Crystal Identification with the Polarizing Microscope

Some of the simpler measurements of optical mineralogy are so precise and powerful that they give satisfaction to beginning students. Not long after mastering the strike and dip of rock surfaces with the Brunton compass, many geology students are able to determine precisely the identity of quartz, or the anorthite content of plagioclase, or the magne­ sium ratio of pyroxene with the polarizing or petrographic microscope, by means of measuring refractive index to better than one part in a thousand. Very little training and almost no theory are needed to achieve these skills. But there inevitably comes a time when theory is needed, either to get on with the art, or simply to reconstruct from first principles what is going on, when rote memory fails. In this book we hope to provide both the rote methods and the theoretical background for practitioners at all levels of experience. We draw from several careers-ours, our colleagues', and our students' -in teaching the subject at various levels of sophistication. Our book is intended to serve the needs of industrial and forensic scientists as well as petrogra­ phers who deal with rocks. Much of our treatment is based on new research, both in matters of presentation and in the optical determination of minerals and other materials.

Crystal Identification with the Polarizing Microscope is a wonderful, user-friendly book. The authors state that their emphasis is practical but with enough theory to make rigorous understanding possible.....book is suitable over the entire range from an undergraduate text to a guide for advanced graduate students. The two strong points of the book are that it conveys the vast and varied experience of its authors, and that it uses immersion techniques to teach theory - The Canadian Mineralogist, vol.33; Crystal Identification with the Polarizing Microscope is a wonderful, user-friendly book. The authors state that their emphasis is practical but with enough theory to make rigorous understanding possible.....book is suitable over the entire range from an undergraduate text to a guide for advanced graduate students. The two strong points of the book are that it conveys the vast and varied experience of its authors, and that it uses immersion techniques to teach theory - The Canadian Mineralogist, vol.33; Crystal Identification with the Polarizing Microscope is a wonderful, user-friendly book. The authors state that their emphasis is practical but with enough theory to make rigorous understanding possible.....book is suitable over the entire range from an undergraduate text to a guide for advanced graduate students. The two strong points of the book are that it conveys the vast and varied experience of its authors, and that it uses immersion techniques to teach theory - The Canadian Mineralogist, vol.33; ...I enjoyed reading this book from cover to cover, probably because it presents optical mineralogy at a much more applied level than usual - American Mineralogist; ...I enjoyed reading this book from cover to cover, probably because it presents optical mineralogy at a much more applied level than usual - American Mineralogist