Almost every human endeavor is influenced by minerals. Many natural resources used in the manufacture of goods on which civilization and our lives depend begin as minerals in the ground. The crops that we eat are grown in soil composed of minerals. The safety and stability of structures such as buildings, roads, and bridges depend on the mechanical properties of the minerals that make up the rocks and soil on which they are built. In addition, the chemical composition, structure, and texture of the minerals that compose the rocks beneath our feet provide myriad clues that guide geoscientists as they attempt to decipher the history of the earth.

Since time immemorial the minerals, rocks and soil had been the major attraction for the growth, development, and survival of every living entity including human, animals, birds, plants, and trees. That indeed forced us to know more about the minerals (mineralogy) and the rocks and soils (petrology).

This book is a practical, hands-on introduction to numerical geodynamic modelling for inexperienced people, i.e. for young students and newcomers from other fields. It does not require much background in mathematics or physics and is therefore written with a maximum amount of simple technical details. If you are inexperienced – this book is yours! <...>

This book is intended for use in an introductory optical mineralogy course. The objective in preparing the book was to present in a single volume of reasonable size both a thorough treatment of optical theory as it pertains to mineral identification with the petrographic microscope, and detailed mineral descriptions of the common rock-forming minerais. The first seven chapters <leal with optical theory and provide an introduction to the properties oflight, a description of the petrographic microscope, and a discussion of the optical properties of isotropic and anisotropic materiais. Detailed step-by-step procedures have been included to guide students through the measurement of optical properties in both thin section and grain mount. Selected spindle stage techniques also are included. <...>