(a) (b)

S AA R
K O DA P B DA P K O DA

E Y S A D NS A KB KY R T T NF TG NF DL M YT H A R T PC NA SM NA NS E C

NAO
KB
B

GN

KHO
YT

Tintina

O K P B

YT

NRMT
KS SM SB

IS IM

500 km CA

MT-CR

80 Ma

70 Ma

60 Ma

55 Ma

45 Ma

Optical Mineralogy VII: Optical mineral properties and other features of rock-forming minerals (cont.)
William D. Nesse, Introduction to Optical Mineralogy, Chapter 8 Anthony R. Philpotts, Chapters 3

Zoning
! Many mineral grains are compositionally heterogeneous; they appear zoned with areas of different compositions exhibiting slightly different optical properties. ! Heterogeneity can be primary (due to events that occur at initial crystallization) or secondary (as a result of alteration or metamorphism).

Compositional zoning in plagioclase in an andesite from Mt. St. Helen (xpl, x20)

Aegerine-Augite zoned crystals and zoned crystals of sodic hornblende. Notice high relief hexagonal prisms of Apatite (ppl, field with 0.9mm)

Zoned Augite crystal. Augite is zoned outward through purple titanaugite and marginal bright green Aegerine (ppl, field with 3.7mm)

Zoned Augite crystal. Augite is zoned outward through purple titanaugite and marginal bright green Aegerine (ppl, field with 3.7mm)

Zoned garnet crystals (as seen under a microprobe) (c) (d)

(e)

(f)

BSE images of garnet used for thermobarometric estimates.

Exsolution
! Chemical mixing may be increasingly difficult in some minerals as they cool.
! High temperatures minerals are commonly not stable at low temperatures. ! Accordingly, some minerals exsolve (unmix) to form two distinct minerals.

! Sometimes exsolution lamellae form instead of discrete grains (e.g. perthite).

Exsolution lamellae of Augite in Orthopyroxene (inverted pigeonite) (xpl, x20)

A large crystal of orthopyroxene, which inverted from pigeonite. Exsolution of augite from the original twinned pigeonite crystal (xpl, x20).

Orthoclase perthite formed by exsolution of albiterich feldspar from potassium-rich feldspar (ppl x20)

Perthites- Same as previous image (xpl, x20)

Alteration
! Alteration is a common phenomenon in minerals due to the presence of hydrothermal fluids during cooling, weathering or retrograde metamorphism ! Alteration products are commonly referred as secondary minerals
! If alteration results in complete replacement of the primary mineral! pseudomorphs ! Partial replacement

! Very useful in mineral identification ! Examples: chloritization, seritization, saussuritazion

! olivine! serpentine/ talc or Iddingsite ! pyroxene! amphibole/ biotite ! Cordierite ! pinite

Talc pseudomorph after olivine that was first veined by serpentine (xpl, x8)

Alteration in late crystallizing Nepheline (ppl, x8)

Same as previous photo (xpl, x8)

Muscovite flecks in Nepheline under extinction. Same as previous photo (xpl, x20)

Saussuritization of Ca-rich plagioclase. Main alteration mineral is epidote (zoisite).

Augite being altered to calcite and epidote

Andalusite psuedomorphed by muscovite and quartz

Garnet altering to muscovite and quartz. Locally psuedomorphed. Retrograde metamorphism.

Inclusions
! Minerals may have inclusions of other minerals or trapped fluid ! Presence/absence of inclusions can be very useful in identification ! Small inclusions! cloudy appearance ! ! ! ! ! Garnets typically contain inclusions Staurolite! swiss chess appearance Cordierite! sillimanite needles Biotite and Muscovite ! zircon Quartz ! rutile needles/tourmaline

Apatite and Zircon in late crystallizing Quartz (ppl, x80)

Same as previous photo (xpl, x80)

Stubby prisms of Apatite included in Hornblende in a mafic rocks (ppl, x20)

Same as previous photo (xpl, x20)

Staurolite with quartz inclustions

Cordierite with abundant inclusions

(field of view is 2.5 mm across)

http://und.edu/instruct/mineral/320petrology/opticalmin/cordierite.htm

Syntectonic Garnet