Eos,Vol. 81, No.
34, August 22, 2000
Introduction to Mineralogy
PAGE 389
j n p i WILLIAM D . NESSE
kid! Oxford University Press, New York, 464 pp.,
ISBN 0-19-510691-1,1999, $70.
A course in mineralogy is a rite of passage
for most undergraduate Earth sciences majors.
As fluency with minerals is so basic for deci­
phering a range of geologic processes, many
Earth scientists can recall long hours in the
lab memorizing mineral samples, their chemi­
cal formulae and crystal systems, and perhaps
staring through a petrographic microscope won­
dering, what exactly is 2V ? In this venerable
field with so many classic textbooks, one might
ask why another mineralogy text is warranted.
Introduction to Mineralogy is organized in a
traditional way, with Part I covering the topics
of symmetry, crystallography, crystal chemistry
and structure, and crystal growth. Part II covers
physical properties of minerals and methods
for studying mineral structures and chemistry
(including optical mineralogy and x-ray dif­
fraction), and Part III presents the systematic
mineralogy of all of the mineral groups.
What sets this text apart, is that it is written
with a clear recognition that the teaching of
mineralogy has changed in recent years. Many
curricula now recognize that students need to
learn about minerals but may not necessarily
need to learn about crystallography in great
ABOUT A G U
Mogk Receives 2000 Excellence In Geophysical
Education Award
David WMogk was awarded the 2000 Excellence In Geophysical Education Award at the AGU
Spring Meeting Honors Ceremony, which was held on June 2,2000, in Washington, DC The award
acknowledges a sustained commitment to excellence in geophysical education by a team, individ­
ual, or group.
PAGE 383,386
Citation
David WMogk is one of the most energetic
leaders in the geosciences today One should be
careful when signing on to work with someone
who runs marathon-length races over mountain
ranges with no trail. Daves work in the class­
room, community professional societies, and the
National Science Foundation has had a major
impact on science education in this country His
accomplishments range from implementation of
lecture-free learning and alternative assessments
in his own classroom, to mentoring junior faculty,
to major advisory roles in systemic K-12 science
education reform, to leadership in establishing
the geosciences as a central player in science
education .You can do a lot with the stamina
gained from running ridges.
detail. Also, many universities no longer require
a separate course in petrography and optical
mineralogy; they cover this material in
conjunction with hand sample mineralogy. So,
for example, Nesse covers all of the essential
points in crystallography in only 32 excellently
illustrated pages (with no stereonetsQ.On the
other hand, the optical mineralogy section is
so thorough and again beautifully illustrated
(with an interference color chart included in
the Appendices) that no separate optical text
would be needed in addition to this book.
Introduction to Mineralogy is a major improve­
ment over some of the classic textbooks in
the mineral descriptions of part III. Each min­
eral family and its individual members are
described in detail including macroscopic
properties and optical properties and all are
thoroughly illustrated with three-dimensional
crystal structure figures, well-reproduced pho­
tographs of thin sections, and coherent line
drawings. Many sections contain a great deal
of succinctly presented practical information.
For example, there is a step-by-step description
of how to determine feldspar compositions from
thin sections. In addition, there is a strong focus
on the geologic occurrence of minerals, both
within the mineral descriptions and in separate
sections. Mineral occurrences in igneous, meta-
morphic,and sedimentary rocks and ore deposits
are also well described. Such an approach is
Dave is both a leader and a visionary in
geoscience education. In 1995, Dave became
the first geoscientist in the Division of Under­
graduate Education (DUE) at the National Sci­
ence Foundation (NSF). His energy and vision
brought a geoscience perspective to a large
array of programs while substantially increas­
ing the visibility of geosciences in the
division. He has also served in leadership
roles in other geoscience organizations.
Daves most far-reaching accomplishment to
date has been marshaling representatives
from the entire geoscience educational com­
munity to formulate a unified vision of Earth
science education. Recognizing that the Earth
sciences could not play a central role in sci­
ence education if they did not work together
as a group, Dave urged the AGU to draw
together educators from all of the disciplines
particularly handy for students and instructors
exploring the linkage between minerals and
large-scale, rock-forming processes.
I particularly liked several small touches in
the book. One is the use of highlighted boxes
to emphasize important points or terminology
Another is the presentation of specific strate­
gies to learn material or to help the student
develop logical problem-solving for identify­
ing minerals in hand sample or thin section.
For example, at the end of the chapter on opti­
cal mineralogy there is a section on Tactics for
Mineral Identification and an entire short
chapter is dedicated to strategies for study.
The development of such problem-solving
skills translates beyond the study of mineralo­
gy and removes a portion of the rote memo­
rization aspects of the field that have made it
so onerous for generations of students.
A final positive aspect of this book is its rela­
tively reasonable price: the paperback version
is $70.00. As textbook prices are skyrocketing,
such a reasonable cost for a book of this qual­
ity should be appreciated by students. I think
this book is well worth a hard look by all min­
eralogy instructors. I plan to switch to it next year.
Reviewer
Elise Knittle
Department of Earth Sciences,University of
California, Santa Cruz, USA
Knittle is the Earth Properties, Mineral and
Rock Physics Editor for Eos.
in its membership to craft a vision for the
future of undergraduate Earth science educa­
tion.The resulting report, published in 1997
and titled Shaping the Future of Undergradu­
ate Earth Science Education Innovation and
Change Through an Earth System Approach,
has influenced changes on scales from indi­
vidual classrooms to nationwide programs.
A major outcome of the Shaping the Future
report is the newly founded Digital Library for
Earth System Education (DLESE).This
community-based effort is bringing together
those involved in geoscience education at all
levels K-12,undergraduate,and b e y o n d t o