Minerals in Thin Section

by Dexter Perkins, Kevin Henke

Overview

For courses in Optical Mineralogy, Mineralogy, Crystallography, Petrology, and Petrography; and for routine petrographic work in the lab.

This clear and concise text assists students as they look at thin sections. It focuses on the practical, need-to-know information absolutely necessary for work in the laboratory.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780131420151
Publisher:	Pearson Education
Publication date:	06/05/2003
Series:	Geos: the Pearson Custom Library for Geography and Geology Series
Edition description:	REV
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 10.80(h) x 0.59(d)

About the Author

Dr. Dexter Perkins received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1979. He has published over 80 papers and three books. He has had research appointments at the University of Chicago and the Universite Blaise Pascal and has been a regular faculty member in the Department of Geology and Geological Engineering at the University of North Dakota for more than 20 years. His current research is focused on mineral equilibria and science education reform.

Kevin R. Henke received his Ph.D. in geology from the University of North Dakota in 1997. He has had research and postdoctoral appointments at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in the Chemistry Department at North Dakota State University, and in the Chemistry Department at the University of Kentucky. He has also taught in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Kentucky. Currently, he is researching the chemistry and environmental impacts of mercury and other heavy metals as an employee of the Center for Applied Energy Research at the University of Kentucky, Lexington.

Read an Excerpt

We wrote the first edition of Minerals in Thin Section because we found a need for a concise and straightforward reference book that our students could use in the laboratory. We were pleased to find that other instructors had a similar need.

Many people have made suggestions on ways to make our book more useful. Please keep those suggestions coming! In this, the second edition of Minerals in Thin Section, we added a few more details to mineral description, corrected some minor factual and technical errors, and expanded or clarified discussions in a few places where things were not clear. We added additional photos, most of sedimentary rocks in thin section. Most significant, however, is that we added more than 50 line drawings in Part II. The drawings explain, better than words, the relationships between optical properties and crystal shapes. For a few minerals we have included graphs showing the relationship between optical properties and mineral composition.

Many people contributed to this book. In particular we are indebted to Mickey E. Gunter (University of Idaho), Jennifer A. Thomson (Eastern Washington University), and Edward ft Stoddard (North Carolina State University) for help as we prepared the first edition. Subsequent invaluable input came from from James A. Woodhead (Occidental College), Michael J. Walawender (San Diego State University), James A. Grant (University of Minnesota-Duluth), Roderic Brame (Wright State University), Andrew Wulff (University of Iowa), Laura R. Wetzel (Eckerd College), B. Ronald Frost (University of Wyoming), and Kevin L. Shelton (University of Missouri). George B. Perkins helped draft many of the figures.

Table of Contents

I. THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS.

What Is Light?

Polarization of Light and the Polarizing Microscope.

The Velocity of Light in Crystals and the Refractive Index.

Interaction of Light and Crystals.

Other Mineral Characteristics in Thin Sections.

II. IDENTIFYING MINERALS IN THIN SECTION.

Detailed Mineral Description.

Appendix A: Common Opaque Minerals.

Appendix B: Isotropic Minerals Ordered by Refractive Index.

Appendix C: Uniaxial Minerals Sorted by Optic Sign and Ordered by Refractive Index.

Appendix D: Biaxial Minerals Sorted by Optic Sign and Ordered by Refractive Index.

Appendix E: Minerals Ordered by Interference Colors and Sorted by Optic System and Optic Sign.

Appendix F: Alphabetical List of Minerals and Mineral Properties.

Color Photographs.

Mineral Index.

Preface

We wrote the first edition of Minerals in Thin Section because we found a need for a concise and straightforward reference book that our students could use in the laboratory. We were pleased to find that other instructors had a similar need.

Many people have made suggestions on ways to make our book more useful. Please keep those suggestions coming! In this, the second edition of Minerals in Thin Section, we added a few more details to mineral description, corrected some minor factual and technical errors, and expanded or clarified discussions in a few places where things were not clear. We added additional photos, most of sedimentary rocks in thin section. Most significant, however, is that we added more than 50 line drawings in Part II. The drawings explain, better than words, the relationships between optical properties and crystal shapes. For a few minerals we have included graphs showing the relationship between optical properties and mineral composition.

Many people contributed to this book. In particular we are indebted to Mickey E. Gunter (University of Idaho), Jennifer A. Thomson (Eastern Washington University), and Edward ft Stoddard (North Carolina State University) for help as we prepared the first edition. Subsequent invaluable input came from from James A. Woodhead (Occidental College), Michael J. Walawender (San Diego State University), James A. Grant (University of Minnesota-Duluth), Roderic Brame (Wright State University), Andrew Wulff (University of Iowa), Laura R. Wetzel (Eckerd College), B. Ronald Frost (University of Wyoming), and Kevin L. Shelton (University of Missouri). George B. Perkins helped draft many of the figures.