The Second Edition of this concise, clear, and handy-sized volume, highly respected and successful authors explain to the reader, with the help of 180 superb colour photomicrographs, how to observe, describe and identify thin section samples of rocks and minerals using the polarising microscope.
Rocks and Minerals in Thin Section, Second Edition is aimed at the introductory undergraduate level and highlights important diagnostic features of minerals and deals with all rock types- igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic-with equal emphasis and authority, giving students the knowledge and confidence to begin to identify specimens for themselves. Each photograph has been specially prepared for Rocks and Minerals in Thin Section and has been reproduced in a generous size to the highest quality.
In addition to its value to students and instructors in geology, geography, civil engineering and materials science, Rocks and Minerals in Thin Section, Second Edition stands on its own as a beautiful collection of photomicrographs and a permanent source of reference and fascination for all those interested in the nature and science of the world of rocks and minerals.
For the second edition the classification of igneous and of metamorphic rocks has been updated to reflect current usage. Mudstones and porosity has been added to the sedimentary section and the metamorphic section has been expanded.
- Optical Minerology
- Minerals
- Igneous Rocks
- Sedimentary Rocks
- Metamorphic Rocks
W.S. MacKenzie was Emeritus Professor of Petrology at the University of Manchester, England. A.E. Adams is retired Senior Lecturer in Geology at the University of Manchester, England. K.H. Brodie is Senior Lecturer in Geology at the University of Manchester, England.
Review of the first edition:
"This is an excellent book. I am sure that this book will be welcomed both by beginners to thin-section studies, and by those of us who have become a little rusty"
– Geology Today
"A book to be recommended"
– Open University Geological Society Journal
"[...] the production is exquisite [...] It will make a useful contribution to petrographic teaching"
– Geological Magazine