Earth Materials- Introduction to Mineralogy and Petrology

Contents Description

Basic aspects of mineralogy must precede the coverage of petrology. This sequence is obvious from chapter headings. After a brief, general introduction in Chapter 1, minerals and rocks are broadly defined in Chapter 2. That is followed by three chapters that relate to various mineralogical aspects and concepts. 

Chapter 3 covers the identification techniques that students must become familiar with to recognize unknown minerals in the laboratory and in the field. It also includes a discussion of two common instrumental techniques: X-ray powder diffraction and electron beam methods. 

Chapter 4 covers the most fundamental aspects of crystal chemistry, and Chapter 5 is a short introduction to the basic aspects of crystallography. Chapter 6 covers the optical mineralogy. This subject is included so that instructors who plan to introduce thin sections of rocks in their course can give their students quick access to the fundamentals of optical mineralogy and the optical properties of rock-forming minerals. 

The sequencing of subsequent systematic mineralogy chapters is completely different from that most commonly used in mineralogy textbooks. In these chapters, minerals are discussed in groups based first on chemistry (native elements, oxides, silicates, and so on) and, subsequently, for the silicates, on structural features (layer, chain, and framework silicates, and so on). 

Here, the decision was made to group systematic mineralogy descriptions as part of the three major rock types: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. This allows for the closest possible integration of mineralogy and petrology

Chapter 7 gives systematic mineralogical data on 29 of the most common igneous minerals, including, in order of decreasing abundance, silicates, oxides, a few sulfides, and a phosphate. Before discussing igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks, 

the second edition of Earth Materials has a new Chapter 8 that introduces thermodynamics and kinetics. Thermodynamics provides an explanation for the direction of all geologic processes but the rate at which these goals are achieved depends on kinetic factors. Although both of these subjects can be highly mathematical, this chapter introduces them in easily understood mathematical terms. 

This chapter also discusses one of the most important kinetic processes in unraveling Earth history, radioactive decay. Chapter 9 presents the most fundamental aspects of the formation of igneous rocks, explaining why the normally solid Earth can, on occasion, partly melt to form magma, whose physical and chemical properties control its rise toward the surface where it eventually solidifies. 

A new section added at the end of this chapter discusses how evolving isotopic reservoirs in the Earth can reveal the source of magmas. This is followed by Chapter 10, which addresses the occurrence of igneous rock types, their classification, and plate tectonic settings. 

Chapter 11 gives systematic mineralogical descriptions of 14 common sedimentary minerals as well as phosphorite and soil. (The siliciclastic components of sedimentary rocks are discussed in Chapter 7, which deals with igneous minerals). Chapter 12 deals with the formation, transport, and lithification of sediment, and Chapter 13 discusses sedimentary rock classification, as well as the occurrence and plate tectonic setting of sedimentary rocks. 

Chapter 14 gives the systematic mineralogy of 27 of the most common metamorphic minerals, all of which are silicates, except for two, an oxide and an element. Chapter 15 addresses the causes of metamorphism, gives rock classifications, and relates their occurrence to plate tectonic setting.

Chapter 16 gives systematic mineralogical descriptions of selected minerals that are of economic importance. Chapter 17 gives a brief overview of some selected resources of Earth materials and has a new section on shale gas, its extraction by hydraulic fracturing (fracking), and its potential environmental impact. 

Chapter 18 discusses the health effects of several minerals and chemical elements, and the hazards presented by certain rock-forming processes. In the chapters that deal mainly with systematic mineralogy (Chapters 7, 11, 14, and 16), the main emphasis is on geologic occurrence (paragenesis), chemistry and atomic structure, physical properties that are pertinent to hand specimen identification (in laboratory sessions associated with an Earth materials course), and uses in industry and manufacturing. 

Hand specimen photographs and atomic structure illustrations are given for each mineral discussed. This text is meant to be not only a supplement to lectures but also a reference source in the applied laboratory sessions of the course. Basic concepts in crystal chemistry, crystallography, and the origin of various rock types are best presented by the instructor in lectures in the classroom. 

Mineral and rock identification and classification schemes, however, are best learned in the laboratory with hand specimens and thin sections, using those parts of the book that specifically addresses the applied aspects. All chapters begin with a boxed overview of what follows and end with a summary and set of review questions. 

When a new term is first encountered in the text, it is printed in bold type to signify that its definition is included in the glossary at the end of the text. Our overall goal was the production of an accessible, highly illustrated, and visually attractive, condensed and well-integrated mineralogy-petrology textbook suitable for one-semester Earth materials courses. It is our hope that we have succeeded.

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