ZHANG Gui-shan1,2, PENG Ren1, QIU Hong-xin1
(1. School of Earth Science and Resources, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710065, China; 2. Key Laboratory of Western China Mineral Resources and Geological Engineering, Xi’an 710065, China)
Abstract: The rock-mineral identification and petrographic analysis by using the polarized light microscopy are basic works in mineralogical and petrological researches. The narrow viewing scope of polarizing microscope and its inconvenience in changing visual field size resulted in the difficult to observe and identify the texture, structure, micro-geological phenomenon as well as the large mineral particles of rocks through the polarizing microscope. Taking the above factors into consideration, on the basis of the image forming principle of polarizing microscope, a method to obtain an image of large view of thin section by using scanner and polarizer of microscope, called thin section scanning method, has been developed in this paper. Images of plane polarized light and perpendicular polarized light under microscope with large horizon can be obtained by using this method in order to provide accurate and comprehensive image evidence data for the scientific research. The thin section scanning method is characterized with simple equipment and easy operation procedure. Large view exquisite digital images which show clear mineral textures, structures, and geological phenomena can be obtained by using this method which is a new scientific method for identifying mineralogical and petrological information. The thin section scanning method is suitable for studying samples with micro-geological phenomena of large mineral particles and complicated morphologies, textures and structures which were not capable to be shown using the conventional polarizing microscope. The successful development of thin section scanning method has great practical significance to researches of petrology and structural petrography.
Keywords: The thin section scanning method; large view image; scanner; polarizer
ACTA MINERALOGICA SINICA Vol. 40, No.1, 2020, page 1-8
