Mineral color and pleochroism

 Color
 True color
 Not interference colors
 Observed in plane polarized light
 Not crossed nicols
 Most minerals are colorless
 Pleochroism
 Property of having two or more true colors
 Occurs only in anisotropic minerals
 Each principal vibration direction has a unique
color
 Preferentially absorbs selected wavelengths of
light
 Pleochroism – Glaucophane
(amphibole – Na, Mg, Fe – Silicate)
Pleochroism – orthopyroxene – (Ca,
Fe, Mg – Silicate)
 Color depends on which vibration direction
parallels polarized direction
 Slow ray has one color
 Fast ray another color
 Color intermediate if neither direction parallel
to polarized direction
 Pleochroic formula
 Relationship of color to index of refraction (a,
b, g, e, w) that shows the color
 Pleochroic formula

 Multiple types of formulas:

1. Color of e, w, a, b, or g rays
2. Greater absorbance e.g. w > e or e > w
3. “strongly” or “weakly” pleochroic
 Determination of formula –
uniaxial minerals

 Find grain with d = 0

 This is value of w color
 Find grain with maximum d
 This has both e and w
 Already know w, so other color must be e
Direction of
polarized Grains seen in plane
light polarized light (not crossed
nicols)

•1st grain (not shown) – complete extinction

•Viewed in plane polarized light gives w color
•2nd grain (shown) – provides w and e colors
• Since know w already, the other color is e
•Determine fast and slow with accessory plate
Fig. 7-30
 Biaxial Pleochroism

 Biaxial minerals may have three colors:

 One for a, b, and g
 Procedure similar to uniaxial minerals, but
more complex
 Find extinct section – b color
 Find maximum d – this grain has a and g
colors
 Determine fast and slow direction with
accessory plate
 Vibration directions
parallel to
accessory plate
 If addition, color
associated with ng
 If subtraction, color
associated with na
 Remember – check
color without na ng
analyzer in
Fig. 7-31
 Extinction

 Four Categories:
 Parallel extinction – feature (usually cleavage)
parallel to cross hairs at extinction
 Inclined extinction – extinction when feature
is at an angle to cross hairs
 Symmetrical extinction – occurs in minerals
with two cleavages: bisect cleavage
 No extinction angle – minerals with no
elongation or cleavage
 Parallel Inclined

No extinction
Symmetrical angle

Fig. 7.32
 Extinction may not be uniform
 Physically deformed minerals
 Minerals with variable chemical
composition (chemically zoned)
 Undulatory Extinction

Zoned Extinction
 Extinction angle

 Inclined extinction - angle between

 long axis of mineral grain
 prominent cleavage
 Twins
 Other crystallographic feature
 Extinction angle

Long direction, also

parallel to cleavage
•Rotate stage until crystallographic
feature is parallel to cross hairs
•Record angle on goniometer
•Rotate stage until mineral is extinct
•Now mineral vibration direction is
parallel to polarized light direction
•Amount of rotation is extinction angle

Fig. 7-31
 Possible to determine chemical
composition from extinction angle
 Michel-Levy technique
 Michel-Levy Technique
c
Section cut Cut of mineral must be
perpendicular to with {010} plane vertical,
b
{010} b crystallographic axis
Albite twin a horizontal
lamellae

b b

NaAlSi3O8 CaAl2Si2O8
Characteristics: High plagioclase = volcanic
•Sharp boundaries between twins
•Twin lamellae have same interference colors
Low plagioclase = plutonic
Fig. 12.15 & 12.17
Albite
Na-feldspar
NaAlSi3O8 Feldspars - Triclinic
Z minerals:
b
•Two cleavages
X b
Z
•Many types of twins
X
Extinction angles show
An0 to An10 An30 to An50
relationship between X-Y-
Z
Z axes (indicatrix axes)
Z
and a-b-c axes
(crystallographic axes)
b b

X
X Anorthite
An50 to An70 An90 to An100 Ca-feldspar
CaAl2Si2O8
p. 245
 Sign of Elongation

 Length fast: elongate direction of mineral

parallels fast vibration direction
 Also called negative elongation
 Length slow: elongate direction of mineral
parallels slow vibration direction
 Also called positive elongation
 Length fast and length slow depends on
cut of grain
 Determination

 Orient grain with vibration direction and

length about 45º to polarized direction
 Use accessory plate to determine addition
or subtraction of retardation
 Determines if fast or slow ray
 Vibration directions
parallel to
accessory plate
 If addition, length
slow (positive
elongation)
 If subtraction,
length fast
(negative Length fast Length slow
elongation)
Fig. 7-31
 Orthorhombic
Minerals (biaxial)
ng = elongate na = elongate nb = elongate

Always Either length

Always
length slow slow or length
length fast
fast