Petrography and petrophysics

Petrology (from Greek: petra, rock; and logos,

knowledge) is the branch of geology that studies rocks,
and the conditions in which rocks form.

Petrography is a branch of petrology that focuses on

detailed descriptions of rocks using petrographic tools.

Petrophysics (petro is Latin for "rock" and physics is the

study of nature) is the study of the physical and chemical
properties that describe the occurrence and behavior of
rocks, soils and fluids
 Petrography

Tools Materials (Rocks)

OM SEM EPMA TEM

Igneous Metamorphic Sedimentary

Properties (physical, chemical and biological)

Origin and applications

Laboratory investigations for facies
(Methodology)

- Petrography
- Size analysis
- Mineralogy
- Geochemistry
 Petrographic Tools

• Optical microscope (OM)

• Stereoscope
• Scanning electron microscope (SEM)
• Electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA)
• Transmission electron microscope (TEM)
 Microscope
Light Microscope
light as source
of illumination
glass lenses
limited
resolution
(loses
resolving power
at
magnifications
above 2000X)
 Optical Microscope (OM)
Eyepiece

Body Tube

Revolving Nosepiece
Arm
Objective Lens

Stage
Stage Clips
Coarse Focus
Diaphragm
Fine Focus
Light

Base
Information that can be extracted from OM

•Mineral identities
•Mineral proportions
•Mineral properties
•Textures
•Grain-size distribution
•Porosity
Sample preparation for petrography

Rock

Slap

Thin section Polished section

 Preparation tools

1-Slabbing and Trimming 2-Impregnating (if required) 3-First Face Lapping

4-Uniform Thickness 5-Bonding Specimens 6-Thinning Bonded Specimens

7- Lapping for Final Thick. 8-Polishing (if required)

Thin section
 (A)
Polished section P
P
P
P

P P

P
P

P
Important optical properties of minerals
 Color and pleochroism
• Color is observed only in PPL
• Not an inherent property - changes with light type/intensity
• Results from selective absorption of certain l of light
• Pleochroism results when different  are absorbed differently by
different crystallographic directions -rotate stage to observe

hbl
hbl

plag
plag

-Plagioclase is colorless
-Hornblende is pleochroic in olive greens
 Color and pleochroism

Biotite
Relief The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise
• Relief is a measure of the relative difference in refractive indices
(n) between a mineral grain and its surroundings
• Relief is determined visually, in PPL
• Relief is used to estimate n
Garnet has high relief

Quartz has low relief

garnet: n = 1.72-1.89
quartz: n = 1.54-1.55
epoxy: n = 1.54
 Cleavage
Most easily observed in PPL (upper polarizer out), but
visible in XN as well

• No cleavages: quartz, olivine

• 1 good cleavage: micas
• 2 good cleavages: pyroxenes, amphiboles
 Cleavage

2 cleavages
intersecting
at ~90°
pyroxene

120°
60°
2 cleavages
intersecting
at 60°/120°:
amphibole
 Twinning

A twinned crystal is a single crystal divided into two

(or more) parts in which the crystal lattice of one part
is differently oriented with respect to the next.
 Crystal habit or form

acicular

anhedral/irregular

bladed

blocky

elongate

euhedral

fibrous

prismatic

rounded

tabular
 Crystal habit or form

acicular

anhedral/irregular

bladed

blocky

elongate

euhedral

fibrous

prismatic

rounded

tabular Now do question 5

Mineral Identification
 Stereoscope

►This microscope
allows for
binocular (two
eyes) viewing of
larger specimens.
conodonts

diatoms
pollen

foraminifera radiolaria
 Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)

Electrons interact with the atoms that make up the

sample producing signals that contain information
about the sample's surface topography, composition,
and other properties such as electrical conductivity.
Scanning
Electron
Microscopy
(SEM) Visualizes
Surface
Features
 Information can be extracted from SEM

•Detailed textural and

structural information
•Best tool to examine the
clay minerals and nano-
minerals
Scanning electron microscope (SEM)

100 nm
 •EDX can help in the mineral identification by
providing information on its chemical composition.

Element O Mg Al Si Cl K Fe Total
Wt. % 31.2 1.8 6.1 30.5 1.2 5.8 23.4 100

Baioumy and Boulis, In Preparation

 Electron Probe Microanalyzer (EPMA)
Sample is bombarded with an electron beam, emitting X-
rays at wavelengths characteristic to the analyzed elements.

This enables the abundances of elements present within

small sample volumes (10-30 μm3) to be determined
Information can be extracted from EPMA

Ahmed, 2007

•Mineral and particle composition

 EPMA of phosphatic (apatite) grains

EPMA analysis of
phosphatic grains

Area MgO
Red Sea 0.9
Nile Valley 1.1
Abu Tartur 0.8

Baioumy et al., 2007

Part of Mg occurs in the crystal structure of apatite

 Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM)

A beam of electrons is transmitted through an ultra thin

specimen, interacting with the specimen to form an image
of the specimen .
 TEM analysis
Teeh kaolin

Aswan kaolin

Si= 17.84 Si= 16.2

Al= 14.32 Al= 16.1
Ti= 0 Ti= 0
 Grain-size analysis
Classification of detrital
sediments by grain size

Grain size Name of Name of rock

loose
aggregate
> 2mm Gravel Conglomerate
and breccia
2-0.06 mm Sand Sandstone
0.06-0.002 mm Silt Siltstone
<0.002 Clay Claystone
 Grain Size measurements

Laser particle analyzer

Sieves Sedimentation
 Grain Size distribution

Percentage
Size (m)
Sample S1-6 Sample S1-9
> 63 40 70
63-31 20 0
31-15 0 10
15-8 20 0
8-4 10 10
<2 10 10
Total 100 100
Sandstone Classification: Lithic Arenic
Classification of clastic sediments (based on size)
 Mineralogy: X-ray
L beta

L alpha
 K - alpha lines: L shell e-
transition to fill vacancy in K
K beta
shell. Most frequent
transition, hence most intense
K alpha peak.
 K - beta lines: M shell e-
transitions to fill vacancy in K
K Shell shell.

L Shell  L - alpha lines: M shell e-

transition to fill vacancy in L
M Shell shell.
N Shell
 L - beta lines: N shell e-
transition to fill vacancy in L
shell.

X-ray production
 X-ray diffraction (XRD)

  2d hkl sin 

• For parallel planes of atoms, with a space dhkl between the planes, constructive
interference only occurs when Bragg’s law is satisfied.
– First, the plane normal must be parallel to the diffraction vector
• Plane normal: the direction perpendicular to a plane of atoms
• Diffraction vector: the vector that bisects the angle between the incident and diffracted beam

– X-ray wavelengths  are:

• Cu Kα1=1.540598 Å and Cu Kα2=1.544426 Å
• Or Cu Kα(avg)=1.54278 Å
– dhkl is dependent on the lattice parameter (atomic/ionic radii) and the crystal structure
– Ihkl=IopCLP[Fhkl]2 determines the intensity of the peak
Scintag Diffractometer Geometry
 Samples preparation

Powder Clay slides

 XRD results
Bulk sample Clay fraction
quartz illite

kaolinite
kaolinite
illite

ICCD: JCPDS Files

Geochemistry: X-ray fluorescence (XRF)
 A source X-ray strikes an
inner shell electron. If at high
enough energy (above
absorption edge of element),
it is ejected it from the atom.
 Higher energy electrons
cascade to fill vacancy,
giving off characteristic
fluorescent X-rays.
 Higher energy electrons
cascade to fill vacancy,
giving off characteristic
fluorescent X-rays.
 For elemental analysis of Na -
  2d hkl sin  U.
 Quantitative Analysis
XRF is a reference method,
standards are required for
quantitative results.

Standards are analysed,

Concentratio

intensities obtained, and a

calibration plot is
generated (intensities
n

vs. concentration).

Intensity XRF instruments compare

the spectral intensities of
unknown samples to those
of known standards.
Fused beads
Pressed pellets
XRF results