Minerals in Thin Sections
PrefaceSeveral good optical mineralogy and optical crystallography books are presently available. Over the years, however, we have found the need for a shorter book appropriate for students in mineralogy or petrology classes, and for routine petrographic work. They need a good, short, and straightforward reference book to use when they look at thin sections in the laboratory. We hope this book fills that need.We have included a limited discussion of the theoretical aspects of optical crystallography and have emphasized the practical aspects. So this book may be appropriate for instructors who teach abbreviated optical mineralogy courses. We have included detailed discussions of about 60 of the most important rockforming minerals, and we include appendices that list properties of a larger number of minerals. We have also included 32 pages of color photos (including at least one for most of the minerals we describe in detail) to illustrate minerals in thin sections and to help students with mineral identification. For those who want more in-depth information, we have listed some excellent references at the end of Part 1.Many people contributed to this book. In particular we are indebted to Mickey E. Gunter (University of Idaho), Jennifer A. Thomson (Eastern Washington University), and Edward F Stoddard (North Carolina State University) for helpful reviews. Although we didn't make all the changes they suggested, we made many of them and the manuscript was much improved.If you have any comments about this book, feel free to e-mail me at dperkins@prairie.nodak.