Problems in Mineralogy and Petrology

Problems in Mineralogy and Petrology

A self-guided course of study to supplement mineralogy and petrology

for junior-senior geology majors

by Russ Colson

Course Description: This independent study self-learning module provides a guided opportunity to practice applying concepts from an introduction to This independent study self-learning module provides a guided opportunity to practice applying concepts Mineralogy and Petrology through science reasoning challenges, real-world geology problems, and self-guided labs. Problems include labs in mineral identification in hand sample and under the microscope, interpretation of rocks under the microscope, practice in recognizing symmetry patterns, interpretation of phase diagrams, application of Goldschmitt's Rules, and mineral uses and refining constraints.

Each of the lessons below provides both a topical review (sometimes brief enough that you may need to supplement with outside reading), often with recorded asynchronous lectures, and a set of self-guided lab exercises that engage you in applying the topical concepts to science reasoning challenges or real-world problems. These are substantive online lessons, many taking 5 hours or more to complete, and should be done slowly and carefully so as to figure out the concepts involved. A significant part of the lesson involves you figuring things out, with the exercise of figuring it out being more valuable than the ‘answer’ that comes at the end.

These materials are appropriate for a 2 semester credit college course, meaning that 90 hours is a reasonable time to complete the course. These lessons are intended as a supplement to a concurrent course in mineralogy and petrology, although a person willing to work through the lessons slowly and carefully might successfully navigate this course independently.

Mineralogy

Review of introductory concepts