Earth Materials: Introduction to Mineralogy

Ever wondered why minerals have different colors? Why diamonds are exceptionally hard? Where our Earth's natural metal resources come from? A must-take for any undergraduates looking to develop a foundation for further studies within the geosciences (open to grad students who wish to review): This course will focus on the foundational science of identifying, classifying, and interpreting rock-forming minerals. Lectures will focus on mineral chemistry and physics, crystallography and mineral properties, and applications to a variety of scientific fields. Labs will focus on both hand sample mineral identification as well as principals of optical mineralogy. In this class, you will learn practical skills of: - Identifying 100 minerals - Using optical microscope on thin sections - Methods of mineral analysis - Interpreting and integrating complex datasets Satisfies the WAY-SMA requirement.