Objectives:
Minerals are the basic building blocks of Earth materials, and a fundamental understanding of their properties is important for many fields within the Earth sciences. This course aims to provide knowledge on the structural, chemical and physical characteristics of minerals, teach the identification of the common rock-forming minerals and demonstrate how minerals make up igneous and metamorphic rocks.

Content:
The first part of the course covers the fundamentals of mineralogy, including a discussion of the chemical elements that make up minerals, chemical bonds and crystal structures, crystallography and crystal growth. Important mineralogical principles such as polymorphism, isostructuralism, solid solution, exsolution and phase diagrams are introduced. In addition, the physical properties of minerals are explained and mineral identification techniques using hand specimens, microscopy and geochemical methods are discussed. In the second part of the course, this fundamental knowledge is used to systematically discuss the different groups of rock-forming minerals, including the different types of silicates, carbonates, sulfates, oxides, sulfides, halides and native element minerals. It is also explained how chemical and physical properties of rock-forming minerals are important for the formation of igneous and metamorphic rocks, and how to classify these rocks based on their mineral contents and textures.

On completion of the course the student should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge
The student can

• explain how the properties of chemical elements and their bonds determine the structure and composition of minerals (e.g. close-packing, coordination numbers)
• demonstrate how the internal structure of minerals affects the external structure and physical properties of a mineral (e.g. crystal symmetry, crystal habit)
• explain the mineralogical concepts of polymorphism, isostructuralism, solid solution and exsolution
• discuss which mineral identification method is appropriate for a mineralogical problem (e.g. polarizing microscope, x-ray diffraction, electron microprobe)
• recognize and describe the basic properties and chemistry of common rock-forming minerals
• explain the mineralogical variation in igneous and metamorphic rocks

Skills
The student is able to

• describe crystal planes and directions using Miller indices
• interpret simple phase diagrams relevant for the stability of minerals
• calculate simple mineral formulas from geochemical analyses
• identify and describe the common rock-forming minerals in hand specimen
• classify igneous and metamorphic rocks based on the field classification

General competence
The student can

• formulate his or her opinion on a scientific topic in a short essay
• present a scientific topic in a clear and structured way
• collaborate with others during exercises in a constructive manner

Lecures 2 hours a week for 14 weeks.

Laboratorywork 2 hours a week for 8 weeks.

Exercises.

Compolsory assignments are valid for 2 subsequent semesters.

Mid-term exam, 20% of total grade

• Mineral identification exam, 20% of total grade
• Written examination (4 hours), 60% of total grad

Please note: Digital exam, for more information, please visit: http://www.uib.no/en/student/87471/digital-assessment-students

Permitted tools on written exam: Non-programmable calculator, according to the faculty regulations.

The student coordinator can be contacted here:

Studierettleiar@geo.uib.no