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Transmitted Light Microscopy of Rock-Forming Minerals

An Introduction to Optical Mineralogy

  • Textbook
  • © 2023

Overview

Authors:
  1. Susanne Theodora Schmidt

    1. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland

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  • Summarizes all relevant optical and crystallographic data of the most common minerals
  • Is accompanied by 882 polarized light microscopic images of minerals
  • Contains introductory information on polarized light microscopy

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Table of contents (9 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xiii
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  2. Introduction

    • Susanne Theodora Schmidt
    Pages 1-5

  3. Basic Concepts

    • Susanne Theodora Schmidt
    Pages 7-35

  4. The Petrographic Microscope: A Polarized Light Microscope

    • Susanne Theodora Schmidt
    Pages 37-48

  5. Optical Properties of Minerals in Plane Polarized Light (PPL)

    • Susanne Theodora Schmidt
    Pages 49-86

  6. Optical Properties of Minerals in Cross Polarized Light (XPL)

    • Susanne Theodora Schmidt
    Pages 87-124

  7. Conoscopic Observations and Interference Figures

    • Susanne Theodora Schmidt
    Pages 125-143

  8. Igneous Rocks: Some Basic Concepts

    • Susanne Theodora Schmidt
    Pages 145-160

  9. Metamorphic Rocks: Some Basic Concepts

    • Susanne Theodora Schmidt
    Pages 161-178

  10. The Mineral Plates and How to Use Them

    • Susanne Theodora Schmidt
    Pages 179-262

  11. Back Matter

    Pages 263-278
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Keywords

About this book

This book presents a guide of optical mineralogy for beginners and microscopists who need to brush up their knowledge. It allows the fast identification of common rock-forming minerals in a thin section using a polarized light microscope and transmitted plane and cross polarized light. The book summarizes essential principles of optical mineralogy in numerous schemes. It explains, with the aid of more than 1000 microscopic images, how to determine the diagnostic optical characteristics of a mineral in a thin section. Seventy-two mineral plates of sixty-five common rock-forming minerals comprising typical microscopic images in plane and cross polarized light illustrate the most important optical and crystallographic parameters and their diagnostic characteristics and typical appearance in various geological settings. The original approach of the book is to facilitate mineral identification by mineral plates organized according to color in transmitted plane polarized light and, in each color category, according to decreasing maximum birefringence in cross polarized light. In addition, two chapters are devoted to the classification of magmatic and metamorphic rocks and their common mineral parageneses and textures.

The book reflects the author’s experience of teaching optical mineralogy in the most efficient way possible to generations of students at the Universities of Heidelberg (Germany), Basel (Switzerland), and Geneva (Switzerland).


Authors and Affiliations

  • Department of Earth Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland

    Susanne Theodora Schmidt

About the author

Susanne Theodora Schmidt was educated at the University of Heidelberg (Germany) and the University of Minnesota, Duluth (USA). With her students and collaborators, she has conducted research projects on metamorphic petrology in low-grade and high-grade metamorphic terranes in North and South America and Europe. She also applied her mineralogical insight to a variety of other topics including gemology and health- and environmental-related issues. She has taught metamorphic petrology, mineralogy, and optical mineralogy at the Universities of Heidelberg (Germany), Basel (Switzerland), and Geneva (Switzerland). The present book reflects her experience of teaching optical mineralogy to many generations of students in Earth Sciences in the most efficient way possible.

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