Mineralogy

obligatory courses

He student should easily use the basic knowledge in geometry, in inorganic and organic chemistry at the good secondary school level, be able to write and understand the chemical formulae, have the essential information on physical properties of the solid substances, wave movement, physical states (solid, liquid and gaseous) and phase transformations, structural varieties of the crystals. The knowledge on geological environments and most important processes in various geospheres are expected to be known by the student.

The course consists of 4 parts: a) crystallography, b) general mineralogy, c) systematic mineralogy, d) crystal optics. In Crystallography the students recognise the basic crystallographic rules, the methods of the description of the crystal morphology and 7 crystallographic systems plus 32 symmetry classes. General mineralogy describes the place of mineralogy among the natural sciences and features of the. Systematic mineralogy presents a selection of the most important minerals from all the systematic groups, their macroscopic features, origin, occurrences and practical application. Crystal optics teaches the microscopic methods of identification of the crystals in thin sections. The course is related to petrography, chemistry, material sciences, environment protection, pedology, archeology and museum items preservation problems.

Crystallography:

- definition of the crystals; their structure and properties, crystal morphology

- basic crystallography laws, crystal face indices, basic tetrahedron, cosinus formula

- stereographic projection

symmetry and the symmetry elements, crystallographic systems and the review of the 32 crystallographic classes

General mineralogy:

- definition of the mineral; genetic mineralogy, experimental mineralogy, technical mineralogy, biomineralogy

- properties of the minerals: colour and scratch, lustre, opalescence, pleochroism, birefringence, iridescence, alexandrite effect, cat’s eye effect, asterism, chatoyancy, cleavage and fracture, plasticity and flexibility, reactions with hydrochloric acid, magnetic properties, luminescence, density, radioactivity, thermic and electric properties, euhedral, subhedral and anhedral crystals, crystal habits, crystal growths, twinnings, epitaxy, pseudomorphs, paramorphs, mineral aggregates

- minerals in geospheres, environments of mineral formation: mantle, metamorphic, magmatic, (plutonic and volcanic), postmagmatic including pegmatitic, pneumatolytic and hydrothermal; hypergenic including evaporates, limnic, continental including rivers, swamps and deserts, karst processes

Systematic mineralogy:

- native elements

- carbides, nitrides, phosphides, silicides

- sulphides and related minerals

- halogenides

- oxides and hydroxides

- nitrates

- jodates

- borates

- chromates, molybdates, wolframates

- phosphates

- arsenates, vanadates

- silicates and alumosilicates: neso-, soro-, cyclo-, ino-, phyllo- and tectosilicates

- organic compounds

Crystal optics:

- light properties, light interference, light refraction, isotropy and anisotropy of the light properties of crystals

- construction and use of the polarisation microscope

- light refraction indices

- pleochroism

- light extinction angle

- interference colours, Michel-Levy plot

- refraction indice surfaces; indicatrix

- conoscopic images of the crystals in the oriented sections

- uniaxial vs biaxial crystals, optical sign of the crystals

- optic dispersion

- enantiomorphic crystals, change of the polarisation plane by crystals, Airy spirals

After the classes student should:

apply the basic crystallographic laws;

determine the symmetry elements, crystallographic system and classes, as well as crystal faces with their symbols;

make the stereographic projection of a crystal model with correct description;

recognize the macroscopic features of minerals;

identify macroscopically main, most important minerals;

identify basic optical features of crystals with use of the polarizing microscope.

Classes: short theoretical test written weekly at the beginning of each classes; practical skills are tested separately after each section: these include stereographic projections of several crystals, macroscopic determination of selected specimens of minerals, recognition and description of crystal features and properties under polarizing microscope.

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