The compositional and structural characteristics of Silicates. Structure formula and composition of one of the most common families of Silicates. What are magmas? Where do they solidify? What is Viscosity and what are the factors that control its variations. The modes of crystallization of magmas. The structures, minerals, and classification of magmatic rocks. The metamorphic process and the factors that control it. The most common structures and nomenclature in metamorphic rocks. The metamorphic grade and general concepts about metamorphic facies. The rock cycle. The internal structure of the Earth. Geochemical composition of Earth's envelopes. Sedimentary rocks and petrogenetic processes. Typical rock depositions.
Examples of frequently asked questions and / or exercises
Definition of minerals; Pauling's rules; classification of minerals; silicates; polyhedron coordination and structural formulae of major minerals; elements of symmetry (centre, planes, axes of symmetry) and their recognition on three-dimensional models; petrogenetic processes (sedimentary, magmatic, metamorphic); mesoscopic recognition of mineral specimens and rock classification; basic concepts of morphological and structural crystallography. Polymorphism, isomorphism and isomorphic mixtures. Compositional and structural features of silicates. Structural formula and composition of the most common families of silicates. What are magmas? Where do they solidify? What is viscosity and what factors control its variation; how do magmas crystallise? The structures, minerals and classification of igneous rocks. The metamorphic process and the factors that control it. The most common structures and nomenclature of metamorphic rocks. The metamorphic grade and general concepts of metamorphic facies. The rock cycle. The internal structure of the Earth. Geochemical composition of the Earth's mantle. Sedimentary rocks and petrogenetic processes. Typical bedding of rocks.
