Optical Mineralogy

This is the web page for an Optical Mineralogy course offered at Brock University. The link to lecture outlines includes information on the properties of light, including electromagnetic radiation, wave front, phase and interference, reflection and refraction and the polarization of light. Other sections include: Refractometry, which includes information on lens effect, internal reflection, and becke line movement; Isotropic materials: includes information on optics, indicatrix, and isotropic vs. anisotropic; Anisotropic minerals: includes information on interference phenomena, retardation, interference at the upper polar, and monochromatic light and polychromatic light; Optical properties: includes information on extinction, accessory plates, vibration direction in minerals, sign of elongation, and relief and pleochroism; Unixial minerals: includes information on uniaxial optics, uniaxial optic sign, uniaxial indicatrix, and pleochroism in uniaxial minerals; Biaxial minerals: includes information on biaxial optics, biaxial indicatrix, and optic sign. A link is also included to laboratory outlines, which accompany the subjects in the lecture outline. Also available is a link to a mineral gallery. Educational levels: Undergraduate lower division, Undergraduate upper division