Chapter 10 - A
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Chapter 10 - A. Identification of minerals with the petrographic microscope. Content. Sample preparation Microscope alignment Determination of the refractive index Use of interference colors Conoscopic observation of interference figures. Microscopy. Transmitted light microscopy
Chapter 10 - A
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Chapter 10 - A Identification of minerals with the petrographic microscope
Content • Sample preparation • Microscope alignment • Determination of the refractive index • Use of interference colors • Conoscopic observation of interference figures
Microscopy • Transmitted light microscopy • Transparent crystals • Light transmits through mineral grains • Common rock-forming minerals • Reflected light microscopy • Opaque crystals • Light reflects from highly polished surface • Usually ore minerals This course: transmitted light microscopy
Sample preparation:Transmitted light microscopy • Grain mount: • Finely ground fragments; immersed in oil and scattered on glass plate; covered by thin sheet of glass • Thin section: • Cut slab from rock sample – area of interest • Bottom - polished and cemented onto glass slide • Top - ground to desired thickness; covered with balsam and thin cover glass • Rock-forming minerals now transparent
Microscope alignment • Important in order to: • have light going through the center of all lenses, of the stage, the condenser • get two polarizers filtering light at vibration directions perpendicular to each other • Oculars – one or both adjusted for each eye; cross-hair in focus • Stage – center exactly in the optic axis; object not to move during stage rotation • Condenser – when switched on light beam should be centered around cross-hair • Polarizer – one set at 0º and one at 90º
Other settings • Brightness of light – comfortable for your eyes – very bright will give headaches and burns out filaments • Iris – determines the diameter of the light beam coming from the source – different setting for different magnifications • Condenser lens – use to get high resolution at high magnification • Focusing – to avoid collision: first bring sample close to objective lens (not against) and increase distance until sample in focus
Determination of the refractive index • Grain mount • Edges of crystal – act as small prisms which concentrate light as a ring of light – the Becke line • When increasing the distance from sample to objective (defocusing), the Becke line is always refracted in the direction of a medium of higher RI • In practice: • Change liquids until two adjacent liquids defines the range for the index of the mineral
Birefringence (δ) • When a ray of light is split into two separate polarized rays – each with a single vibration direction perpendicular to that of the other ray • True maximum birefringence value (δ) of mineral • Isotropic: δ = n – n = 0 • Uniaxial: δ = nε – nω • Biaxial: δ = nγ – nα • Under the microscope: • Observed under crossed polarized light as: • Interference colors • Only in anisotropic minerals
Birefringence/double refraction • Doubly refracted waves are polarized but separate, vibrating in different planes – no interaction • Need interference – study interference colours and properties • To get interference – a second polarizer inserted – the analyzer: • Crossed polarizer/upper polarizer/crossed nichols • Used to analyze the interference effects of light in minerals
Interference colours First order colors Second order colors Third order colors
Birefringence • A characteristic that all anisotropic minerals have, intensity differs • High birefringent minerals – third/fourth order interference colours • Med birefringent minerals – second order interference colours • Low birefringent minerals - first order interference colours • For specific mineral birefringence depends on orientation: • Maximum birefringence - orientation of grain shows highest possible interference colour for the specific mineral • Minimum or no birefringence – orientation of grain shows lowest or no interference colour for specific mineral • Intermediate birefringence – orientation of grains shows interference colours intermediate between minimum and maximum
Interference colours Determine order of colour and so value for birefringence – interference color chart
Use of interference colorsTrue birefringence • In sample: crystals in random orientations each grain different interference colors, each with corresponding birefringence • Minimum birefringence • Circular section (perpendicular to optical axis) give lowest order or no interference colours – refractive indices on both axes equal or almost equal • Also referred to as the isotropic section • True birefringence • Longest elliptical section (parallel to optical axis) give highest order colors • Refractive index on major axis = largest; on minor axis = smallest • THUS: to determine the true birefringence of mineral – choose grain with highest interference colors and read of the value of birefringence from the color chart
Use of interference colors:Accessory plates (compensators) • Accessory plate is a crystal with known birefringence and orientation • Determine unknown mineral optical orientation by comparing with known crystal plate orientation • Crystal orientation in plate parallel with mineral orientation • Plate colors interfere constructively with colors of mineral • Addition – Positive (Red plate + color of mineral = blue) • Crystal orientation in plate perpendicular with mineral orientation • Plate colors interfere destructively with colors of mineral • Subtraction – Negative (Red plate - color of mineral = yellow)
POSITIVE NEGATIVE Use of interference colors:Accessory plates (compensators)
Use of interference colors:Extinction • As an anisotropic crystal is rotated a full turn under crossed polarized light, it goes into extinction 4 times • I.e. – at every 90° rotation the mineral goes dark • This happens every time the two perpendicular vibrating directions falls parallel with the two polarizer directions
Use of interference colors:Extinction angle • When optical axis vertical (circular section) – mineral dark during rotation • When inclined – mineral go dark once every 90º • Angle of extinction can be measured for elongated minerals or minerals with strong cleavage • Parallel extinction • Inclined extinction • Symmetrical extinction • No extinction angle
Observation of interference figures using convergent light – conoscopic view • Insert condenser lens • Gives convergent light • Enters sample at 50º - 90º angles • See image of light source • Interference effects at different angles
Conoscopic observation of interference figures • Isotropic • No image
Conoscopic observation of interference figures • Uniaxial • Perpendicular to optical axis
Conoscopic observation of interference figures • Uniaxial • At an angle to the optical axis
Conoscopic observation of interference figures • Uniaxial • Parallel to the optical axis