Earth materials encompass the minerals, rocks, soil and water that constitute our planet and the physical, chemical and biological processes that produce them. Since the expansion of computer technology in the last two decades of the twentieth century, many universities have compressed or eliminated individual course offerings such as mineralogy, optical mineralogy, igneous petrology, sedimentology and metamorphic petrology and replaced them with Earth materials courses. Earth materials courses have become an essential curricular component in the fields of geology, geoscience, Earth science, and many related areas of study. This textbook is designed to address the needs of a one- or two-semester Earth materials course, as well as individuals who want or need an expanded background in minerals, rocks, soils and water resources.
Table of Contents
Preface iv
Acknowledgments vi
About the Companion Website viii
1 Earth materials and the geosphere 1
2 Atoms, elements, bonds, and coordination polyhedra 22
3 Atomic substitution, phase diagrams, and isotopes 50
4 Crystallography 83
5 Mineral properties and rock-forming minerals 120
6 Optical identification of minerals 160
7 Igneous rock texture, composition, and classification 199
8 Magma and intrusive structures 235
9 Volcanic features and landforms 262
10 Igneous rock associations 300
11 Weathering, sediment production, and soils 342
12 The sedimentary cycle: erosion, transportation, deposition, sedimentary structures, and environments 381
13 Detrital sediments and sedimentary rocks 418
14 Biochemical sedimentary rocks 454
15 Metamorphism 503
16 Metamorphism: stress, deformation, and structures 524
17 Texture and classification of metamorphic rocks 554
18 Metamorphic zones, facies, and facies series 578
19 Mineral resources and hazards 619
Index 663
