Optical Min3
-
Upload
deybis-jhonny-juarez -
Category
Documents
-
view
7 -
download
0
Transcript of Optical Min3
Optical Mineralogy in a Nutshell
Use of the petrographic microscope in three easy lessons
Part III
Slides borrowed/adapted from Jane Selverstone (University of New Mexico) and John Winter (Whitman College)
Some review…
Optical mineral properties ONLY visible in PPL:Color – not an interference color! (for that, see below)Pleochroism – is there a color change while rotating stage?Relief – low, intermediate, high, very high?
Optical mineral properties visible in PPL or XPL:Cleavage – number and orientation of cleavage planes
(may need higher magnification and at different grains)Habit – characteristic form of mineral (sometimes better in XPL)
Optical mineral properties ONLY visible in XPL:Birefringence – use highest order interference color to describeTwinning – type of twinning, orientationExtinction angle – parallel or inclined? Angle?Isotropic vs. anisotropic minerals – 100% extinct in XPL?
Today we’ll break down anisotropic minerals intouniaxial or biaxial…
Some generalizations and vocabulary
• All isometric minerals (e.g., garnet) and glass are isotropic – they cannot reorient light. These minerals are always black in crossed polars.
• All other minerals are anisotropic – they are all capable of reorienting light.
• All anisotropic minerals contain one or two special directions (the “optic axes”) that do not reorient light.– Minerals with one special direction are called uniaxial– Minerals with two special directions are called biaxial
• Uniaxial and biaxial minerals can be subdivided into optically positive and optically negative, depending on the orientation of fast and slow rays relative to the xtl axes
All anisotropic minerals can resolve light into two plane polarized components that travel at different velocities and
vibrate in planes that are perpendicular to one another
mineral grain
plane polarized light
fast ray
slow ray
lower polarizerW E
Some light is now able to pass through the upper polarizer
When light gets split:-velocity changes -rays get bent (refracted)-2 new vibration directions-usually see new colors
O E
Fig 6-7 Bloss, Optical Crystallography, MSA
Fig 6-8 Bloss, Optical Crystallography, MSA
Calcite experimentCalcite experiment and double refractiondouble refraction
We’ve talked about minerals as magicians - now let’s prove it!
calcite
calcite
calcitecalciteordinaryray,
(stays stationary)extraordinary
ray, (rotates)
calcite
Isotropic
Uniaxial
Biaxial
How light behaves depends on crystal structure (there is a reason you took mineralogy!)
Isometric– All crystallographic axes are equal
Orthorhombic, monoclinic, triclinic– All axes are unequal
Hexagonal, trigonal, tetragonal– All axes c are equal but c is unique
Let’s use all of this information to help us identify minerals
Simple guide to interference figures
• Get a good interference figure;• Distinguish uniaxial and biaxial figures;• Determine optic sign; and• Estimate 2V
1) Choose a grain showing the lowest interference colors2) Move to the high-powered objective lens and refocus3) Open the sub-stage diaphragm as wide as possible4) Insert the condenser lens5) Cross the polars6) Insert the Bertrand lens
Use of interference figures, continued…
You will see a very small, circular field of view with one or more black isogyres -- rotate stage and watch isogyre(s)
uniaxial
If uniaxial, isogyres define cross; arms remain N-S/E-W as stage is rotated
biaxial
or
If biaxial, isogyres define curve that rotates with stage, or cross that breaks up as stage is rotated
Use of interference figures, continued…Now determine the optic sign of the mineral:1. Rotate stage until isogyre is concave to NE
(if biaxial)2. Insert gypsum accessory plate3. Note color in NE, immediately adjacent to
isogyre -- Blue = (+) Yellow = (-)
uniaxial
biaxial
(+)
(+)
Without plateGypsum plate inserted
Remember determining optic sign last week with the gypsum plate?
slow
blue in NE = (+)
Gypsum plate has constant of 530 nm = 1st-order pink
Isogyres = black: =0Background = gray: =100
Add or subtract 530 nm:
530+100=630 nm = blue = (+)530-100=430 nm = yellowish = (-)
Addition = slow + slowSubtraction = slow + fast
Time for some new tricks: the optical indicatrix
Thought experiment:Consider an isotropic mineral (e.g., garnet)
Imagine point source of light at garnet center; turn light on for fixed amount of time, then map out distance traveled by light in that time
What geometric shape is defined by mapped light rays?
Isotropic indicatrix
Soccer ball(or an orange)
Light travels the same distance in all directions;n is same everywhere, thus = nhi-nlo = 0 = black
anisotropic minerals - uniaxial indicatrix
quartz
calcite
c-axis
c-axis
Let’s perform the same thought experiment…
Uniaxial indicatrix
c-axisc-axis
Spaghetti squash = uniaxial (+)
tangerine = uniaxial (-)
quartz
calcite
Uniaxial ellipsoid and conventions:
(-) crystal: > oblate
(+) crystal: > prolate
Fig 6-11 Bloss, Optical Crystallography, MSA
n - n = 0therefore, =0: grain stays black (same as the isotropic case)
n
n
Propagate light along the c-axis, note what happens to it in plane of thin section
Grain changes color upon rotation. Grain will go black whenever indicatrix axis is E-W or N-S
n
n
This orientation will show the maximum of the mineral
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n - n > 0therefore, > 0
N
S
W E
Now propagate light perpendicular to c-axis
anisotropic minerals - biaxial indicatrix
clinopyroxenefeldspar
Now things get a lot more complicated…
Biaxial indicatrix(triaxial ellipsoid)
The potato!
2Vz
There are 2 different ways to cut this and get a circle…
Alas, the potato (indicatrix) can have any orientation within a biaxial mineral…
olivine augite
… but there are a few generalizations that we can make
The potato has 3 perpendicular principal axes of different length – thus, we need 3 different RIs to describe a biaxial mineral
X direction = n (lowest)Y direction = n (intermed; radius of circ. section)Z direction = n (highest)
• Orthorhombic: axes of indicatrix coincide w/ xtl axes• Monoclinic: Y axis coincides w/ one xtl axis• Triclinic: none of the indicatrix axes coincide w/ xtl axes
2V: a diagnostic property of biaxial minerals
• When 2V is acute about Z:
(+)
• When 2V is acute about X:
(-)
• When 2V=90°, sign is
indeterminate
• When 2V=0°, mineral is
uniaxial
2V is measured using an interference figure… More in a few minutes
How interference figures work (uniaxial example)
Bertrandlens
Sample(looking down OA)
substagecondensor
Converging lenses force light rays to follow different paths through the indicatrix
W E
N-S polarizerWhat do we see??
n
n
n
n
nn
nn
Effects of multiple cuts thru indicatrix
Biaxial interference figures
There are lots of types of biaxial figures… we’ll concentrate on only two
1. Optic axis figure - pick a grain that stays dark on rotation
Will see one curved isogyre
determine 2V from curvature of isogyre
90° 60° 40°
See Nesse p. 103
determine sign w/ gyps
(+) (-)
Estimating 2V
OAPFig 11-5A Bloss, Optical Crystallography, MSA
2. Bxa figure (acute bisectrix) - obtained when you are looking straight down between the two O.A.s. Hard to find, but look for a grain with intermediate .
Biaxial interference figures
Use this figure to get sign and 2V:
(+) 2V=20° 2V=40° 2V=60°
See Nesse p. 101
Quick review:
Indicatrix gives us a way to relate optical phenomena to crystallographic orientation, and to explain differences between grains of the same mineral in thin section
hi
lo
Isotropic? Uniaxial? Biaxial? Sign? 2V?All of these help us to uniquely identify unknown minerals.