Biotite Mica Slide

Obsidian, also known as ‘volcanic glass’ is a felsic, extrusive igneous rock. Crystal growth is minimal / absent within obsidian due to rapid solidification rates which inhibit crystal growth thus giving the rock a glassy appearance.

These thin sections exhibit beautiful crystals of olivine, pyroxene and augite, which often shows oscillatory zonation held within a matrix of plagioclase feldspar. The slides supplement the hand specimens nicely and are useful for interpreting the crystallisation history of the rock.

Stunning peridotite thin section exhibiting the bright and beautiful colours of olivine and pyroxene punctuated by relatively abundant plagioclase. Peridotite is a dense, coarse grained, ultramafic igneous rock consisting largely of olivine and pyroxene.

Gabbro thin section exhibiting some of the textbook features one would expect from this coarse, mafic igneous rock. These slides supplement the hand specimens nicely and are useful for interpreting the crystalisation history of the rock.

We provide a full range of igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic and mineral thin sections. Click here to view them. Should you require a microscope, they can be found here.