Petrology, GEO-320

Petrology is the study of rocks, their composition, mineralogy, and origin. The detailed characteristics of chemistry, minerals, and mineral textures can lead to a detailed understanding of rock genesis. This information can then be used to address larger scale geologic issues, such as the tectonic development of mountain ranges and the eruptive history of volcanoes.

Special documentsSyllabus
Using petrographic microscopes: adjustments and features
Internet resources
Exam study guidesIgneous rocks
Metamorphic rocks
Igneous rock labsWhite Mountain magma seriesWMMS data set
WMMS discussions 1, 2, 3
Photo gallery
New Hampshire magma seriesNHMS and Wooley Creek data sets
NHMS discussions 1, 2, 3
Photo gallery
Skaergaard and Stillwater intrusionsSkaergaard topics 1, 2, 3
Stillwater topics 1, 2, 3
Skaergaard photo gallery 1, 2. Stillwater photo gallery 1.
Iceland lavasIceland lavas data set
Iceland geology and discussions 1, 2, 3
Photo gallery
Metamorphic rock labsNew England schistsNew England geology 1, 2; metamorphism 1, 2
New England schist discussions 1, 2
Photo gallery
New England mafic rocksNew England geology 1, 2; metamorphism 1, 2
New England mafic discussions 1, 2, 3
Photo gallery
Norwegian eclogitesFennoscandia geologic map, very simplified map
Geologic discussions 1, 2, 3
Photo gallery
Fault rocksFault rock discussions 1, 2
Photo gallery
Forms and graph paperRock report form
Ternary graph paper, and a green one
Documents and spreadsheet utilitiesWriting igneous rock hand sample descriptions
Writing metamorphic rock hand sample descriptions
Papers to replace field trips
Why petrology is so much fun
How to calculate norms from rock chemical analyses
NORM4 norm spreadsheet for single samples
NORM4 macro-enabled version for multiple samples (file type not allowed here, ask me for a copy)
Estimating Fe3+ in amphiboles
Estimating Fe3+ in biotite
Making thin sections
Staining feldspars in thin section
Fill in missing values on REE diagrams!
Make ternary (triangle) diagrams in spreadsheets!
Whole rock geochemical discriminant diagrams!
Image librariesIgneous minerals in thin section
Igneous textures in thin section
Metamorphic minerals in thin section
Metamorphic reactions in thin section
Metamorphic microstructures in thin section
Moon rocks
Hand sketches in petrology
SVG vector graphics files for figures I use in this course (native Inkscape)

Assorted field trip images