QUARTZ

 Low relief
 Low birefringence (maximum interference colors are gray),
 Lack of color,
 Lack of cleavage,
 Lack of visible twinning,
 Lack of alteration,
 usually anhedral character, and
 undulatory extinction (wavy)

FELDSPAR GROUP
Alakli Feldspar
Orthoclase
 Low birefringence,
 moderate relief, and resemblance to quartz. However, it has
 Negative relief, is biaxial,
 often clouded by fine-grained alteration.
 Simple twinning (Carlsbad)
 In case of weathered orthoclase, there is presence of fractured and shattered grains.

Microcline
 “tartan plaid” twinning (Cross-hatch twinning)
 In case of weathered microcline, there is presence of fractured and shattered grains.
Sanidine
 similar to orthoclase but with greater 2V.
 Simple twinning (Carlsbad)
 Sanidine shows less alteration than the other feldsapars

Plagioclase Feldspar (Albite & Anorthite)

 “zebra stripes” caused by polysynthetic twinning
 Cleavage- 2 sets intersecting at 90°
 Ca rich plagioclase has a slightly higher birefringence than Ca-poor plagioclase.

OLIVINE GROUP (Forsterite & Fayalite)

 Mg-rich olivines are colourless
 High relief, high birefringence
  Randomly oriented cracks
 Alteration to serpentine in channels (along cracks) results in a typical texture

PYROXENE GROUP (Opx + Cpx)

Orthopyroxene (Enstatite, Ferrosilite, Hypersthene))
 Enstatite is nearly colourless in thin section
 slight to pronounced pink to green pleochroism (If Fe has replaced some of the Mg)
 86° cleavage angle
 Parallel extinction in prismatic section & relatively low birefringence distinguish it
from clinopyroxene.

Clinopyroxne (Diopside, Augite, Pigeonite, omphacite etc.)

 Higher birefringenece and inclined extinction distinguish clinopyroxene from
orthopyroxene.

AMPHIBOLE GROUP
Ortho-Amphiboles (Anthophyllite, Gedrite)
 Distinguished from clinoamphiboles by parallel extinction and absence of Twinning.
 Cleavage-56° (basal section)

Clino-Amphiboles (Cummingtonite, grunerite,Actinolite , Tremolite, Hornblende)

Hornblende
 Moderate to strong pleochroism (Green, Yellow)
 Cleavage-56° and 124° distinguish it from pyroxenes.
MICA GROUP
Muscovite