Providing detailed information on the rock-forming minerals, this text includes a description of all aspects of identification. A short practical guide to crystal optics is followed by a outline of the characteristic optical features of the most common rock-forming minerals. Identification tables and diagrams for the international classification of magmatic rocks make up the final part of the book, which is supplemented by an index and a true-colour Michel-Levy chart.

Identificationof rock-forming minerals in thin section is a key skill needed by all earth science students and practising geologists. This translation of the completely revised and updated German second edition (by Leonore Hoke, Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, New Zealand) provides a comprehensive guide to identifying 140 of the most important rock-forming mineral species.
The book is divided into three main parts. Part A is a practical guide to the fundamentals of crystal optics, polarization microscopy and the practical use of microscopes. Part...