Petrological microscopes are used to identify minerals and determine microstructure in rocks. This information is used to classify rock types and infer their formation histories. Microstructure refers to the shape and arrangement of mineral components in rocks. The microstructures of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks are diagnostic of rock type. Thin sections of rock samples are analyzed under microscope using plane and crossed polarized light to identify minerals and microstructures.

1. GEOS 254: INTRODUCTION
 Petrological microscopes are used to:
 (a) identify the minerals present
 (b) determine the microstructure
These data are then used to classify the rock
and infer the history of the rock (e.g. has
the rock been deformed? Did the
deformation occur before, during or after
the growth of the minerals?)

2. Rock Microstructure
 Microsturucture is the term used to cover the
shape of the components of the rock (minerals,
volcanic glass, fossils). In older books “texture”
is used to mean the same thing.
 The microstructure of igneous, metamorphic and
sedimentary rocks are very different and are
generally more diagnostic than the list of
minerals present in defining the rock type.

3. What do you need to identify
rocks and minerals?
1. A “drivers license” for the microscope
2. Access to a list of mineral properties
3. Information on which rock types each
mineral occurs.
4. A knowledge of rock microstructures and
their significance.

4. Sample preparation
 Thin sections are slices of rock polished on
one side, then stuck to a glass slide with
araldite and then ground down to 30 microns
or 3 thou of an inch.
 So the light is not diffused by the frosted
upper surface, a very thin cover-glass is
glued onto the upper surface. A much more
expensive alternative is to polish the upper
surface and this is the method that must be
used for mineral analysis using the Electron
Microprobe.

5. Remember the Rules
 Always start holding the slide up to the light. How
many minerals/ What grainsize/ Is the slide
homogeneous?
 Then go to LOW POWER (the slide must be right-
way-up) in plane polarised light (natural colours)
 Then go to crossed polars where the “interference
colours” show twinning, zoning etc and generally
distinguish quartz and feldspars having “low”
colours from most grains of olivine and pyroxene
that have “high” colours.
 High power is generally only used for “conoscopic
optics” which are tests that can only be applied to
very special grains of any mineral.

6. Details are easy to see in thin
section. Cleavages at 60/120 in
hornblende

7. Minor alteration of cordierite
around the edge (S-type
granite)

8. Graphic or runic intergrowth
of quartz and orthoclase

9. Chromite-rich layer in
Bushveldt Layered Gabbro

10. Fusilinid fossils in limestone

11. Quench olivine spikes in slag.
They also occur in komatiites

12. Olivine in mantle rock (high
temperature metamorphic rock)
is polygonal

13. Another high temperature
metamorphic rock (near the
melting temp). It is glacier ice!

14. Quartz-biotite schist with shape
of quartz controlled by the
aligned mica.

15. Quartz crystals in a vein
showing crystal faces and
growth zones.

16. Spectacular compositional
zoning in igneous plagioclase

17. Zoning and multiple twinning
in plagioclase phenocrysts in
tuff.

18. Sanidine phenocrysts in
trachyte

19. Simple twin in orthoclase which
also shows perthite exsolution
lamellae

20. Microcline with perthite
exsolution lamellae

21. Myrmekite (intergrowth of
plagioclase and quartz) common
in slightly deformed rocks.

22. Rim of plagioclase around
orthoclase phenocryst (rapakivi)

23. Ophitic microstructure (dolerite)
plagioclase is included in large
pyroxene crystals.

24. Close up of
plagioclase
partly
included in
pyroxene in
ophitic
dolerite.
Top is PPL,
bottom is XP

25. Eclogite (ultra high grade meta-
basalt) with pyroxene and garnet
(black)

26. Radiating
aggregate of
pyroxene in
granite with
hornblende
forming a
rim around
the
pyroxene.