Mineral Thin Section Identification

A distinction is made between the color of minerals in individual crystals and lumps of ore the color of minerals in transparent thin sections under the microscope the color of minerals in polished sections in reflected light and the color of a mineral s streak the color of the fine powder of the mineral.

Mineral thin section identification. Calcite and dolomite are the only two common minerals that can noticeibly change from low to high relief on rotation in thin section. These tables provide a concise summary of the properties of a range of common minerals. Mineral identification assistant index a visual identification resource for minerals in thin section petrographic microscope slides.

If a mineral commonly has a range of colours it will appear once for each colour. The minerals have been split into three blocks grouped by relative abundance in rocks. Both plane polarized light field width is 1 2 mm.

Identification of minerals in thin sections can be aided by studying as many images of a mineral as possible. Identification tables for common minerals in thin section.