Kurt Hollocher, Professor
314 Olin Hall
Phone: 388-6518
E-mail: hollochk@union.edu
Office hours: casual or by appointment
Textbook: Klein, Mineral Science, 23rd ed., with CD ROM
| Month | Date | Topic | Chapters in Klein* |
| January | 8 | Plane, line, and point symmetry operators, the 7 crystal systems | 1, 6, 8, skim 9, skim over 22 and the appendices to see what they contain (you will be using them) |
| 9 | External symmetry, crystal forms, the 32 crystal classes, unit cells, Bravais lattices | ||
| Lab: External symmetry, block models | |||
| 15 | Mineral properties | 2, 7, skim 15, skim 16 | |
| 17 | Miller indices, 230 space groups: translation, screw axes, and glides | ||
| Lab: Native elements, sulfides, arsenides, halides | |||
| 22 | X-ray diffraction: theory, instrumentation, crystallography, Braggs law | 3, 14 (p. 307-323) | |
| 24 | Bonding, coordination | ||
| Lab: X-ray diffraction | |||
| 29 | Atomic substitutions, crystal chemistry | 4, 13 (p. 287-290), skim 17 | |
| 31 | Introduction to microscopes, immersion oils | ||
| Lab: Hydroxides, carbonates, sulfates, phosphates | |||
| February | 5 | Becke lines, dispersion, isotropic minerals | 5, 13 (p. 290-294) |
| 7 | Crystal chemistry, partitioning of elements between sites | ||
| Lab: Microscopes, oil immersion, isotropic minerals | |||
| 12 | Color in minerals | 13 (p. 294-302), skim 18, skim 19 (p. 483-505), skim 20 | |
| 14 | Uniaxial minerals, optic figures | ||
| Lab: Asbestos optics, nesosilicates, sorosilicates, cyclosilicates | |||
| 19 | Biaxial minerals, optic figures | 13 (p. 302-end), skim 18 | |
| 21 | Silicates: isolated, bow tie, and ring silicates | ||
| Lab: Optical properties of uniaxial and biaxial minerals | |||
| 26 | Silicates: sheet silicates, sheet silicate model building | 10, 11, skim 18, skim 19 (p. 519-534) | |
| 28 | Twinning, exsolution, inversion | ||
| Lab: Sheet silicate model building, phyllosilicates | |||
| March | 4 | Scanning electron microscopy: instrumentation and techniques | 14 (p. 323-end) |
| 6 | Silicates: chain silicates | ||
| Lab: Scanning electron microscopy, imaging, and X-ray analysis | |||
| 11 | Silicates: framework silicates | 12, skim 18, skim 19 (p. 505-519 and 534-end), 21 | |
| 13 | Finish up silicates, review | ||
| Lab: Inosilicates, tectosilicates, review | |||
* Chapters 8, 9, 15, 16, 17, 19, 22, and the appendices, ~45% of the book, are for guidance and reference and are not really meant to be read in detail. You must, however, be fluent in the concepts and operations, and must always read carefully introductory sections and all sections on minerals you are working with. |
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Evaluation of the final grades
Your grade will be based approximately on topics in the table below. The final exam will be scheduled during the regular final exam week. Homework and the X-ray project are each worth 10 points and are due 1 week after they are assigned. Late homework will lose 20% per weekday, so get everything in on time! The lab final is due at the time of the final exam.
| 50% | Homework and X-ray project |
| 20% | Lab final exam (lasts most of the term) |
| 30% | Lecture final exam |
| 100% | Total |
Purpose and scope of this course
This course is an introduction to the external form, external and internal symmetry, physical properties, chemical composition, crystal structure, crystal chemistry, and physics of minerals. We will be using a largely hands-on approach and will examine mineral hand samples, crystal form models, and atomic structure models. Equipment that we will use to probe the more subtle properties of minerals include simple contact goniometers to polarizing microscopes, a Geiger counter, balances, a density measurement system, a UV lamp, an X-ray diffractometer, and a scanning electron microscope. We will cover numerous theoretical aspects of minerals including symmetry, color, optics, and chemistry.
We will not examine in any detail the reasons why minerals occur in certain environments or in particular associations, although I will be glad to discuss this if it comes up. The understanding of mineral occurrences is essentially the study of the origin of rocks, which is petrology. Petrology will be taught in the spring. One might wonder what use there is for mineralogy in everyday life, or in various professional careers. Here are some examples:
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Mineralogy provides fundamental tools for geologic field mapping, petrology, mineral exploration, understanding groundwater chemistry, and interpreting many geologic hazards.
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Crystal symmetry, physics, and chemistry are basic elements of a wide range of materials science applications, including the search for new superconductors, the behavior of composite materials like concrete and metal alloys, and the development of advanced materials for gas turbines.
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Mineralogical techniques, including x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and polarized light microscopy are powerful tools for characterizing solid materials, including medicines, plastics, ceramics, and mineral contaminants such as asbestos.
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Knowledge of mineralogy can help you understand many aspects of water chemistry, because much water chemistry is controlled by mineral dissolution and precipitation, and ion exchange.
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Having mineral identification skills will help you to better see and understand things in the world around you, which will make your whole life more interesting.
In summary, The tools of mineralogy include many of the basic tools of engineering, science, forensics, and manufacturing. Mineralogy is therefore a broad field with many branches and interesting and practical applications.
The library has extensive resources.
Check listings under "minerals", "mineralogy", "optical mineralogy", "crystallography", and related terms. Of great use is the Mineralogical Society of America Reviews in Mineralogy Series. This is a state-of-the-art monograph series on the chemistry, physics, and occurrence of minerals, mineral-related processes, and solid solar system bodies.
All this preamble is fine, but here is what this course is really like!
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Schenectady, NY 12308 U.S.A. |