OPTICAL MINERALOGY

INTRODUCTION – PROPERTIES OF LIGHT

Nugroho Imam Setiawan, Ph.D

Laboratory of Optical Geology
Geological Engineering Dept. UGM
2014
 Silabus
No Materi Kuliah Topik PIC
1 Pendahuluan – Prinsip Pengertian cahaya dalam NIS
dasar mineralogi optik mineralogi optik
2 Penggunaan mikroskop Mikroskop polarisasi dan preparasi NIS
polarisasi dan preparasi peraga
peraga
3 Identifikasi mineral Identifikasi mineral secara ortoskop, AHD
nikol sejajar, nikol bersilang dan
konoskop
4 Sifat optik mineral - Sifat optik mineral isotropis dan AHD
Pendahuluan anisotropis
5 Sifat optik mineral – Sifat optik mineral anisotropis WS
Mineral anisotropis sumbu satu
sumbu satu
6 Sifat optik mineral – Sifat optik mineral anisotropis WS
Mineral anisotropis sumbu dua
sumbu dua
 Silabus
No Materi Kuliah Topik PIC
7 Rock-forming minerals Mineral pada batuan beku, sedimen, NIS
under the microscope metamorf
8 UTS Semua materi sebelum UTS ALL
9 Framework silicates Diskusi dan presentasi mahasiswa Grup 1
10 Sheet silicates Diskusi dan presentasi mahasiswa Grup 2
11 Chain silicates Diskusi dan presentasi mahasiswa Grup 3
12 Disilicates and Ring Diskusi dan presentasi mahasiswa Grup 4
silicates
13 Orthosilicates Diskusi dan presentasi mahasiswa Grup 5
14 Others: carbonates, Diskusi dan presentasi mahasiswa Grup 6
borates, sulfates,
phosphates, etc.
15 Native elements, sulfides, Diskusi dan presentasi mahasiswa Grup 7
halides, oxides, and
hydroxides
16 UAS Semua materi setelah UTS ALL
 Penilaian
A. UTS = 30%
B. PRESENTASI & DISKUSI = 40% ABC
C. UAS = 30%
D. PRAKTIKUM

NILAI AKHIR = (2 x (ABC) + D)/3

 Penilaian
A. UTS = 30%  80
B. PRESENTASI & DISKUSI = 40%  85
C. UAS = 30%  75
D. PRAKTIKUM  82

ABC = (30% x 80) + (40% x 85) + (30% x 75) = 80.5

NILAI AKHIR = (2 x (ABC) + D)/3
= (2 x 80.5) + 82 / 3 = 81

Nilai huruf (A, B, C, D, E) adalah adjustable;

tergantung hasil kolektif kelas.
 Text Book
• Keer, P.F. (1959) Optical Mineralogy
• Shelley, D. (1975) Manual of Optical
Mineralogy
• MacKenzie, et al. (1982) Atlas of Rock
Forming Minerals in Thin Sections
• Deer, et al. (1996) An Introduction to
the Rock-Forming Minerals
• Nesse, W.D. (2004) Introduction to
Optical Mineralogy
 Pembagian Grup Presentasi
Materi Grup
Framework silicates 1
Sheet silicates 2
Chain silicates 3
Disilicates and Ring silicates 4
Orthosilicates 5
Carbonates, borates, sulfates, and 6
phosphates
Native elements, sulfides, halides, 7
oxides, and hydroxides
 Optical Mineralogy - Definition
• The study of the interaction of light with minerals,
most commonly limited to visible light and usually
further limited to the non-opaque minerals.
– Opaque minerals  ore microscopy with reflected light.
• Application:
– Identification of minerals individual or rock-forming
minerals
– Identification of optical properties of minerals related to
crystal chemistry, chemical composition, crystal structure,
etc.
• Tools  petrographic microscope (polarizing
microscope).
 Properties of Light
• Light is considered as a wave phenomenon
(electromagnetic theory) or a particle
phenomenon (quantum theory).
• Wave theory : light as longitudinal wave, with the
direction of propagation and the direction of
energy transfer being perpendicular  used to
explain how light is refracted by a mineral.
• Particle theory: light as composed of photons of
different energies with these energies related to
the wavelength in the electromagnetic theory 
used to explain such phenomena as refractive
index, color, and pleochroism.
 Electromagnetic Radiation
• Wave theory in mineralogy called as
electromagnetic radiation.

Electric vibration
direction

Magnetic vibration
direction
 Attributes of light
Wavelength
Crest

Amplitude

• Wavelength (λ) is the distance between successive wave crests.

• Frequency (f) is the number of wave crests that pass some point per
second and is expressed as cycles per second or hertz (Hz).
• The amplitude (A) is the height of the wave.
• Velocity (v = ·); speed of light in a vacuum = 3·1018 Å/sec = c
e.g. for orange light in a vacuum,  = 6000Å,  = 5·1014 /sec
 λ (nm) λ (nm)
Electromagnetic
spectrum
• The range and colors of
visible light are defined
in terms of wavelength
(350–750 nm):
– Violet (390–446 nm)
– Indigo (446–464 nm)
– Blue (464–500 nm)
– Green (500–578 nm),
etc.

1 nm = 10-9 m
λ (nm) λ (nm)
Monochromatic Red
 single λ

Polychromatic
light (white) 
Full spectrum λ

• Monochromatic light: light from only 1 single wavelength  small wavelength appears
as one single color
• Polychromatic light: combination of wavelength  perceived as one color
• If all wavelength of visible spectrum are present  perceived as white light
Dispersion

http://www.cyberphysics.co.uk/
Isotropic vs Anisotropic
– Wave front = connects same
point on adjacent waves
– Wave normal = line
perpendicular to wave front
– Light ray (Ray path) = direction
of propagation of light energy, Light ray
e.g. direction of path of photon
[Isotropic]

• Isotropic materials: light ray

and wave normal in parallel
lines, light velocity the same in
all directions
• Anisotropic materials: wave [Anisotropic]
normal and light ray directions
are not parallel, light velocity
different in different direction
 Light behaves depend on crystal
structure
• Isotropic  Isometric: all crystallographic axes are
equal.
• Uniaxial  Hexagonal, trigonal, tetragonal: all axes  c
are equal but c is unique
• Biaxial  Orthorhombic, monoclinic, triclinic: all axes
are unequal

Isotropic Anisotropic - uniaxial Anisotropic - biaxial

 Reflection and Refraction
• Light hitting boundary of transparent material
(0.035 mm of thin section minerals)
– Some reflected
– Some refracted
• Reflected For reflection:
Angle of incidence, i = angle of reflection, r

Light ray

“reflective” boundary
 Refracted light
• Angle of incidence ≠ angle of refraction
• Angle of refraction depends on specific property, Index
of refraction, n/RI
• Index of refraction is that light is bent when passing
from one transparent material to another at any angle
other than perpendicular to the boundary.
• n = Vv/Vm
– Vv = velocity in a vacuum (maximum)
– Vm = velocity in material
• Note – n is always > 1 n1 n1
– Big N means slow v
n2 n2
– Little n means fast v

n2>n1 n2<n1
Refractive
Index
 Refracted Index thorough microscope
Wave normal n=low, fast v
1. Direct measurement of
the angle of reaction as
found in Snell’s law
2. Comparison of unknown
minerals to a known sin 1 n2
 Relief by reading becke =
line  Semi-quantitative sin 2 n1
N=big, slow v
Hi relief (+) Lo relief (+) Hi relief (-)

nxtl > nepoxy nxtl = nepoxy nxtl < nepoxy

Olivine has high relief and plagioclase has low relief

Plagioclase

Olivine

Olivine n=1.64-1.88
Plagioclase n=1.53-1.57
Epoxy n=1.54
 Birefringence
• The different refractive
index of two vibration
directions is termed as
crystal birefringence.
• Un-polarized ray thorough
mineral split into two rays:
extraordinary and ordinary
rays.
• δ=N–n
 δ = birefringence
 N = largest refractive index
 n = lowest refractive index
• The two light coexist may
have different velocity
(retardation)
 Birefringence in Calcite
• Carbonate mineral
• Chemical formula: Extraordinary light
CaCO3
• Molecular Wt:
100.09 GM
• Crystal symmetry:
Trigonal Ordinary light
• Specific gravity: 2.71
• Birefringence: δ = Fast light
0.154 – 0.174
• Optical properties: Slow light
Uniaxial (-)
 Phase
• If 2 waves vibrate in the same plane and travel along
the same path, they can interfere with each other.
• The distance that a wave lags behind the other is
called: retardation.

Retardation (Δ)
• ∆= 𝜹 ∙ 𝒕
– Δ = Retardation
– δ = Birefringence
– t = mineral’s
thickness
 Interference
• Light can interact with itself to produce many different
colors
• Interference light occurs when two light rays travelling
in the same direction, but having different intensities
or wavelengths, interact with one another to form a
single light ray.
• This is phenomenon produces color.
 Polarized light

• Ordinary light (e.g. bulb and

sun) vibrates in all direction at
right angles to the direction of
propagation and is unpolarized.
• Polarized light vibrates
constrained in selected
direction.
• Plane polarized light vibrates in
a single plane  used for
polarization microscope.

Unpolarized light Plane polarized light

Let’s combine and see how light works
in microscope
Let’s combine and see how light works
in microscope
 west
Lower polarization
(left)

Unpolarized light Plane polarized light

east
(right)

Upper polarization

west (left)
north
(back)

south
(front)
east (right) Black!!
 Thin section
[Interference color]
north
west (left)
(back)
[PPL] [XPL]

Unpolarized light

east (right) south

(front)

Light and colors

Light vibrating E-W reach eye!
Light vibrating in many
planes and with many
wavelengths

[Pleochroism color]
 Interference color
• Low birefringence occupied 1st order (dark, smoky)  quartz
• High birefringence occupied 3rd order (brilliance color)  olivine, calcite.
 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 describe
– Twinning – type of twinning, orientation
– Extinction angle – parallel or inclined? Angle?
– Isotropic vs. anisotropic minerals – 100% extinct in XPL?
 Quartz Olivine

Quartz Olivine
• Framework silicate • Orthosilicate
• Hexagonal (trigonal) • Orthorhombic
• Biaxial (+) or (-)
• Uniaxial (+)
• nα = 1.636 – 1.827
• nω = 1.544 • nβ = 1.651 – 1.869
• nε = 1.553 • nγ = 1.669 – 1.879
• δ = 0.009 • δ = 0.033 – 0.052