Short description
Covering theory and practical matters, this wide-ranging introductory textbook for students in the Earth sciences covers not only translucent but also opaque minerals, thereby bridging an artificial divide and embracing minerals important in
Long description
This introductory text deals in detail with the main optical properties of rock-forming minerals that can be recognized under the microscope. Written specifically with the needs of the student in mind, it provides a firm foundation upon which to base more advanced studies of mineral associations and paragenesis, their chemistry and other parameters. It encompasses both the silicate and non-silicate minerals, translucent and opaque, thereby making it useful in studies of ore minerals as well as the more common rock-forming varieties. The treatment systematically discusses what the optical properties are and how the student can recognize them in laboratory studies. The theory of transmitted- and reflected-light optics is dealt with in considerable detail, so that the precise nature of an optical property can be understood. Diagrams of the optically more complex minerals accompany their descriptions, and these serve to simplify the relationship between the optical properties and the crystallography of a particular mineral. Rarer minerals are also included. Each mineral description is accompanied by a brief synopsis of the mineral's occurrence: in which rocks it is found and which other minerals are associated with it. Diagrams and summary tables of mineral properties are provided in the appendices. Complete with four pages of full-colour illustrations, this thoroughly revised and extensively rewritten successor to "A Practical Introduction to Optical Mineralogy" has been completely updated and significantly improved, with a greatly increased range of minerals covered, a complete rewriting of the introductory chapter, and an extensive revision and enlargement of the theory chapters. "Colin Gribble is a Senior Lecturer and Allan Hall a Lecturer in the Department of Geology and Applied Geology at the University of Glasgow.". This book is intended for undergraduate students taking a course on optical mineralogy in departments of geology or Earth sciences.