Introduction To Mineralogy - Tapa dura

"A fine text, as good as Hurlbut and Klein's published by Wiley, and at a lesser cost! The latter is important, especially for overseas universities like ours!"--Lewis D. Ashmal, RAU, South Africa"Finally, a book that combines the essentials of crystallography, mineralogy, and optics with complete mineral descriptions and excellent artwork."--Drew Coleman, Boston University"Contains good coverage of other important topics together with essential optical mineralogy."--Doug Smith, University of Texas at Austin"Concise and informative."--Harold Stowell, University of Alabama

Introduction to Mineralogy consolidates much of the material now covered in traditional mineralogy and optical mineralogy courses and focuses on describing minerals within their geologic context. It presents the important traditional content of mineralogy including crystallography, chemical bonding, controls on mineral structure, mineral stability, and crystal growth to provide a foundation that enables students to understand the nature and occurrence of minerals. Physical, optical, and X-ray powder diffraction techniques of mineral study are described in detail, and common chemical analytical methods are also outlined. Detailed descriptions of over 100 common minerals are provided, and the geologic context within which these minerals occur is emphasized. Appendices provide tables and diagrams to help students with mineral identification, using both physical and optical properties. Numerous line drawings, photographs, and photomicrographs help make complex concepts understandable. Introduction to Mineralogy not only provides specific knowledge about minerals but also helps students develop the intellectual tools essential for a solid, scientific education. This comprehensive text is useful for undergraduate students in a wide range of mineralogy courses.