Optical Mineralogy in a Nutshell

Use of the petrographic microscope in

three easy lessons

Part II
JaneSelverstone,UniversityofNewMexico,2003

Quick review
Isotropic minerals velocity changes as light enters mineral,
but then is the same in all directions thru xtl;
no rotation or splitting of light.

These minerals are characterized by a single RI

(because light travels w/ same speed throughout xtl)
Anisotropic minerals light entering xtls is split and
reoriented into two plane-polarized components that
vibrate perpendicular to one another and travel w/
different speeds.

Uniaxial minerals have one special direction along which light

is not reoriented; characterized by 2 RIs.

Biaxial minerals have two special directions along which light

is not reoriented; characterized by 3 RIs.

Weve talked about minerals as magicians now lets prove it!

calcite
ca
i
lc
te
cal

calcite

cit
e

calcite
ordinary
ray,
(stays stationary)

extraordinary
ray,
(rotates)

Conclusions from calcite experiment

single light ray coming into cc is split into two
rays are refracted different amounts
rays have different velocities, hence different RIs
stationary ray=ordinary, rotating ray=extraordinary
because refraction of is so large, cc must have hi
remember:= nhi - nlo
If we were to look straight down c-axis, we would see
only one star no splitting!
C-axis is optic axis

(true for all uniaxial minerals, but unfortunately not for biaxial minerals)
More on this in a few minutes

Back to birefringence/interference colors

=retardation
fast ray
(low n)
slow ray
(high n)
d
mineral
grain
plane polarized
light

lower polarizer

Observation:
frequency of light
remains unchanged
during splitting,
regardless of material
F= V/
if light speed changes,
must also change
is related to color; if
changes, color also changes

Interference phenomena
Light waves may be in phase or out of phase when they
exit xtl
When out of phase, some component of light gets
through upper polarizer and displays an
interference color
When one of the vibration directions is parallel to the
lower polarizer, no light gets through the upper
polarizer and the grain is at extinction (=black)

See Nesse p. 41, 46-48

At time t, when slow ray 1st exits xtl:

Slow ray has traveled distance d
Fast ray has traveled distance d+
time = distance/rate

=retardation
fast ray
(low n)
slow ray
(high n)
d
mineral
grain

Slow ray:

t = d/Vslow

Fast ray:

t= d/Vfast + /Vair

Therefore:

d/Vslow = d/Vfast + /Vair

= d(Vair/Vslow - Vair/Vfast)

plane polarized
light

= d(nslow - nfast)
=d

= thickness of t.s. x birefringence

lower polarizer

Birefringence/interference colors

Thickness in microns

birefringence

Retardation in nanometers

Remember determining optic sign last week with the gypsum plate?
blue in NE = (+)

Gypsum plate has constant of

530 nm = 1st-order pink
slo

Isogyres = black:
=0
Background = gray: =100
Add or subtract 530 nm:
530+100=630 nm = blue = (+)
530-100=430 nm = yellowish = (-)
Addition = slow + slow
Subtraction = slow + fast

Lets look at interference colors in a natural thin section:

plag
ol

Ifoleveryplag
grain

plag

ol

plag
of the same mineral
looks different, how are we
ever going
ol
plag
ol anything??
to be able to identify
ol

plag
Note that different grains of the same mineral show
different interference colors why??

Different grains of same mineral are in different orientations

Time for some new tricks: the optical indicatrix

Thought experiment:
Consider an isotropic mineral (e.g., garnet)

Imagine point source of

light at garnet center;
turn light on for fixed
amount of time, then map
out distance traveled by
light in that time

What geometric shape is defined by mapped light rays?

Isotropic indicatrix

Soccer ball
(or an orange)

Light travels the same

distance in all directions;
n is same everywhere,
thus = nhi-nlo = 0 = black

anisotropic minerals - uniaxial indicatrix

c-axis

c-axis

calcite
quartz

Lets perform the same thought experiment

Uniaxial indicatrix
c-axis

c-axis

tangerine = uniaxial (-)

Spaghetti squash = uniaxial (+)

quartz

calcite

Uniaxial indicatrix

Circular section is perpendicular to the stem (c-axis)

Uniaxial indicatrix
(biaxial ellipsoid)
c=Z

c=Z

n
n
b=Y

n
a=X

b=Y

a=X

What can the indicatrix tell us about

optical properties of individual grains?

Propagate light along the c-axis, note what

happens to it in plane of thin section

c=Z

n
n

a=X

b=Y

n - n = 0

therefore, =0: grain stays black

(same as the isotropic case)

Now propagate light perpendicular to c-axis

n - n > 0

therefore, > 0

nn

n n

nn
n

n
n

S
Grain changes color upon rotation.
Grain will go black whenever indicatrix
axis is E-W or N-S

This orientation will show the maximum of the mineral

anisotropic minerals - biaxial indicatrix

clinopyroxene

feldspar

Now things get a lot more complicated

Biaxial indicatrix
(triaxial ellipsoid)
OA

2Vz

OA

2Vz
n

The potato!

X
n

n
n

n
n

There are 2 different ways to cut this and get a circle

Alas, the potato (indicatrix) can have any orientation

within a biaxial mineral
Y c

a
Z

olivine

augite

b
Y

b
X

a
X

 but there are a few generalizations that we can make

The potato has 3 perpendicular principal axes of
different length thus, we need 3 different RIs
to describe a biaxial mineral
X direction = n (lowest)
Y direction = n (intermed; radius of circ. section)
Z direction = n (highest)
Orthorhombic: axes of indicatrix coincide w/ xtl axes
Monoclinic: Y axis coincides w/ one xtl axis
Triclinic: none of the indicatrix axes coincide w/ xtl axes

2V: a diagnostic property of biaxial minerals

OA

When 2V is acute about Z: (+)

OA

2Vz

When 2V is acute about X: (-)

When 2V=90, sign is indeterminate

When 2V=0, mineral is uniaxial

n

2V is measured using an interference figure

More in a few minutes

How interference figures work (uniaxial example)

Converging lenses force light
rays to follow different paths
through the indicatrix

Bertrand
lens
N-S polarizer

What do we see??

Sample

(looking down OA)

substage
condensor

n
n

Effects of multiple cuts thru indicatrix

Biaxial interference figures

There are lots of types of biaxial figures well concentrate on only two
1. Optic axis figure - pick a grain that stays dark on rotation
Will see one
curved isogyre

determine sign w/ gyps

(+)

determine 2V from curvature of isogyre

90

60

40

See Nesse p. 103

(-)

Biaxial interference figures

2. Bxa figure (acute bisectrix) - obtained when you are looking straight
down between the two O.A.s. Hard to find, but look for a grain with
Z
intermediate .
OA

OA

2Vz
n

Use this figure to get sign and 2V:

(+)

2V=20

2V=40

2V=60
See Nesse p. 101

Quick review:
Indicatrix gives us a way to relate optical phenomena to
crystallographic orientation, and to explain differences
between grains of the same mineral in thin section
OA

OA

hi

2Vz
n
n

OA

OA

lo

2Vz
n

Isotropic? Uniaxial? Biaxial? Sign? 2V?

All of these help us to uniquely identify unknown minerals.