ID:
502348
Duration (hours):
56
CFU:
6
SSD:
MINERALOGIA
Year:
2025
Overview
Date/time interval
Primo Semestre (01/10/2025 - 16/01/2026)
Syllabus
Course Objectives
The course aims at teaching how to recognize the fundamental rock-forming minerals that make and to understand their role in the processes that regulate our planet. It includes acquiring the basic concepts of symmetry in the crystalline state, with particular emphasis on morphological symmetry. The goal is to learn how to identify and study a mineral based on its morphological, physical (mainly interactions with light and X-rays), and crystallochemical properties (relationships between structure and chemical bonds, isomorphism, polymorphism), and then use these concepts to classify and describe the most important rock-forming minerals.
Course Prerequisites
In particular students attending Mineralogy and Laboratory course are requested to have knowledge of the following topics of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Physics: atomic theory (nuclei and electronic shells), atomic and molecular weights, valence and chemical nomenclature, Periodic Table of elements, chemical reactions, chemical bonds; states of matter; phase transformations and phase diagrams, energetic and kinetic aspects of reactions; physical properties of solids; electromagnetic waves and undulatory motion; nature of light, light propagation, reflection and refraction of light. Besides as it concerns the notions of Mathematics and Geometry (secondary school level) students are requested to have knowledge of: linear equations, plane and solid geometry, trigonometry.
Teaching Methods
The lectures consist of PowerPoint presentations, explanations on the blackboard, and the use of educational materials (e.g., dedicated software available for free to students), supplemented by specific seminars. The practical exercises, which involve stereographic projections of mineral models, are conducted in the classroom under the guidance of the instructor. Additionally, there are planned lessons that include for example visits to the Mineralogy Museum and the X-ray Diffraction laboratory.
Assessment Methods
The exam is conducted in written form. It consists of 3 open-ended questions (up to 6 points per question) and 2 exercises (up to 6 points per exercise) for each module. The final grade is the average of the grades obtained in the two modules. The exercises are those presented during the lectures, focusing particularly on model recognition, stereographic projections of complete symmetry and simple forms, reading and describing phase diagrams, rock classification, and their description, as provided in the material available on Kiro or distributed in class.
Texts
Didactic materials provided by the teacher
KLEIN C. (2004): Mineralogy Zanichelli Ed.
CAROBBI: Vol. 1°: Fondamenti di cristallografia e ottica cristallografica (a cura di F. Mazzi e G.P. Bernardini); Vol. 2°: Cristallografia chimica e mineralogia speciale (a cura di C. Cipriani e C. Garavelli). Edizioni USES
DYAR, GUNTER, TASA: Mineralogy and Optical Mineralogy, Mineralogical Society of America
KLEIN C. (2004): Mineralogy Zanichelli Ed.
CAROBBI: Vol. 1°: Fondamenti di cristallografia e ottica cristallografica (a cura di F. Mazzi e G.P. Bernardini); Vol. 2°: Cristallografia chimica e mineralogia speciale (a cura di C. Cipriani e C. Garavelli). Edizioni USES
DYAR, GUNTER, TASA: Mineralogy and Optical Mineralogy, Mineralogical Society of America
Contents
Definition of mineral.
Crystalline and amorphous states.
The symmetry of crystals. Fundamentals of geometrical crystallography: the first crystallographic laws (constancy of interfacial angles, Hauy's law, Bravais's law); symmetry operations and their combinations: crystal systems and point groups, (hkl) Miller indices and stereographic projection.
Fundamentals of structural crystallography: unit cell; Bravais lattices; screw axes and glide planes; space groups. Fundamentals of crystal-chemistry: ionic radius and coordination polyhedra. Isomorphysm and its interpretation on the basis of the atomic substitutions in the crystal-structure. Polimorphysm and stability fields of the phases.
Physical properties of minerals: density, hardness, fracture and tenacity, electrical and magnetic properties. Symmetry of the physical properties and Neumann’s principle.
X-ray diffraction for the identification of mineral crystalline phases. Bragg’s law. X-ray powder diffraction (Debye camera and X-ray powder diffractometer) for mineral identification by using databases. Notes on X-ray single-crystal diffraction method. Chemical analysis (fundamentals of X-ray fluorescence and electron microprobe).
Systematic Mineralogy: silicates, native elements, halides, sulfides, oxides, carbonates, sulfates and phosphates.
Practicals: Mineral identification: by sight, by interpreting powder X-ray diffraction patterns.
Crystalline and amorphous states.
The symmetry of crystals. Fundamentals of geometrical crystallography: the first crystallographic laws (constancy of interfacial angles, Hauy's law, Bravais's law); symmetry operations and their combinations: crystal systems and point groups, (hkl) Miller indices and stereographic projection.
Fundamentals of structural crystallography: unit cell; Bravais lattices; screw axes and glide planes; space groups. Fundamentals of crystal-chemistry: ionic radius and coordination polyhedra. Isomorphysm and its interpretation on the basis of the atomic substitutions in the crystal-structure. Polimorphysm and stability fields of the phases.
Physical properties of minerals: density, hardness, fracture and tenacity, electrical and magnetic properties. Symmetry of the physical properties and Neumann’s principle.
X-ray diffraction for the identification of mineral crystalline phases. Bragg’s law. X-ray powder diffraction (Debye camera and X-ray powder diffractometer) for mineral identification by using databases. Notes on X-ray single-crystal diffraction method. Chemical analysis (fundamentals of X-ray fluorescence and electron microprobe).
Systematic Mineralogy: silicates, native elements, halides, sulfides, oxides, carbonates, sulfates and phosphates.
Practicals: Mineral identification: by sight, by interpreting powder X-ray diffraction patterns.
Course Language
Italian
More information
The following material is required for practical exercises: compass, colored pencils and a computer.
For frontal lessons It is useful to have a periodic table of the elements.
For frontal lessons It is useful to have a periodic table of the elements.
Degrees
Degrees
NATURAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGIES
Bachelor’s Degree
3 years
No Results Found