Recently, I have just started learning basic mineralogy and I found that it is quite difficult to master. It would help me a lot if you can share some tips on this field of study so that I can easily identify and describe accurately the minerals that is being observed using plane polarised light and cross polarised light.
Dear Ahmad,
Although i am a chemist by training and not a mineralogist, my advice is try to develop a very strong foundation in crystallographic symmetry, this will help in almost all different problems that you may take up later in research career.
Instead of straight learning Mineralogy, pl. try to understand the basics of a) basics chemical elements and inorg. compounds; b) crystallography; c) some fundamental books on Mineralogy, before picking and advance one (say for e.g. Rutley's Elements of Mineralogy); d) Check some reference Mineral database websites (e.g. Mindat.org); e) try to plan a field work - collect a few rock and mineral samples - try to identify them with the help of hand lens (the minimum basic before using a petrological microscope) - try to take help of reference books on mineralogy/ atlas on minerals/ reference websites on minerals - one important one is stated above.
Best,
AK
Dear Mr. Hanafi,
unless collecting rocks and minerals was one of the launch pads to study mineralogy creating a reference collection of both rock and mineral specimens is recommended. Do no start with the most exotic minerals and rocks but try find common rock types and minerals but different in their outward appearance.
In combination with this practical approach which helps you improve your visual inspection and the use of the classical tools from hardness to crystal morphology read textbooks where simplex chemical systems relevant for litho genesis and mineral formation are discussed.
Get acquainted with the chemical systems and the periodical chart of elements.
The best way to enter classical crystallography is in combination with optical mineralogy. It helps you train your imagination which is the key to successfully master the petrography microscope.
During this incipient stage you will realized where your interests are located in genetic mineralogy, petrology, crystallography or economic geology, applied geochemistry with material sciences which can be an outlet into one of the neighboring disciplines. Be very open-minded and try and get information of adjacent disciplines as much as possible to find your way. If you feel that space and time are more attractive than compositional changes and varying physical-chemical conditions you need not give up mineralogy as you decide to pass over into geology. I did it the other way round without cutting my geological roots.
There is more than one way to head for Rome.
I wish you much success
H.G.Dill
- Badges
- Science topic