Minerals and crystals have been prized by men and women since the dawn of civilization. Egyptian tomb paintings depict smelting of ores and trading of malachite and precious metals, as well as the fashioning of emerald and lapis gemstones. Crystals of quartz were thought to posses special protective and healing powers, beliefs which currently are being revived by mystics, mineral buffs, and mineral dealers.
The science of mineralogy developed over the past 300 years and seeks to understand the relationship between the external physical properties of minerals and the internal atomic structures. It deals with field assemblages of minerals as constantly changing geochemical systems within the earth's crust, and is fundamental to a full understanding of most disciplines in geology. Virtually all rocks, sediments, soils and solid earth and planetary materials are composed of minerals, giving mineralogy numerous applications in archaeology, engineering, oceanography, and astronomy.
The mineralogy course begins with a study of the symmetry of natural crystals and the relationship between crystal forms and the internal atomic symmetry of minerals. As the semester progresses, we will examine a variety of physical and chemical properties which are useful for mineral identification. Students will learn to use the polarizing microscope to identify minerals no larger than a grain of sand, and will learn the theory behind X-ray diffraction and fluorescence, emission spectroscopy, and other sophisticated methods of mineral analysis. By the end of the term, students will have a broad appreciation and understanding of the nature, origin, and occurrence of the most important economic and rock-forming minerals.
The laboratory emphasis is on hand specimen and microscopic identification of minerals and crystals; field recognition of minerals will be one of the major goals of the semester. These field and lab techniques will be directly applicable in: Geology 12 (Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology); Geology 35 (Sedimentology); Geology 102 (Petrographic and X-ray Analysis); Geology Summer Field Camp.
