Office of Academic Affairs
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal
EES 311: Mineralogy Laboratory (1)
Prerequisites (Desirable): EES 301 either credited or registered
Learning Objectives:
Since minerals are the basic building blocks of earth materials, this course is designed to give the student a fundamental background in minerals, necessary to understand Earth processes. The students will learn the identification of minerals in hand samples and thin sections as well as identification of the crystallographic and optical properties of the minerals.
Course Contents:
Physical Properties of Minerals:
Color, luster, streak, form, cleavage, fracture, hardness, other relevant properties of specific minerals.
Crystallography:
Symmetry and Crystal System; Crystal Classes; Stereographic Projections; Identification of Miller's indices, symmetry, crystal angles of various important crystal forms across the 32 crystal classes.
Optical Mineralogy:
Color and pleochroism, habit, relief, cleavage, extinction type and angle, interference figures, interference colors, and other properties etc.; Identification of rock-forming minerals using a polarizing microscope.
X-Ray Diffraction:
Sample Preparation, Analyses of X-Ray Diffractometer Measurements.
Identification of Minerals of these Groups:
- Native elements and sulfides
- Oxides, hydroxides, halides and carbonates
- Sulfates, tungstates, phosphates, vanadates
- Silicates: Neso-, inosilicates
- Silicates: Cyclo-, sorosilicates
- Silicates: Phyllo-, tectosilicates
- Mineraloids
Suggested Readings :
- Mottana, A., Crespi, R., and Liborio, G., 1978, Simon and Schuster’s Guide to Rocks and Minerals (6th edition), Fireside Books.
- Nesse, W. D., 2014, Introduction to Optical Mineralogy (4th Edition), Oxford University Press.
- Dana, J. D., 2008, Manual of Mineralogy and Petrology, Palala Press.
- Mackenzie, W. S., and Adams, A. E., A Colour Atlas of Rocks and Minerals in Thin Section (2nd Edition), Manson Publishing Ltd.
- Klein, C., 2007, Minerals and Rocks: Exercises in Crystal and Mineral Chemistry, Crystallography, X-ray Powder Diffraction, Mineral and Rock Identification, and Ore Mineralogy (3rd Edition), Wiley.
 Previous |
Back to Course List | Next  |