Details of ES3101 (Autumn 2013)

Level: 3 Type: Theory Credits: 3.0

Course CodeCourse NameInstructor(s)
ES3101 Mineralogy and Geochemistry Jitendra Kumar Pattanaik,
Tarun Kumar Dalai

Syllabus
Introduction: The earth is made up of rock, and rocks are composed of minerals. Hence, understanding mineralogy is important to understand much of the geology. This course is designed to give detailed understanding about the mineralogy.
Course Content:
Broad classification: definitions, properties of minerals & environments of formation. Crystal Chemistry: Chemistry of elements, Bonding and packing in mineral, chemical analysis of minerals, mineral formulae. Crystallography: Introduction to symmetry, Symmetry, Diffraction. Optical Mineralogy: Introduction to Optics, Optical Crystallography & Crystal Chemistry. Systematic Mineralogy: Nomenclature and classification of minerals, Silicate minerals, Environments of mineral formation.
Pre-requisite: Mineralogy
Introduction: This course aims at study and understanding of earth processes using geochemical principles and employing geochemical tools: abundances and ratios of trace elements and isotopes. Emphasis will be on quantification approach, e.g. calculation of rates of processes, mass balance of elements and isotopes in steady state and non-steady state conditions, quantifying temporal variation of elemental and isotope composition following perturbation of a reservoir.
Course content:
Ionic substitution in crystals: governing rules, distribution coefficients and temperature dependence, geochemical classification of elements and implication for earth differentiation. Trace element geochemistry, Use of isotopes as tracers in the evolutionary history of rocks. Oxidation-reduction reactions: Eh-pH of natural waters, importance and applications of redox geochemistry. Aqueous geochemistry: carbonate equilibrium and implications for atmospheric CO2. Chemical kinetics: rates of dissolution and precipitation, material transport: advection, diffusion, diagenesis of sediments. Geochemical Cycles: The principle of mass balance. Mass balance equations in steady state and non-steady state conditions.


References
Text Books:
1. Mineralogy and Optical Mineralogy by Dyar, Gunter and Tasa, Mineralogical Society of America
2. Crystallography and Crystal Chemistry by FD Bloss
3. Minerals and Rocks-Exercises in Crystallography, Mineralogy and Hand Specimen Petrology by Cornelius Klein
4. Introduction to Mineralogy by William Nesse, Oxford University Press
5. Introduction to Optical Mineralogy by William Nesse, Oxford University Press
Text Books:
1. Principles and applications of Geochemistry by Gunter Faure. Prentice Hall, 1998.
2. Essentials of Geochemistry by John V. Walther. Jones and Bartlett Publ, 2010.
3. Geochemistry: Pathways and Processes by H.Y. McSween Jr., S.M. Richardson and M.E. Uhle. Columbia Univ Press, 2003.


Course Credit Options

Sl. No.ProgrammeSemester NoCourse Choice
1 IP 1 Core
2 IP 3 Not Allowed
3 MS 5 Core
4 RS 1 Elective