THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW AT THIS POINT

Twinning: zebra stripes describes what Polysynthetic/Albite twins look like in Plagioclase, but this is NOT the proper name for this type of twinning Color/Pleochroism vs. Birefringence/Interference Colors Color and Pleochroism are seen in Plane Polarized light (PPL) only. Color will be the true color of the mineral. Pleochroism is an optical phenomenon in which mineral grains within a rock display a change in color as the stage is rotated in plane light. It is produced because the two rays of light are absorbed differently as they pass through the colored mineral and therefore have different colors Interference colors and birefringence are seen in cross-Nichols/with the analyzer in/cross polars (XPL/XN). Interference colors are produced because light is split into two rays on passing through the mineral. Birefringence is a number that is derived from the difference between the max and min RI (n) of a mineral and interference colors should be listed by color and order. The maximum birefringence is a characteristic of each mineral. Retardation () is the distance that the slow ray is behind the fast ray after both have exited the crystal (from Nesse, Optical Mineralogy). **On the Michel Levy chart below, the birefringences are on the top and left sides, while the retardation (path differences) are listed on the bottom.

When looking at birefringence, you always want to look for the MIN and MAX birefringence because generally minerals have a range of interference colors. The max birefringence will have the higher numberso a third order color is higher than a second order color (this was a problem on the lab exam). For example: Plagioclase has birefringence up to 0.013 (Anorthite), so you should see first order black, white and gray. The HIGHEST birefringence is first order white. Pyroxene: birefringence varies from 0.018-0.033 (Augite). So for the max birefringence of 0.033 it is second order yellow and the minimum birefringence is first order red.

***Also of note and a problem on the exam: if a mineral is colorless or has some color in PPL (thus it is not opaque), then if the analyzer is in/polars crossed and the stage is rotated a full 360 and the color does not change from black, then you are looking at an isotropic mineral. Thus there is no interference color first order black is not acceptable. The mineral is in complete extinction in XPL this is the correct answer. Crystal Habit vs. Form From About.com Habits are the distinctive form that minerals may take in different geologic settings, for instance when growing in a free space or in a particular environment. Often a mineral's habit is a strong clue to its identity. Here are examples of some of the most useful mineral habits. Examples of different crystal habits and what they look like in hand sample:

Acicular Habit

Amygdaloidal Habit

Banded H

Bladed Habit

Blocky Habit

Botryoidal Habit

Cruciform Habit

Dendritic Habit

Drusy Habit

Encrusting Habit

Equant Habit

Fibrous Habit

Granular Habit

Lamellar Habit

Massive Habit

Micaceous Habit

Platy Habit

Prismatic Habit

Radiating Habit

Reniform Habit

Rhombohedral

Habit section.

Rosette Habit ***Also need to have an idea of what you would see in thin

Form

Euhedral crystals are those that are well-formed with sharp, easily-recognised faces. Normally, crystals do not form smooth faces or sharp crystal outlines. Many crystals grow from cooling liquid magma. As magma cools, the crystals grow and eventually touch each other, preventing crystal faces from forming properly or at all. However, when snowflakes crystallize, they do not touch each other. Thus, snowflakes form euhedral, six-sided twinned crystals. In rocks, the presence of euhedral crystals may signify that they formed early in the crystallization of a magma or perhaps crystallized in a cavity or vug, without hindrance from other crystals. By contrast, a rock with an anhedral texture is composed of mineral grains that have no well formed crystal faces or cross-section shape in thin section. Anhedral crystal growth occurs in a competitive environment with no free space for the formation of crystal faces. An intermediate texture with some crystal face formation is termed subhedral. Etymology: Euhedral is derived from the Greek eu meaning true and hedron meaning shape.

(from Wikipedia)

Euhedral pyrite crystals

Crystal habit
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pyrite sun (or dollar) in laminated shale matrix. Between tightly spaced layers of shale, the aggregate was forced to grow in a laterally compressed, radiating manner. Under normal conditions, pyrite would form cubes or pyritohedrons Crystal habit is an overall description of the visible external shape of a mineral. This description can apply to an individual crystal or an assembly of crystals or aggregates. In mineralogy, shape and size give rise to descriptive terms applied to the typical appearance, or habit of crystals. Each crystal can be described by how well it is formed, ranging from euhedral (perfect to near-perfect), to subhedral (moderately formed), and anhedral (poorly formed to no discernable habit seen). The many terms used by mineralogists to describe crystal habits are useful in communicating what specimens of a particular mineral often look like. Recognizing numerous habits helps a mineralogist to identify a large number of minerals. Some habits are distinctive of certain minerals, although most minerals exhibit many differing habits (the development of a particular habit is determined by the details of the conditions during the mineral formation/crystal growth). Crystal habit may mislead the inexperienced as a mineral's internal crystal system can be hidden or disguised.

Goethite replacing pyrite cubes Factors influencing a crystal's habit include: a combination of two or more crystal forms; trace impurities present during growth; crystal twinning and growth conditions (i.e., heat, pressure, space); and specific growth tendencies like growth striations. Minerals belonging to the same crystal system do not necessarily exhibit the same habit. Some habits of a mineral are unique to its variety and locality: For example, while most sapphires form elongate barrel-shaped crystals, those found in Montana form stout tabular crystals. Ordinarily, the latter habit is seen only in ruby. Sapphire and ruby are both varieties of the same mineral; corundum. Some minerals may replace other existing minerals while preserving the original's habit: this process is called pseudomorphous replacement. A classic example is tiger's eye quartz, crocidolite asbestos replaced by silica. While quartz typically forms prismatic (elongate, prism-like) crystals, in tiger's eye the original fibrous habit of crocidolite is preserved. The names of crystal habits are derived from: Predominant crystal faces (prism - prismatic, pyramid - pyramidal and pinacoid - platy). Crystal forms (cubic, octahedral, dodecahedral). Aggregation of crystals or aggregates (fibrous, botroidal, radiating, massive). Crystal appearance (foliated/lamellar (layered), dendritic, bladed, acicular, lenticular, tabular (tablet shaped)).

List of crystal habits

Habit[1][2][3] Image Description Common Example(s)

Acicular

Needle-like, slender and/or tapered

Natrolite, Rutile

Amygdaloidal

Almond-shaped

Heulandite, subhedral Zircon

Bladed

Blade-like, slender and flattened

Actinolite, Kyanite

Botryoidal or globular

Grape-like, hemispherical masses

Hematite, Pyrite, Malachite, Smithsonite, Hemimorphite, Adamite, Variscite

Columnar

Similar to fibrous: Long, slender prisms often with parallel growth

Calcite, Gypsum/Selenite

Coxcomb

Aggregated flaky or tabular crystals closely spaced.

Barite, Marcasite

Cubic

Cube shape

Pyrite, Galena, Halite

Dendritic or arborescent

Pyrolusite and other Tree-like, branching in one or Mn-oxide minerals, more direction from central Magnesite, native point copper

Dodecahedral

Dodecahedron, 12-sided

Garnet

Drusy or encrustation

Aggregate of minute crystals coating a surface or cavity

Uvarovite, Malachite, Azurite

Enantiomorphic

Mirror-image habit (i.e. crystal twinning) and optical Quartz, Plagioclase, characteristics; right- and left- Staurolite handed crystals

Equant, stout

Length, width, and breadth roughly equal

Olivine, Garnet

Fibrous

Extremely slender prisms

Serpentine group, Tremolite (i.e. Asbestos)

Filiform or capillary

Hair-like or thread-like, extremely fine

many Zeolites

Foliated or micaceous or lamellar (layered)

Layered structure, parting into Mica (Muscovite, thin sheets Biotite, etc)

Granular

Aggregates of anhedral crystals in matrix

Bornite, Scheelite

Hemimorphic

Doubly terminated crystal with Hemimorphite two differently shaped ends.

Hexagonal

Hexagon shape, six-sided

Quartz, Hanksite

Hopper crystals

Like cubic, but outer portions Halite, Calcite, of cubes grow faster than inner synthetic Bismuth portions, creating a concavity

Mamillary

Breast-like: surface formed by intersecting partial spherical shapes, larger version of Malachite, Hematite botryoidal, also concentric layered aggregates

Massive or compact

Shapeless, no distinctive external crystal shape

Limonite, Turquoise, Cinnabar, Realgar

Nodular or tuberose

Deposit of roughly spherical form with irregular protuberances

Chalcedony, various Geodes

Octahedral

Octahedron, eight-sided (two Diamond, Magnetite pyramids base to base)

Plumose

Fine, feather-like scales

Mottramite

Prismatic

Elongate, prism-like, semicylidrical: crystal faces parallel Tourmaline, Beryl to c-axis well-developed

Pseudo-hexagonal

Hexagonal appearance due to Aragonite cyclic twinning

Radiating or divergent

Radiating outward from a central point

Wavellite, Pyrite suns

Reniform or colloform

Similar to botryoidal/mamillary: intersecting kidney-shaped masses

Hematite, Pyrolusite, Greenockite

Reticulated

Acicular crystals forming netCerussite like intergrowths

Rosette or lenticular (lens shaped crystals)

Platy, radiating rose-like aggregate

Gypsum, Barite (i.e. Desert rose)

Sphenoid

Wedge-shaped

Sphene

Stalactitic

Forming as stalactites or stalagmites; cylindrical or cone-shaped

Calcite, Goethite

Stellate

Star-like, radiating

Pyrophyllite, Aragonite

Striated

Not a habit per se, but a condition of lines that can grow on certain crystal faces on certain minerals

Tourmaline, Pyrite, Quartz, Feldspar, Sphalerite

Stubby or blocky or tabular

More elongated than equant, slightly longer than wide, flat Feldspar, Topaz tablet shaped

Platy

Flat, tablet-shaped, prominent Wulfenite pinnacoid

Tetrahedral

Tetrahedra-shaped crystals

Tetrahedrite, Spinel, Magnetite

Wheat sheaf

Aggregates resembling handStilbite reaped wheat sheaves

What to look for when asked for Maximum Absorption Direction: this is seen in PPL

Tourmaline in a muscovite-biotite schist. Tourmaline is unusual among common elongate minerals in having its strongest absorption when the plane of polarization is perpendicular to the crystal length. This is the opposite of micas and most amphiboles. Plane polarized light, 200x (East Clairindon, VT)

Tourmaline in a muscovite-biotite schist. Tourmaline is pale-colored when the plane of polarization is parallel to its length. Plane polarized light, 200x (East Clairindon, VT)
From [http://minerva.union.edu/hollochk/c_petrology/met_minerals.htm]

How to get an Interference Figure (on any microscope):

1. Locate the mineral in the lowest objective (that way as you focus in on it, it will remain in your field of view) and move up to the highest objective power. E.g. on the Zeiss, 40x. 2. Put in the condenser. 3. Put in the analyzer. 4. Put in the Bertrand Lens. 5. Lastly, then you can put in the accessory plate to determine the sign. Most people forgot at least one of these steps.