Plane Polarized Light (PPL)

➢ Transparent – surrounding minerals that allow light to pass through

➢ Opaque – does not let light pass through
- cannot characterize more on this type of microscope
- Common opaque minerals are magnetite, ilmenite, and pyrite.

• Color – Observed color or lack of color under PPL only

- Common colored minerals are biotite, amphibole, and pyroxene.
➢ Pleochroism – changes color when the stage is being rotated

• Relief
✓ Positive – when the becke line is moving into our mineral as the stage is being
rotated
✓ Negative – becke line moves outside of the mineral
o High – very dark line, significantly thick and high pronounced
o Medium –
o Low – very faint line
➢ Becke Line – can only be seen in PPL
- band of light along grain boundaries
➢ Isotropy – mineral light behaves differently depending on orientation

Cross Polarized Light (XPL)

• Interference Color – observed under XPL only
➢ Anisotropic minerals – rotating the stage at full 360 degrees, the interference colors
fade to black for four times (90 degrees)
➢ Isotropic – extinct at all orientations
- Never displays interference color in XPL
- Can be transparent in PPL
• Birefringence – the refraction of light in an anisotropic mineral
 ✓ Slow ray – oriented along slow ray, mineral will show a decrease in
retardation and interference color
✓ Fast Ray - oriented along fast ray, mineral will show an increase in retardation
and interference color
➢ Michel-Levy Char – used to calculate birefringence
➢ Retardation – the amount that the slower ray lags behind the faster ray

Uniaxial Minerals
✓ Goal: determine whether positive (+) or negative (-)
Step 1: Find and center your grain and switch to XPL
Step 2: Switch to the highest magnification and focus (the best grains of the mineral of
interest will have the lowest retardation)
Step 3: Insert the Bertrand lens
Step 4: Note the interference colors in all four quadrants
Step 5: insert the accessory plate
Step 6: Observe the interference color changes
Step 7: Using the Michel-Levy Chart, determine which quadrant exhibited the most
significant increase in interference color with the addition of the accessory plate
Step 8: Characterize the mineral as positive/negative

➢ Accessory Plate – refers to distinguish between slow ray and fast ray
- Usually made of gypsum
- Inserting the accessory plate will make the material appear magenta at
the extinction positions

➢ Isogyres – arms of the cross

➢ Melatope – center of the cross
➢ Isochromes – increases in order from the center
Uniaxial Flash Figure
- Useful for characterizing minerals along their principal axes
Step 1: Find a grain that exhibits high retardation and interference colors
Step 2: Switch to the highest magnification and focus
Step 3: Switch on the Bertrand Lens and the condensing lens
Step 4: Look for the flash figure

Biaxial Minerals
✓ Goal: determine whether the optic sign is positive or negative ; determine the 2V
angle.
✓ All biaxial minerals have two isogyres
Step 1: In XPL, pick a grain with low retardation of a given mineral
Step 2: Center your grain, switch to the highest objective and focus
Step 3: Insert the Bertrand Lens and the condensing lens
Step 4: Rotate your stage such that the inside of the curve of the isogyre wraps around
the southeast quadrant
Step 5: Note the interference colors both outside and inside the curve of the isogyre
Step 7: Compare the optic sign charts
Step 8: Compare curvature to chart of 2V angles
7 Crystal Systems

Axial Distance Axial Angles

Cubic a=b=c α = β = γ = 90°
Tetragonal a=b≠c α = β = γ = 90°
Orthorhombic a≠b≠c α = β = γ = 90°
Trigonal/Rhombohedral a = b = c α = β = γ ≠ 90°
Hexagonal a=b≠c α = β = 90°, γ = 120°
Monoclinic a≠b≠c α = γ = 90°, β ≠ 90°
Triclinic a≠b≠c α ≠ β ≠ γ ≠ 90°