Rocks and Minerals in Thin Section

A Colour Atlas

W.S. MacKenzie, A.E. Adams, K.H. Brodie

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781351650533
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Physical Sciences
• Subtopic: Geology & Earth Sciences

This concise, clear and handy–sized volume, aimed at the undergraduate level, provides an introduction to the observation, description and identifi cation in thin section, using the polarizing microscope, of samples of the commonlyoccurring rocks and minerals. Illustrated with a wealth of full colour thin section photomicrographs, and with the original images enhanced by new examples and a revised text, the book explains how to observe mineral and rock samples under the microscope. The book highlights the important diagnostic features of minerals and deals with all rock types – igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic – each with equal emphasis and authority, giving students the knowledge and confi dence to begin to identify specimens for themselves. While intended for students in geology, geography, civil engineering and materials science, the book stands on its own as a beautiful collection of photomicrographs and a permanent source of reference and fascination for all those interested in the nature and science of the world of rocks and minerals.

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

About the authors

Second edition

Introduction

Part 1 Optical mineralogy

The polarizing microscope

Description of minerals

Shape and habit of crystals

Colour and pleochroism

Cleavage

Relief

Birefringence

Extinction angles

Twinning and zoning

Undulose extinction and sub-grain structure

Alteration

Grain size

Part 2 Minerals

Olivine

Orthopyroxene

Clinopyroxene

Two-pyroxene intergrowth

Amphibole

Biotite

Muscovite

Chlorite

Quartz

Feldspars

Sanidine

Microcline

Plagioclase

Nepheline

Calcite

Garnet

Opaque minerals

Part 3 Igneous rocks

Peridotite

Basalt

Olivine basalt

Basalt

Dolerite

Olivine gabbro

Gabbro

Andesite

Diorite

Granodiorite

Rhyolite

Microgranite

Granite

Alkali granite

Phonolite

Nepheline syenite

Lamprophyre

Ignimbrite

Part 4 Sedimentary rocks

Terrigenous clastic rocks

Carbonate rocks

Quartz arenite

Feldspars in sedimentary rocks

Sub-arkose

Arkose

Sub-litharenite

Litharenite

Wacke/Greywacke

Micaceous sandstone

Calcareous sandstone

Glauconitic sandstone

Mudstone

Ooid grainstone

Ooid packstone

Bioclast packstone

Bioclast wackestone

Intraclast grainstone

Peloid grainstone

Carbonate mudstone

Dolomite

Radiolarian chert

Replacement chert

Evaporite

Ooidal ironstone

Banded ironstone

Volcaniclastic rocks

Porosity in sedimentary rocks

Part 5 Metamorphic rocks

Textures of metamorphic rocks

Schistosity and schists

Gneissic foliation and gneisses

Mylonite

Cataclasite

Crenulations

Lineations

Reaction textures

Metamorphosed mudstones (pelites)

Chloritoid schist

Garnet mica schist

Staurolite schist

Kyanite gneiss

Garnet-sillimanite gneiss

Andalusite-cordierite hornfels

Garnet-cordierite hornfels (Granofels)

Metamorphosed carbonate rocks

Forsterite and diopside marble

Metamorphosed basic rocks

Garnet epidote amphibolite

Amphibolite

Two pyroxene granofels

Glaucophane-lawsonite-schist (Blueschist)

Glaucophane-epidote (Blue) schist

Eclogite

Ultramafic rocks

Appendices

Appendix I

Appendix II

Index

Preface

This atlas has been prepared for students of earth science, geology, mineralogy and physical geography who require a text for practical classes on rocks and minerals under the microscope. While the book’s prime purpose is as an introduction to the subject for college and university students as an essential part of their course, we hope that amateur geologists and mineralogists will also find it useful and attractive.

We have tried to make the text and pictures self-contained such that an individual who has access to a polarizing microscope and a collection of thin sections of rocks can begin recognizing minerals and naming rocks without supervision. Our aim has been to provide a manual for use in practical classes by showing illustrations of some of the diagnostic properties of minerals and introducing the most common rock-forming minerals. We then illustrate a representative selection of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks.

We have deliberately limited the scope of the introduction to optical mineralogy and have assumed little knowledge of crystallography or physical optics. We would hope, however, that the coverage will encourage students to study the elements of crystal symmetry and thus be in a better position to understand crystal optics. This would assist the student to progress to the use of optical techniques not covered here, such as the use of convergent light.

Most of the photographs of rocks in this book have been taken at low magnification to illustrate representative views of the constituent minerals and their interrelationships. The photographs were taken either in plane-polarized light or under crossed polars: in many cases the same field of view is shown under both conditions. Some of the photographs reproduced here are from thin sections which have been used previously for other publications. However, all the photographs here were made especially for this publication as 6 × 9 cm transparencies. We have had the advantage of having access to a Zeiss Ultraphot microscope for this purpose.

Acknowledgments

Most of the thin sections illustrated are from the teaching collections of Manchester University Geology Department, and we are indebted to our colleagues who have collected these specimens over many years. We are especially grateful to those who have supplied us with additional material, particularly Giles Droop, Alistair Gray and John Wadsworth.

Colin Donaldson kindly agreed to read the first two sections and made useful comments on the text. The authors alone, however, are respo...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Table of Contents