00799 - Petrography

Learning outcomes

Students learn how to recognize, classify and characterize mineralogically and petrographically, both at the handspecimen and microscopic scales, the most common igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. Students will focus in particular on the qualitative and quantitative data from the petrographic study of thin sections and whole rock chemistry.

Course contents

Igneous Petrology -  Mineral and chemical composition, classification and nomenclature of magmatic rocks. Textures of igneous rocks. Igneous structures and field relationships: extrusive vs. intrusive processes and rock bodies. Crystal-melt equilibria in magmatic systems: two-component and three-component systems; reaction series; effects of P and fluids on melting behavior. Geochemical characteristics as petrogenetic indicators. Generation of basaltic magmas by partial melting of upper mantle. Origin of granitoid rocks. Diversification of magmas: magmatic differentiation, assimilation and magma mixing. Magma series and tectono-magmatic associations. Sedimentary Petrology -  Wheatering and erosion of rocks, transportation and deposition of sediments. Diagenetic processes. Structures, textures, composition and classification of terrigenous, carbonate, evaporitic and biogenetic rocks. Metamorphic Petrology -  Metamorphism and metamorphic rocks. Fabric, composition and classification of metamorphic rocks. Equilibrium mineral assemblages. Chemographic diagrams. Metamorphic mineral reactions. Isogrades. Metamorphic facies and facies series. Metamorphic field gradients and P-T-t paths. Orogenic metamorphism. Metamorphism of mafic rocks. Metamorphism of pelitic sediments. Pressure-Temperature estimation: geothermobarometry. Laboratory - Handspecimen and microscopic analysis and classification of the main igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rock types. Physical and mechanical characterization of the rocks.

Readings/Bibliography

Morbidelli L.: Le rocce e i loro costituenti. Bardi Editore, Roma, 2004. D'Argenio F., Innocenti F., Sassi P.F.: Introduzione allo studio delle rocce. UTET, Torino, 1994. Shelley D.: Igneous and metamorphic rocks under the microscope. Classification, textures, microstructures and mineral preferred orientation. Chapman & Hall, 1993.

Teaching methods

The course consists of frontal lessons supplemented with petrography laboratory and field laboratory in order to stimulate on student the capability to link up rocks with their environment and generating mechanism. The teaching activity will be developed in collaboration with collegues (Braga and Zuffa) of the DSTGA Department and sector's specialists.

Assessment methods

The exam consists of written accounts (Igneous Petrography, Sedimentary Petrography, Metamorphic Petrography) supplemented with an oral test.

Teaching tools

LCD projector for Power Point presentations. Collections of samples, rosk's thin sections. Transmitted Polarized Light Microscopes.

Office hours

See the website of Giuseppe Maria Bargossi