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Photomicrographs – Cross-polarised terrestrial

These photos were taken through an Olympus CH-2 modified for cross-polarising work. I’m quite new to this, so my identification of minerals should be taken with a pinch of salt The wider thumbnails lead to a side-by-side image of the specimen in plane polarised and cross-polarised light. Some of the images are a little burnt-out, I need to experiment further with camera settings (and cameras) to nail this.

(OK – not actually meteorites as such, but hey… )

OLIVINE TESCHENITE: Ayrshire, Scotland (TS001). This slide contains plenty olivine, brightly coloured and with random cracks, alongside the straight, black-and-white plagioclase crystals.

ANDESITE: Montserrat, West Indies (TS005). Collected from a lahar of the Soufriere volcano, this is rich in hornblende with inclusions and various feldspars. The second photo has a remarkably 3D effect – it looks a bit like a space station. Numbers 4 and 6 show really good zoning (changes from the core to the rim of the crystal).

ANDESITE: Montserrat, West Indies (TS007). Collected from a lahar of the Soufriere volcano, this is rich in hornblende with inclusions and various feldspars

FLUXION GABBRO: Ardnamurchan, Scotland (TS006). Rich in pyroxenes, plagioclase, biotite and magnetite (the black areas). I love the last shot – it looks to me like a young girl looking at the stars.