Deals with the art of using the polarizing microscope. Topics include the light theory as it pertains to mineral identification, the description of the polarizing microscope, the basic concepts of mineral optics and an efficient routine for mineral identification under the microscope, and optics of isotropic and anisotropic minerals (Uniaxial and Biaxial minerals). Detailed mineral descriptions of the common rock-forming minerals under the microscope will be emphasized during various lectures and laboratory investigations.

Gravity Methods (2020-2021)

2nd Year Geophysics, Geology-Geophysics
Course syllabus
1) Introduction
a. Newton’s law of gravitational attraction
b. The effect of densities
c. The effect of depth
d. The ambiguity of this law on gravity methods
2) Planning for gravity surveys
a. Establishing of gravity nets
i. Types of gravity nets (Regional, local…etc.)
ii. Characteristics of gravity nets
iii. Scale of study (Reconnaissance, Semi-detailed, detailed)
iv. Types of gravity measurements (Relative-Absolute)
v. Items of study according to scale of study

3) Gravity surveying
a. Gravity survey in land (Method, Advantages, Disadvantages and Limitations)
b. Gravity survey in air (Method, Advantages, Disadvantages and Limitations)
c. Gravity survey in water (Method, Advantages, Disadvantages and Limitations)
4) Gravity Processing (Reduction of Gravity Data)
i. Drift correction
ii. Free air correction
iii. Latitude correction
iv. Topographic correction
v. Total correction

5) Gravity Interpretation
a. Qualitative interpretation
i. Description of gravity maps
1. Key variables (By Romberg, 1984)
2. General description of gravity map
ii. Interpretation of subsurface section
1. Density control
2. Depth control
iii. Tectonic Estimation (By Linsser, 1967)
iv. Fault determination, location, trend, depth &throw

b. Quantitative interpretation
i. Isolation of gravity field
1. Depth of Separation
2. Graphical methods
a. Smoothing method
b. Profiling methods
3. Numerical methods
a. Arithmetic mean method
b. Two average methods
c. Griffin Method
ii. Second Vertical Derivative technique (Residual Magnification)
iii. Down-ward continuation (Basement depth determination)
iv. Stripping technique (Stripping on-Stripping of)
v. Mass Estimation (Sharma Formula)
vi. Depth Determination (Milos Pick et al., 1984)
vii. Filtering Technique
1. Low-cut filtering
2. High-cut filtering
3. Band pass filtering

6) Gravity Applications
a. Oil-gas Prospecting
b. Water Prospecting
c. Mineral exploration
d. Archeological Prospecting
e. Civil Engineering
f. Earthquake prediction
g. Tectonic Studies
7) References
a. Introduction to geophysical prospecting (Dobrin)
b. Applied Geophysics (Telford)
c. Geophysical Prospecting (Jakosky)
d. Environmental Geophysics (Sharma)