An Introduction to the Rock Forming Minerals

This book is a students' edition of the authors' well-known five volume work. It has been produced specifically to serve as a textbook for university students. The treatment of the subject is similar to that in the larger work. Each of the common minerals of igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks is discussed from the point of view of structure, chemistry, optical and physical properties, distinguishing features and paragenesis. The structure sections contain brief descriptions and many diagrams of crystal structures. Chemistry includes discussion of the common chemical substitutions in natural minerals (with representative analysis) as well as phase equilibrium studies on relevant synthetic systems. In the section on optical and physical properties, variations of these properties with chemistry are discussed and are in many cases presented graphically. The principle modes of occurrence of the minerals are described and discussed in the paragenesis sections. Correlations between the various aspects of mineralogy are shown wherever possible, so that the book aims at the scientific understanding of minerals as well as their description and identification. The latter aspects, however, have been given special consideration and are well represented by means of the tabulated data and optic orientation sketches at the head of each mineral section and by the sections on distinguishing features.