Mineral Physics Commons^™

Book Review: Atlas Of Minerals And Igneous And Metamorphic Rocks In Thin-Section (2025) By Alessandro Da Mommio And Victoria Pease., Kenneth L. Brown

Geology and Environmental Geoscience Faculty Publications

"Optical mineralogy and petrography not only equip us with the skills necessary to address society’s growing need for rock and mineral resources but also awaken a deeper curiosity—inviting us into moments of discovery that change the way we understand these resources. From observing the vibrant and mesmerizing interference colors of a dunite thin section to examining the uniaxial interference figure of calcite, many of us can still recall the first time we peered through the oculars of a polarizing microscope. Atlas of Minerals and Igneous and Metamorphic Rocks in Thin-Section is an exceptional reference textbook, which nurtures that curiosity and …

Remote Exploration: Understanding Martian Surface Processes, Sarah M. Bass, Virginia C. Gulick, Natalie Glines, Patrick Freeman

STAR Program Research Presentations

Earth and Mars share many similar physical features, including canyons, valleys, craters, volcanoes, ice, and gullies. My research focuses on two distinct projects. The first concentrates on the formation of gullies, which are channel networks generally formed on mid-latitude crater walls on Mars. Debated gully-forming processes include the melting of snowpacks, sublimation of accumulated carbon dioxide frost, melting of snow-rich dusty mantle material, and groundwater flows. Using High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) images of gullies and working with Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) in ENVI, we are able to perform detailed studies of gully morphology, including volume calculations using slope, …

Raman Mapping Of Mars Relevant Minerals Using Multiple Excitation Wavelenghts, Victoria Campbell, William Abbey

STAR Program Research Presentations

The purpose of this project is to map Mars relevant minerals using the Raman instrument Horiba LabRam Raman. The Raman spectrometer is a non-invasive sampling technique used to identify mineral composition of various compositions by measuring the “Raman Shift” of each mineral. This was accomplished by using a green (532nm) laser which acted as a monochromatic light source. This source was absorbed by the sample and reemitted. The frequency of the reemitted photons are then shifted up or down in comparison with original frequency, which is referred to as the ‘Raman Effect’. The samples with shorter wavelengths produced a stronger …

Documenting Magnatic Processes At Filicudi Island, Aeolian Arc, Italy: Integrating Quantitative Modeling And Plagioclase Textural And In Situ Compositional Data, Michelle Harris

All Master's Theses

Documenting the physiochemical processes that influence magma composition is critical for forecasting eruption styles and managing volcanic hazards. Compositional diversity of magmas develops through recharge, assimilation, and fractional crystallization (RAFC) within subvolcanic magma reservoirs. Integration of MELTS modeling, whole rock, plagioclase textural and in situ elemental and isotopic data from Filicudi Island, Italy allow documentation of the roles and relative chronology that RAFC played in the magmatic evolution and elucidates aspects of the magma plumbing system structure.

Results indicate a polybaric magma plumbing system with deeper (3.5-4 kilobars) and shallower (0.5-1.2 kilobars) storage regions. Within the deeper system, FC acted …

Documenting The Origin Of Compositional Diversity Of Subduction Zone Magmatism, Alicudi, Aeolian Arc (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy) Using In Situ Plagioclase Data, Rachel Hunt

All Master's Theses

Processes that generate magma compositional diversity are important to document because composition affects degree of explosivity, which impacts hazard mitigation. Magnesium to silicon rich magmas are produced by processes such as magma recharge, assimilation, and fractional crystallization (RAFC) that occur in subvolcanic magma chamber(s). This study evaluates how magma chamber processes contribute to compositional diversity at Alicudi Volcano, Italy. Analytical and petrographic data from ten samples that span the subaerial history include whole rock major and trace elements and strontium/neodymium isotopes, and plagioclase textural types, major and trace elements, and strontium isotopes; numerical modeling was also conducted. Integration of these …

Modeling The Deformation Of Fayalite, Greg Hoth, Mike Brawner, Pamela Burnley

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)

We are studying how the mineral fayalite deforms under stress while it is subject to high pressures and temperatures. Specifically, we are analyzing x-ray diffraction spectra obtained from experiments with the D-DIA apparatus at Brookhaven national labs. By fitting peaks to the diffraction spectra, we can calculate the spacing between lattice planes of fayalite and so we can observe how this spacing changes over time as the crystal structure deforms We hope to show that this deformation can be modeled using an Elastic Plastic Self Consistent model. In such a model, the material is treated as a cluster of independently …

Tourmaline - A Prospecting Guide For Massive Base-Metal Sulfide Deposits In The Penobscot Bay Area, Maine, John F. Slack

Maine Collection

Tourmaline - A Prospecting Guide for Massive Base-Metal Sulfide Deposits in the Penobscot Bay Area, Maine

by John F. Slack, U.S. Geological Survey

Special Economic Studies Series No.8

Maine Geological Survey, Department of Conservation, Augusta, Maine (June, 1980).

Contents: Abstract / Introduction / Geologic Setting / Massive Sulfide Deposits / Tourmaline Occurrences / Tourmaline: A Guide to Ore / Acknowledgements / References Cited

Heavy Mineral Distribution In The Lower Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, Frances Firek

OES Theses and Dissertations

Heavy minerals from 195 bottom sediment samples of the lower Chesapeake Bay, Virginia have been studied. In comparison with other areas such as the Gulf of Mexico, qualitative and qualitative mineralogical variations were subdued, because of the absence of widely divergent source areas. The effect of present-day drainage system on the mineralogical distribution patterns is not clear, largely because of the complex Pleistocene history of the study area.

Seven geographic provinces were defined and treated statistically. An analysis of variance was conducted on the seven provinces. The more significant mineral species from the study area are zircon, hornblende, pyroxene, and …

Maine Gems And Gem Minerals, Maine State Museum

Maine Collection

Maine Gems and Gem Minerals

The Maine State Museum - Printed under Appropriation No. 1741.1

Sections Include : "An Introduction to the Gemstones of Maine", "Tourmaline", "Beryl", "Quartz Family Gems", "Topaz", "Gold", "Miscellaneous Gem Varieties", "Maine's 'Lost' Gem Mines", "Hamlin Necklace", etc

First Annual Report On The Geology Of The State Of Maine, Lucius H. Merrill, Edward H. Perkins

Maine Collection

First Annual Report on the Geology of the State of Maine by Lucius H. Merrill, State Geologist and Edward H. Perkins, Assistant Geologist, Augusta, 1930.

Articles: Maine Granites / Report on Feldspar Quarries Visited Aug. 21-24, 1929 / Coal / Petroleum and Natural Gas in Maine / The Minerals of Maine / Minerals of Maine Index, By Mineral Names / Minerals of Maine, Index by Towns / Minerals Found at Bennett's Quarry Buckfield, Maine / List of Minerals Found at Newry, Maine / List of Minerals Found in Rumford, Maine / The Natural History of Maine Minerals (Perkins) / …