Optical Mineralogy

Technique utilizing interaction of polarized light

with minerals
Uses a polarizing microscope
Oils - Grain mounts
Thin sections rocks
Primary way to observe minerals
Important:
cheap, quick, easy
Only way to determine textures
 Why use microscopes?
Visual properties for ID e.g. texture
Color may be variable
Cleavage (may not see, often controls shape)
Shape (depends on cut of mineral)
Only observable with microscope
Separate isotropic and anisotropic minerals
and many other optical properties
Polarizing Microscope
Ocular
Bertrand lens
Analyzer, upper
polarizer, nicols lens
Accessory Slot
Objective

Polarizer,
typically oriented
N-S
 Slightly more modern version

Trinocular
head
Reflected
Analyzer, upper light source
polarizer, nicols
Accessory
lens
plate
Objectives
Vernier
scale
conoscope

Internal light
source, polarized
 Four common settings for microscopic
observations of thin sections:
1. Plane polarized light, analyzer (upper polarizer,
nicols lens) out
2. Plane polarized light, analyzer in (cross nicols)
3. Conoscopic polarized light, bertrand lens in
4. Conoscopic polarized light, bertrand lens in,
gypsum plate in accessory slot
Setting #1: No upper analyzer Setting #2: Upper analyzer inserted

Quartz crystals in plane Same quartz crystals

polarized light with analyzer inserted
(cross polarizers aka
crossed nicols)
Setting # 3: Conoscopic polarized Setting #4: Conoscopic polarized light,
light, bertrand lens in, highest bertrand lens in, gypsum plate in
magnification accessory slot, highest magnification
 Characteristics of light
Electromagnetic energy
derived from excess energy of electrons
Energy released as electrons drop from excited
state to lower energy shells perceived as light
Particle, Wave or both
Particles = photons
For mineralogy, consider light a wave
Important wave interference phenomenon
 Light as wave
Energy vibrates perpendicular to direction of
propagation
Light has both electrical and magnetic energy
Two components vibrate perpendicular to each
other
Electrical component interacts with electrical
properties of minerals, e.g. bond strength,
electron densities
 Electric vibration
direction

Magnetic vibration
direction

For mineralogy well only consider the

electrical component Fig. 7-2
 Properties of light
Wavelength

Amplitude

Velocity
 Relationship and units of properties
= wavelength, unit = L, color of light
A = amplitude, unit = L, intensity of light
v = velocity, unit = L/t, property of material
f = frequency e.g. how often a wave passes
a particular point, unit = 1/t
f = v/frequency is constant, v and variable
 (nm)

Full range of electromagnetic radiation

f (hertz)

1
Visable light 100
spectrum

1 nm = 10-9 m

Fig. 6-6
 If two light waves vibrate at an angle to
each other:
Vibrations interfere with each other
Interference creates a new wave
Direction determined by vector addition
Vibration directions of single wave can be
split into various components
Each component has different vibration
direction
 Note two
waves have the
Electrical same v and
components
only
Two light waves
A & B interfere
to form resultant
wave R

One light wave

X has a
component V at
an angle

Fig. 7-3
 Light composed of many waves
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, e.g. direction of
path of photon
Note: wave normal and light ray are not
necessarily parallel
Wave normal and ray path not always parallel

Wave front
connects
common points
of multiple
waves
It is the
direction the
wave moves

Ray path is direction of movement of

energy, e.g., path a photon would take Fig. 7-2c
Wave normal and ray
paths may be
coincident
Propogation of light
through Isotropic
material

Wave normal and ray

paths may not be
coincident
Propogation of light
through Anisotropic
material
Fig. 7-2d
and e
 Isotropic materials
Wave normals and ray paths are parallel
Velocity of light is constant regardless of direction in
these minerals
Anisotropic materials
Wave normals and ray paths are not parallel
Velocity of light is variable depending on direction of
wave normal and ray path
These difference have major consequences for
interaction of light and materials
 Birefringence demonstration?????????
Polarized and Non-polarized Light
Non-polarized light
Vibrates in all directions perpendicular to direction of propagation
Occurs only in isotropic materials
Air, water, glass, etc.

Fig. 7-4
 Non-Polarized Light
Light vibrates in all directions
perpendicular to ray path

Multiple rays, vibrate

in all directions

Highly idealized
only 1 wavelength

Fig. 7-4
 Polarized light
Vibrates in only one plane
Generation of polarized light:
In anisotropic material, light usually resolves into two rays
Two rays vibrate perpendicular to each other
The energy of each ray absorbed by different amounts
If all of one ray absorbed, light emerges vibrating in only
one direction
Called Plane Polarized Light
Anisotropic medium: Polarized light
light split into two
rays. One fully vibrates in only one
absorbed plane: Plane-
polarized light

Fig. 7-
4b
 Polarization also caused by reflection:
Glare
Raybans cut the glare
 Interaction of light and matter
Velocity of light depends on material it
passes through
In vacuum, v = 3.0 x 1017 nm/sec = 3.0 x 108
m/sec
All other materials, v < 3.0 x 1017 nm/sec
 When light passes from one material to
another
f = constant
If v increases, also must increase
If v decreases, decreases

Vair > Vmineral

f = v/
 Isotropic vs. Anisotropic
Isotropic geologic materials
Isometric minerals; also glass, liquids and gases
Electron density identical in all directions
Think back to crystallographic axes
Direction doesnt affect the electrical property of
light
Light speed doesnt vary with direction
Light NOT split into two rays
 Anisotropic geologic materials:
Minerals in tetragonal, hexagonal, orthorhombic,
monoclinic and triclinic systems
Interactions between light and electrons differ
depending on direction
Light split into two rays vibrate perpendicular
to each other
Light speed depends on direction of ray and thus
vibration direction
 Reflection and Refraction
Light hitting boundary of transparent
material
Some reflected
Some refracted
Reflected light
Angle of incidence = angle of reflection
Amount controls luster
 For reflection:
Angle of incidence, i = angle of reflection, r

Light ray

reflective boundary
Fig. 7-6a
 Refracted light
Angle of incidence angle of refraction
Angle of refraction depends on specific
property, Index of refraction, n
n = Vv/Vm
Vv = velocity in a vacuum (maximum)
Vm = velocity in material
Note n is always > 1
Big N means slow v
Little n means fast v
 Angle of refraction given by Snells law

Wave normal n=low, fast v

sin 1 n2

sin 2 n1

N=big, slow v
 Snells law works for isotropic and
anisotropic material if:
are angles between normals to boundary
Direction is wave normal, not ray path
 Measuring n important diagnostic tool
Not completely diagnostic, may vary within
minerals
More than one mineral may have same n
n cant be measured in thin section, but can
be estimated
 P. 306 olivine information

}
Optical
Indices of properties
refraction {
 Critical Angle - CA
A special case of Snells law
Light going from low to high index
material (fast to slow, e.g. air to mineral)
Can always be refracted
Angle of refraction is smaller than angle of
incidence
 Light going from high to low index material
May not always be refracted
Light is refracted toward the high n material
At some critical angle of incidence, the light
will travel along the interface
If angle of incidence is > CA, then total
internal reflection
CA can be derived from Snells law
All internal reflection

N = high High index to low

index material: light
cannot pass through
boundary if angle of
incidence > CA

Critical angle is when

angle of refraction =
90

n = low

Fig. 7-7
 Dispersion
Material not always constant index of
refraction
n = f()
Normal dispersion, within same material:
n higher for short wavelengths (blue)
n lower for long wavelengths (red)
Fig. 7-8
 Because of dispersion, important to
determine n for particular wavelength
Typically n given for = 486, 589, and 656
nm
Common wavelengths for sunlight