Preface
About this book
This is a lab manual created using Quarto markdown and executable code. It contains many interactive elements and is designed to be read within a browser with an internet connection, however a static version is also available in pdf or epub format.
The online version leverages a few extra features that are not typically found in textbooks. The first of these is a range of embedded interactive elements such as interactive plots and other visualisation tools, made possible through the use of Quarto. These will not work in the downloadable formats.
As of 21 February 2023, figures rendered via ObservableJS (the interactive figures) are not built into the pdf or epub formats at all. This feature is slated for a future Quarto update (ETA: Mid 2023), where static versions of the figures will be automatically generated and inserted during document rendering. Until then, please refer to the online version for these figures.
The second feature is :Nutshell. Nutshell links are identifiable by their little : (colon) in front of the hyperlink. These links open the target site within the textbook itself, allowing seamless reading without jumping across multiple tabs. They also provide summary snippets and definitions, such as :Mineralogy or :Petrology. These will be used to provide further information, internal references to definitions, or links to other media (such as youtube videos). In the downloadable formats, Nutshell links will render as normal hyperlinks.
The third tool is Hypothes.is, which allows you to create public comment and discussion threads about the content on each page. You can also create your own private annotations. This does require an account to use, so it is up to you if you wish to join in or not. The hypothesis toolbar is located at the top-right of the page.
It is possible to add public annotations and comments to pdf and epub files via the hypothesis website, however these will not be integrated with comments on the main website. We encourage students to use the online version for use with Hypothesis.
Introduction
This lab manual has been specifically tailored to the content taught during the first half of EARTH2231 - Earth Materials, at the University of Western Australia. We have arranged the material into the following parts:
Quick Access
In this part we provide quick navigable access to some of the tables, graphs and process flow charts that you will use on a daily basis when doing any thin section microscopy (including sedimentary and metamorphic petrology, which we do not cover here).
Mineralogy
In this part we cover some introductory and basic principles of Mineralogy. We largely focus on crystallography and optical mineralogy, and the core concepts that you will be required to know for further Earth Science courses. Each chapter contains the requisite material for that week, i.e., Week 1 is Chapter 1. The only exception is the unnumbered chapter “Physical Properties of Minerals”, which is mostly revisionary material (assumed knowledge from EART1104 - Discovering Earth). Don’t panic – we will cover this material as a ‘refresher’ during the lab in Week 1.
Petrology
In this part we apply our new-found mineralogical skills towards the observation, description, and analysis of igenous rocks. Again, each chapter covers the material for the corresponding week.