The key for identification of rock-forming minerals provides an efficient and systematic approach to identifying minerals in thin-section. It is structured in the form of a dichotomous key, comparable to those widely used in botany and entomology. Whilst some previous mineralogy and petrology texts have produced tabulated summaries of minerals with similar properties, the present key gives a unique solution for each mineral.
The key covers more than 150 of the most commonly encountered rock-forming minerals, plus a few rarer but noteworthy minerals, indicative of particular conditions. Illustrated in full colour, with high quality photomicrographs of each mineral, it also provides the most comprehensive atlas of rock-forming minerals currently available. It is primarily aimed at undergraduate and postgraduate students of mineralogy and petrology, but should also provide a valuable source of reference for all practising geologists dealing with rock thin-sections and their interpre
