OPTICAL MINERALOGY AND INTRODUCTION TO PETROGRAPHY

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LECTURE NOTES 

are underlined

Lecture assignments

Laboratory

Reading

Week One

.

Nesse

(1)Microscope function,  

(2)History of light,  light and matter

The polarizing 

microscope

Chapter 1,2

Week Two

.

.

(3)Polarized light, color of minerals,   

Snell's law

Behavior of light and 

Snell's Law

Chapter 3

Week Three

.

.

(4)Isotropic minerals,  

Index of refraction,  

(5)Refractometry, Becke lines

 and Oblique illumination

Oil immersion, 

techniques for 

isotropic materials

Chapter 3, 4

Week four

.

.

(6)Uniaxial minerals, and 

(7)ray velocity surfaces, 

Uniaxial indicatrix,

Refractive Index of

volcanic glasses

Chapter 5

Week five

.

.

(8) Uniaxial minerals under 

the microscope,  determining  R.I  

 (9)Light & uniaxial minerals, 

oil immersion of Uniaxial minerals,

EXAM I

Uniaxial minerals 

and optical properties

Chapter 6

Week Six

.

.

(10) Orthoscopic vs. Conoscopic

 illumination.(11) Interference figures,

Length fast/slow

Uniaxial unknowns, 

oils R.I determinations

Chapter 6

Week Seven

.

.

(11b) A Uniaxial Review  

(12)  Biaxial indicatrix , 

Biaxial minerals 

(oriented minerals)

Chapter 7

Week Eight

.

.

(13) Sign determination, 

Principle optical directions  

(14)Conoscopic illumination,  

numerical aperature, 2V

Unknown minerals 

in thin section

Chapter 8

Week Nine

.

Blatt & Tracy

15)   Biot-Fresnel rule, Bxa, Bxo, O.N,

  pleochroism, and extinction  

Introduction to rocks 

in thin section

.

Week Ten

.

.

EXAM II 

(16) Introduction to petrography

PRF chapter 4,8, 12

Chapter 1,2

Week Eleven

.

.

(17) Igneous textures Felsic igneous

(18) Classification of Igneous rocks

Diorites, gabbros

Chapter 3, 4

Week Twelve

.

.

(19) Origins of sedimentary rocks  

(20)Classification of clastic sed. rks

Clastic rocks

Chapter 11, 13, 15

Week Thirteen

.

.

(21) Mudrock and others  

  (22)Carbonate and  classification

Carbonate petrography

Chapter 16

Week Fourteen

.

.

(23)Metamorphic definitions, 

types & compositions,

  (24) metamorphic facies

Metamorphic rocks  

greenschist facies 

Chapter 18, 19

Week Fifteen

.

.

classification of metamorphic rocks

high grade 

metamorphic rocks

Chapter 21