A Resource for Educators and Students

Properties and Features Seen in Thin Section

Seen with plane polarized light (PP) Opaque, Isotropic and Anisotropic Minerals Color and Pleochroism Relief Bubbles Cleavage

Seen with cross-polarized light (XP) Birefringence and Interference colors Twinning Exsolution Pleochroic Halos

Mineral Photographs
For brief descriptions and some photographs, click on the mineral of interest below:

Quartz and Feldspars	Micas and Chlorite	Mafic Minerals	Pelitic Metamorphic Minerals	Calcite and Minerals Associated with Marbles
quartz	biotite	clinopyroxene	kyanite	calcite and dolomite
plagioclase	muscovite	sodic pyroxene	andalusite	tremolite
K-spar	chlorite	orthopyroxene	sillimanite	talc
		hornblende & actinolite	staurolite	wollastonite
Generally Accessory Minerals		sodic amphibole	garnet	diopside
epidote		olivine	cordierite
sphene		serpentine	chloritoid
rutile		spinel
graphite

Note: Unless otherwise noted, the thin section photos come in pairs with a plane-polarized view on the left (PP), and a cross-polarized view on the right (XP).