GEOL 615
X-RAY DIFFRACTION IN GEOLOGY
Catalog Entry
GEOL 615. X-ray Diffraction in Geology
Two hours lecture; four hours laboratory (4).
Prerequisites: Graduate standing and GEOL 212 (Mineralogy).
Taught concurrently with GEOL 415 with additional project requirements for graduate credit.
Detailed Description of Content of Course
Lecture Outline:
I. Introduction
II. Historical Aspects
A. Discovery of X-rays
B. Discovery of X-ray Diffraction
C. X-Ray Diffraction and Atomic Structure Determination
D. Overview
III. Production and Detection of X-rays
A. General
B. Continuous Spectrum
C. Characteristic Spectrum
D. Absorption and Monochronicity
E. Equipment Used
IV. Basic Theory of X-Ray Diffraction
A. General
B. Generation of the Diffracted X-ray Beam
C. The Bragg Law
D. {HKL} Reflections
E. Intensities of Diffracted X-ray Beam
F. Lattice Reflections and Intensities
G. Indexing an Isometric Diffraction Pattern
H. Unit Cell Dimensions and Lattice Type
I. Number of Atoms in Unit Cell
J. Determination of Atom Positions (i.e., structure)
V. Application of X-ray Diffraction to Other Geologic problems (the following are some examples of areas of coverage)
A. Mineral Identification
B. Percent Dolomitization
C. Determination of Amount of Ca replaced by Mg in Calcite
D. Weight % of Carbonates and Quartz in Rocks
E. Crystallite Size
F. Plagioclase Composition Determination
G. Clay Mineral Analysis
Laboratory Outline:
I. Introduction to XDS 2000
A. Basic Operation
B. Safety
C. Sample Preparation
II. Basic Data Collection
III. Storage of Data
IV. Data Display
V. Standards
VI. Mineral Identification - 1
VII. Mineral Identification - 2
VIII. Multi Phase Problems
IX. Percent Dolomitization
X. Other projects that a student may work on depending on their specific interests
In addition to mastering this course material, specific work required for graduate credit includes additional projects and/or papers beyond the regular course activities.
Detailed Description of Conduct of Course
The course will be taught by lecture, lab, oral presentations, and discussion of projects between class members. The lab work will involve experiments designed to introduce the student to the general use of X-ray diffraction equipment and to specific applications in the geological sciences. Students will choose a specific laboratory investigation topic, do library research into background information on topic, and establish operational goals and methods of approach with the guidance of the instructor. The student will then obtain, prepare, and run samples on X-ray diffractometer. Analysis of data using computer assistance and graphical presentation of that data will be done by the student prior to writing a final paper on the project. The project will be presented to the entire class in oral form and a group discussion will then ensue. Graduate students are required to complete a more extensive research project or additional projects and to present the results in the format of either professional papers or oral presentations.
Goals and Objectives of Course
Having successfully completed the course, the student will:
(1) Have hands-on experience with laboratory methods and techniques used in investigation of many geological problems;
(2) Have experienced using state of the art X-ray diffraction equipment the same as, or similar to, that used in many consulting firms, businesses, and scientific institutions around the world.
Assessment Measures
(1) Lecture written examinations
(2) Graded laboratory exercises
(3) Project results
a.) Paper
b.) Oral Presentation and Defense
Other Course Information
Approval and Subsequent Reviews
Date Action Reviewed by
March 1999
