Mineralogy and Petrology

Code:

EMG0031

Acronym:

MP

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Earth Sciences

Instance: 2022/2023 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Mining Engineering Department
Course/CS Responsible:	Bachelor in Mining and Geo-Environmental Engineering

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
L.EMG	18	Plano de estudos oficial a partir de 2008/09	1	-	6	52	162

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

This Unit has as main goals to acquire concepts, working methods and skills that turn possible to:

 

1. Understand the principal properties of crystalline matter and the concepts of mineral and crystal

2. Understand and encompass the main chemical and structural criteria that forms the basis of mineral classification

3. Recognize, describe and macroscopically identify minerals through their physical proprieties

4. Have basic notions about crystalline transparent matter optics.

5. Identify rocks’ forming minerals using the petrographic microscope

6. Understand the processes of mineralogical transformations and simple thermodynamic models behind spontaneous mineralogical transformations

7. Classify the different types of rocks: magmatic, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks

8. Understand the processes involved in the formation of the different kind of rocks (igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic)

Learning outcomes and competences

As the skills that are intend to be acquire, it is worth to mention the following: to identify the main mineral species occurring in the Earth's crust and understand the principles involved in that identification and classification; to find minerals’ physical proprieties in hand specimens; to know the main optical properties in transparent minerals; to identify rocks’ forming minerals with the petrographic microscope; to identify and to characterize the main types of Earth’s forming rocks (magmatic, sedimentary and metamorphic) and to know and understand their respective forming processes.

Working method

B-learning

Program

1. Concept of mineral; Concept of crystalline structure
2. Commonest minerals in the earth’s crust: rock-forming minerals and ores. Mineral systematics and classification;
3. Brief description of the commonest minerals for each group of Dana’s mineralogical classification.
4. Identification of minerals and rocks in hand specimen using physical properties of simple determination and its study in mineral thin sections in polarized light microscope
5. Petrogenic processes, the rock cycle and the Wilson cycle.
6. Igneous Petrology.
7. Sedimentary Petrology.
8. Metamorphic Petrology
9. Study of hand and microscopic specimens of the main types of sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks;

Mandatory literature

James D. Dana; Manual of mineralogy. ISBN: 0-471-82182-9
Cornelis Klein; Manual of mineral science. ISBN: 0-471-25177-1
Frank, H. T.; Guia de Minerografia - Guia para determinação de minerais formadores de rocha ao microscópio petrográfico usando o método passo-a-passo., Instituto de Geociências da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (Brasil). (https://chasquebox.ufrgs.br/data/public/f0de43.php), 2016
John DuNann Winter; An introduction to igneous and metamorphic petrology. ISBN: 0-13-240342-0
ULL; Sedimentary geology. ISBN: 0-7167-2726-9
A. M. Galopim de Carvalho; Geologia sedimentar. ISBN: 972-780-127-7 (vol. 1)

Teaching methods and learning activities

In addition to theoretical classes, the curricular unit also works trying to develop students’ abilities of observation to the identification of the common rock forming minerals and rocks. For this reason, both theoretical and practical classes take place in rooms where exists a wide set of rock samples, minerals and thin sections.

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Teste	70,00
Trabalho escrito	15,00
Trabalho laboratorial	15,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	71,00
Frequência das aulas	52,00
Trabalho escrito	26,00
Trabalho laboratorial	13,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

Do not exceed the maximum limit of classes missed (25% of the total theoretical and practical classes); accomplish the reports of proposed activities.

Calculation formula of final grade

70% of the mean of two tests + 30% of the mean of practical reports' classification.