Syllabus
1) Polarized microscope and its accessories,
2) Refractive Index and mineral relief,
3) polarized light and polarizers,
4) symmetry of minerals and optical properties of uniaxial minerals,
5) Uniaxial Indicatrix,
6) Optical properties of biaxial minerals,
7) Interference colours and interference colour figures,
8) birefringence ,
9) Determination of mineral sign,
10) Microscopy of uniaxial minerals under polarized light (cleavage, relief, refractory index, shape, grain size, inclusions).
11) Optical study of minerals under cross nicols (extinction angle, interference colour, birefringence).
12) Practical determination of amphiboles, pyroxenes, olivines, feldspars, feldspathoids, quartz, oxides, apatite, micas, titanite, calcite, epidote, garnets, rutile, zircon.
Target students: bachelor and master level
Goals of this course are to become familiar with the function, adjustment, and use of the petrographic microscope, to understand crystal optics and practical methods of identification of rock-forming minerals (relief, pleochroism, extinction, birefringence, etc.). The student will become familiar with most common rock-forming minerals.
The course material can be found at the following link: https://classroom.google.com/c/MjA0ODAxMDA0ODU2?cjc=bte25bs