Polarized Light Microscope Fundamentals
http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/geology/powell/core_asbestos/analyze/PLM_home.htm

Wayne Powell, Brooklyn College, CUNY


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This resource is a webpage that accompanies a course on asbestos in building materials. Topics include an introduction to the polarized light microscope, mineral habit, the refractive index, color and pleochroism, polarized light, birefringence, retardation and interference colors, extinction angles, and visual estimation of mineral percentages. The website features instructive photographs of thin sections used to demonstrate various topics. This website would be useful for students just beginning to use a polarized light microscope in mineral identification.

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Part of the Cutting Edge collection. The NAGT/DLESE On the Cutting Edge project helps geoscience faculty stay up-to-date with both geoscience research and teaching methods.

Cutting Edge

Subject: Geoscience:Geology:Mineralogy:Optical Mineralogy
Resource Type: Audio/Visual:Images/Illustrations, Course Information:Course Site:Course Notes
Grade Level: College Upper (15-16), College Lower (13-14), High School (9-12)
Course Type: Upper Level:Mineralogy
Theme: Teach the Earth:Course Topics:Mineralogy