GEOLOGY 2130 – MINERALOGY AND OPTICAL MINERALOGY (4 Credit Hours)
Course Syllabus for Fall, 2010
Professor:
Dr. Ed van Hees
Teaching Assistants: Ms. Sonja Wiedmann, Mr. Thomas Gebhardt and Ms. Karen van Tiem.
Phone Number:
1-313-577-9436
E-mail address: midas@wayne.edu
Office:
Office Hours:
Room 0224 Old Main
MW 11:00 am – 11:45 am
- A mutually convenient appointment can also be arranged at other times
- E-mail questions to me and I will usually respond within a day or two
Web Address: http://www.clas.wayne.edu/unit-faculty-detail.asp?FacultyID=276 (Lecture Notes)
Class times and location
Lectures:
M,W 9:35 – 11:00 am (Old Main - Room 1107)
Labs:
(Lab 1) M & W 1:00–3:00pm; (Lab 2) M & W 3:00–5:00pm;
(Lab 3) T & R 5:30–7:30pm (Old Main - Room 0319)
Registration – the last day to add/drop course is Wednesday, September 15th. I will not sign add slips
after that day. I will sign drop slips up to and including Study Day (Tuesday, December 14th).
Course Description: This course involves the subjects of Mineralogy (the study of physical and
chemical properties of minerals) and Crystallography (the study of their crystalline structure). The
lectures and labs will complement each other through conceptual and practical exposure to the
fundamentals of mineral science:
A. Descriptive and Optical Mineralogy;
B. Crystallography;
C. Crystal Chemistry;
D. Mineral Classification;
E. Geologic Occurrence
F. Importance to the Environment
Course Objectives:
1. Introduce crystallography, crystal chemistry, and systematic mineralogy.
2. Relate the physical properties of minerals to their crystal structures and chemistry.
3. Introduce analytical methods used in modern mineralogy, especially the polarizing microscope.
4. Identify minerals in hand specimen and thin section.
Introduce concepts necessary for you to gain a better understanding of petrology, sedimentology,
mineral resources, geophysics, and environmental geosciences.
Prerequisites:
Geology 1010, Interpreting the Earth
Introductory Chemistry Course
Consent of Instructor
Supplies:
It is recommended that you purchase a hand lens (10 to 20 power) for use in the labs.
These can be purchased from Wards, Miners or a stamp collector shop.
Texts:
1) Mineral Science by Klein and Dutrow – 23nd Edition (2008, John Wiley & Son, Inc.)
2) Introduction to Optical Mineralogy, by William Nesse – 3rd Edition (2004, Oxford)
3) Minerals and Rocks – Exercises in Crystal and Mineral Chemistry, Crystallography,
Mineralogy, X-Ray Powder Diffraction, Mineral and Rock Identification and Ore
Mineralogy (3rd edition), by Cornelis Klein (2008, John Wiley & Son, Inc.)
4) Minerals in Thin Section by Perkins – 2nd Edition (2004, Pearson) - optional
Student Responsibilities:
It is the responsibility of students to:
 Uphold academic integrity in all activities.
 Attend lecture & lab classes regularly and punctually. Course grade relates to attendance.
 Read textbooks assignments prior to class and actively participate in class discussions
 Adhere to university policies on attendance, withdrawal, and other special procedures.
 Notify the instructor promptly of any exceptional circumstances that prevent the student
from completing any required exam or lab exercise – before they occur.
Examinations
Examinations will assess student mastery of material covered in lectures, laboratories, and assigned readings. In
general, lecture exam questions will emphasize material discussed in lectures (lecture attendance is strongly
recommended) but students are nevertheless responsible for material covered in all assigned readings. Exams
will consist primarily of short and essay answer questions. Being able to draw sketches in order to answer
questions is required and is frequently helpful in relaying your knowledge. The final exam is scheduled as
designated in the WSU schedule of classes for this term. No other time will be available, and no exceptions will
be made for conflicts such as student travel plans.
Final scores for the entire course will be normalized so that the class average is either a C+ of B-.
Students with scheduling conflicts for any midterm or final exam must notify Dr. van Hees in writing by
Wednesday September 15th. No make-up exams will be given unless he is notified in writing by that date.
Reasonable exceptions will be granted in cases of illness and will require notification prior to the exam and must
be followed up with an original signed note from a physician.
Midterm Exam marks will be returned directly to each student in the classroom. Questions about marks on a test
must be brought to the attention of the instructor within one week of getting the graded test back, and about
mark totals the day the test is returned by the end of the class.
Grading:
A, B, C, D, F  scale
Three Lecture Exams @ 100 Points Each – 300 Points = 30%
Final Comprehensive Exam – 200 Points = 20%
25 Lab Assignments @ 10 Pnts – 250 Points = 25%
3 Lab Tests @ 50 Points Each – 150 Points = 15%
Fieldtrip Related Project – 100 PTS = 10%
The instructor reserves the right to change the grade distribution if it is necessary to drop the third exam.
LECTURE EXAMS WILL BE WRITTEN IN THE SAME ROOM AS REGULAR CLASS LECTURES.
Field Trip: The course has a mandatory 4-day fieldtrip to Bancroft, Ontario that will occur Sept. 30th – Oct. 3rd
(Thursday – Sunday inclusive). This trip will provide you with the opportunity to observe minerals in their
natural setting as well as collect samples that you will work on during your Lab project. Transportation to and
from Bancroft will be provided by the Geology Department. Accommodation will be at the Birch Cliff Lodge,
and cost each student an estimated $80 to $95 (~$25/night) for the trip. A $25 contribution by each student will
be used to purchase most of the food for the trip (excludes stops at restaurants while traveling to and from
Bancroft). Everyone will be required to bring a sleeping bag and towel. A valid passport, passport card or
“enhanced” Michigan Drivers license is required to enter Canada. The cheapest option is the “enhanced”
driver’s license. Anyone who is not an American or Canadian citizen should talk to the OISS office as soon as
possible because a visa may required to enter Canada and another visa to re-enter the USA. Anyone who has
been convicted of driving while impaired is considered to be a felon in Canada and will be refused entry into the
country for up to 5 years after the license has been returned. It is possible to enter Canada if you have been
convicted of driving while impaired but arrangements have to be made well ahead of time (contact Ed as soon as
possible if you are in this situation).
RULES AND REGULATIONS
Attendance at all lectures and laboratory periods is required (it generally relates directly to final grade)
Academic Honesty – Academic honesty is fundamental to the activities and principles of the University. All
members of the academic community must be confident that each person’s work has been responsibly and
honorably acquired, developed and presented. Any effort to gain an advantage not given to all students is
dishonest whether or not the effort is successful. The academic community regards academic dishonesty as an
extremely serious matter, with serious consequences that range from academic probation to expulsion. The
punishment for academic dishonesty can vary from being assigned a mark of zero for the exam or the lab
exercise, to a grade of ‘F’ for the entire course. Any incident will be reported to the Assistant Director of
Student Affairs and disciplinary action will be initiated with the University according to the WSU Student Due
Process Policy. Disputes that cannot be resolved using syllabus guidelines will be resolved by the university
“Student Due Process” policy. In this course, all assigned work and exams must be done independently unless
you are instructed otherwise.
When in doubt about plagiarism, paraphrasing, quoting, or collaboration, consult the course instructor.
Grading Scheme
Range Grade
>87
A
80 – 87
A77-79
B+
74-76
B
70-73
B67-69
C+
64-66
C
60-63
C57-59
D+
54-56
D
50-53
D<50
F
Academic early assessment
Wayne State University policy on early progress assessment requires that all courses taught at the 1000- and
200-levels include a means of assessing student progress, no earlier than the fourth week and no later than the
sixth week of classes. Students are also strongly encouraged to participate in academic support services designed
to help students achieve success in lower level courses.
Special assistance
"If you have a documented disability that requires accommodations, you will need to register with Student
Disability Services for coordination of your academic accommodations. The Student Disability Services (SDS)
office is located at 1600 David Adamany Undergraduate Library in the Student Academic Success Services
department. The SDS telephone number is 313-577-1851 or 313-577-3365 (TTY: telecommunication device for
the deaf; phone for hearing impaired students only). Once you have your accommodations in place, I will be
glad to meet with you privately during my office hours to discuss your special needs. Student Disability
Services’ mission is to assist the university in creating an accessible community where students with disabilities
have an equal opportunity to fully participate in their educational experience at Wayne State University."
Religious observances - “It is University policy to respect the faith and religious obligations of the individual.”
I have taken the major religious holidays into account when scheduling examinations. Please notify me in
writing by class time on Wednesday September 15th of any other religious observances that I have not taken into
account. No make-up exams will be given unless I am notified in writing by this date.
Unexpected University Closure.
If the University is officially closed on an exam day, the exam will be held on the next regularly
scheduled class day. University Closure is announced by the following mechanisms:
1. the University Newsline (313) 577-5345 *
2. WSU Homepage (www.wayne.edu) *
3. WSU Pipeline (www.pipeline.wayne.edu) *
4. WDET-FM (Public Radio 101.9)
5. by other local radio and television stations
* Note: Closure and class cancellation information is likely to be found here before it is broadcast, or e-mailed to you by me.
Use of Old Main 0319 Outside of Lectures
This classroom is used by most Geology courses. It is available for your use when there are no lectures or
seminars going on. Please be sure to lock the door behind you when you enter or whenever you leave, so that
other people’s books etc. are safe. There are a number of rules that relate to using the computers in the lab.
Please familiarize yourself with them (e.g. no eating food or drinking fluids near the computers).
The Geology and Environmental Science Programs has grown significantly and the total number of students
using this room has increased accordingly. Please plan your use of room 0319 carefully (especially when we
begin the Optical Mineralogy part of the course) because there are going to be 2 to 3 students in Mineralogy for
every microscope and there might be additional ones at times from the other courses.
The Old Main Building is locked before 7 am and after 10 pm most days and all day on Sunday, as well as on
holidays. You can obtain access to the building using your OneCard by seeing me or Mr. Dave Lowrie and
having us sign an access code request form and taking it to the Wayne State Police (Cass Avenue north of I-94).
LECTURE OUTLINE and TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Classes Begin – Wednesday September 1st
Introduction to Mineralogy and Mineral Properties K-1: p.1-36
Crystallography
K-6: p.109-242
Geometric operations
32 Crystallographic Classes
6 Crystallographic Systems; Crystallographic Axes
Crystal Forms and Zones
Miller Indexes and Stereographic Projections 101
Required field trip to Bancroft (September 30th – October 3rd).
*** Collect samples for Mineralogy Projects
FIRST EXAM (on sections I and II) - October 6th, 2010 (Wednesday)
Optical Mineralogy Nesse Text
The Nature and Properties of Light
The Optics of Isotropic Minerals
Anisotropic Minerals
The Optics of Uniaxial Minerals
The Optics of Biaxial Minerals
Summary of Optical Properties
SECOND EXAM (on section III) November 1st, 2010 (Monday)
Crystal Chemistry and Mineral Chemistry
K-3: p.37-66
Chemical Composition of the Earth’s Crust
Bonding Forces in Crystals
Coordination of Ions and Crystal Structure
Chemical Analysis and Phase Diagrams
Mineral Reactions, Stability and Behavior
K-4: p.66-89
Crystallization
Reactions
Stability; examples of phase diagrams
Polymorphisms, Polytypism, Pseudomorphism, Exsolution, Twinning
Silicates: Crystal Chemistry and Systematic Descriptions
K-18: p. 434-482
Start K-19: p.483-551
THANKSGIVING RECESS – Wednesday November 24th – Sunday November 28th
TRIP TO U OF M (ELECTRON MICROPROBE LAB) – Mon, Tues or Wed - Nov. 29, 30 or Dec. 1st
THIRD EXAM (on sections IV and V) – December 1st, 2010 (Wednesday).
Silicates, Cont.Crystal Chemistry and Systematic Descriptions
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Nesosilicates
Sorosilicates
Cyclosilicates
Inosilicates
Phyllosilicates
Tectosilicates
K-19: p.483-551
Oxides, Hydroxides, Halides
Carbonates, Sulfates, Phosphates
Sulfides, Native Elements
Gem Minerals; Analytical Methods
K-16: p. 368-398
K-17: p.399-433
K-15: p. 331-367
FINAL EXAM (December 17th, 2010 (Friday) @ 8:00 to 10:20 am) - COMPREHENSIVE
“Helpful” hints:
The material presented in this class is difficult for the average student to master and will typically
require 3-4 hours per credit hour for the lecture part of the course. That means 9 to 12 hours studying
lecture material per week (in addition to attending 3 hours of lecture a week and the time required to
complete the lab exercises).
I suggest you do the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Read or at least scan through the relevant textbook material before coming to class.
Come to all classes and be on time
Take notes and participate in the class (there are no dumb questions or answers)
Come to see me during office hours if you have questions.
Take advantage of the “Mineralogy Tutorials”, the CD-ROM you purchased with Klein’s
textbook.
6. Reread the assignments, notes and in-class exercises after each class. Review the previous
week’s material over the weekend.
7.
“CRAMMING” will not work in this class!