Geological Sciences | Science Communication
Under the cross-polar light from an optical microscope, this thin section of a rock almost looks like it could be stained glass. The grains of olivine and pyroxene in this peridotite sample display vibrant birefringence interference colors. Not all minerals have such vivid hues under a microscope, though. A mineral’s birefringence depends on its refractive… Continue reading Rocks of Art
Talc-actinolite schist in thin section Images by author
As a geologist, not only do you have to be good in math, chemistry, physics, history, and writing, but you also kind of need to be decent at art. These are thin sections of magmatic rocks with my accompanying petrographic sketches. For a relatively small little circle, these guys take a really long time to… Continue reading Art of Geology
Emily Zawacki, Ph.D. 