Microscopy Primer
Light and Color
Microscope Basics
Special Techniques
Digital Imaging
Confocal Microscopy
Live-Cell Imaging
Photomicrography
Microscopy Museum
Virtual Microscopy
Fluorescence
Web Resources
License Info
Image Use
Custom Photos
Partners
Site Info
Contact Us
Publications
Home

The Galleries:

Photo Gallery
Silicon Zoo
Pharmaceuticals
Chip Shots
Phytochemicals
DNA Gallery
Microscapes
Vitamins
Amino Acids
Birthstones
Religion Collection
Pesticides
BeerShots
Cocktail Collection
Screen Savers
Win Wallpaper
Mac Wallpaper
Movie Gallery

Polarized Light Microscopy Digital Image Gallery

Quartz-Sericite Schist

Schist is a type of metamorphic rock that is chiefly comprised of flaky minerals and exhibits a plated structure known as schistosity. It is because of this characteristic structure that schists exhibit perfect cleavage, readily splitting along planes into thin flexible layers.

The mineralogical composition of schists is quite variable. However, some of the more common platy minerals that occur in the rock include mica, chlorite, hornblende, muscovite, biotite, and graphite. Crystals of these minerals are observable to the naked eye in samples of schist, which is one of the defining characteristics of the rock. Although not generally utilized commercially, deposits of schist may be a valuable commodity if they contain gemstones or metal ores. For instance, talc and mica schists in Upper Egypt have been mined for emeralds for thousands of years and have benefited various people and civilizations throughout history, including the ancient Greeks and the famous Egyptian queen Cleopatra.

Typically schists contain significantly lower levels of quartz than gneisses and many other rocks, but quartz-sericite schist is a variety of the rock than contains a greater amount of the mineral than normal. As its name implies, this type of schist also contains significant amounts of sericite, which is a fine-grained type of either muscovite or paragonite, both of which are relatively abundant silicate minerals. Found in various locations, one of the best known examples of quartz-sericite schist occurs in Canada, where it is a source of economically important gold deposits.


BACK TO THE ROCKS AND MINERALS GALLERY

BACK TO THE POLARIZED LIGHT GALLERY

Questions or comments? Send us an email.
© 1998-2022 by Michael W. Davidson and The Florida State University. All Rights Reserved. No images, graphics, scripts, or applets may be reproduced or used in any manner without permission from the copyright holders. Use of this website means you agree to all of the Legal Terms and Conditions set forth by the owners.
This website is maintained by our
Graphics & Web Programming Team
in collaboration with Optical Microscopy at the
National High Magnetic Field Laboratory.
Last modification: Friday, Nov 13, 2015 at 01:19 PM
Access Count Since November 20, 2003: 24583
For more information on microscope manufacturers,
use the buttons below to navigate to their websites: