Advanced Mineralogy

An applied course designed to provide students with detailed information on specific minerals and mineral groups along with the analytical techniques used to identify and characterize them. Mineralogical topics to be discussed may include mineralogy of massive sulphide ore deposits (Fe-Ni-Cu sulfides), phase equilibria of the Fe-Ni-Cu-PGE ternary, Fe-Ti oxides, alteration minerals (chlorite, amphiboles, white micas) and application of their distribution to ore deposit exploration, the distribution, occurrence and synthesis of platinum-group minerals, classification of clay phyllosilicates, crystal chemistry and classification of zeolites, adsorptive and ion exchange properties of clays, mineralogy of orchre and laterite deposits, and alteration of primary Fe-Ni-Cu sulfides. Analytical topics to be discussed may include powder and single-crystal X-ray diffraction, Rietveld analysis of X-ray data, electron-microbeam techniques (scanning electron miscroscopy, wavelength- and energy-dispersive spectrometry), FTIR/Raman spectroscopy, and ICP-MS techniques. Students considering this course are strongly recommended to discuss the course content with the appropriate instructor prior to registration. PREREQ: GEOL 2126 and GEOL 3807. (lec 3, lab 3) cr 3.