MDN 210E - Mineralogy and Petrography

Course Objectives

Rocks and their building blocks, minerals, make up most of the Earth by volume, starting from the Earth's surface to the mantle-core boundary at a depth of ~2900 km. Igneous rocks make up almost all of the Earth's crust and mantle. It is from these rocks and their constituent minerals that we obtain a significant part of the raw materials to which we owe our civilization. Therefore, minerals, igneous and metamorphic rocks are of great importance to earth scientists. This course aims to teach students the recognition, classification, formation, composition, and origin of minerals, igneous and metamorphic rocks.
The course focuses particularly on the identification and classification of minerals, igneous, and metamorphic rocks. The knowledge and terminology of mineralogy and petrography to be covered in this course are used in all disciplines of earth sciences.

Course Description

For earth scientists and specifically for Engineers, a basic knowledge of mineralogy and petrography of the igneous & metamorphic rocks is of crucial importance because only it can provide them with vital information about nomenclature and classification of minerals & rocks, basic terminology, and many other important issues e.g., understanding the origin of minerals and rocks, tectonic setting in which they occur and their geological evolution.