Antoine Versabeau’s Post

#Biotite is a common phyllosilicate mineral belonging to the #micagroup. It's composed of potassium, magnesium, aluminum, iron, silicon, and oxygen. Its color ranges from dark brown to black, and it often appears as thin sheets or flakes. Biotite has a perfect basal cleavage, allowing it to split into thin, flexible sheets. It's commonly found in igneous and metamorphic rocks, such as granite and schist. Biotite is prized for its use in various industrial applications, including as an insulator, in paints, and as a component in drilling muds. Additionally, its presence in rocks can help geologists understand the conditions under which the rocks formed.

Mineral Matching Challenge! 🔍 Strained quartz, plagioclase feldspar, limestone, and microcline feldspar were captured under a polarized light microscope by our petrographers. Time to test your mineral knowledge by matching these names to the number on the picture. Leave a comment below with your best guesses, let's see who can rock this quiz! #MineralQuiz #Microscopy #CTLGroup

🔬Mineralogical analyses and petrographic examinations are the keys to a deep understanding in earth sciences. This clinker sample under the microscope reveals the intricate microstructure and phase composition essential for quality assessment in cement production. 🌟  The structure of these phases indicates the presence of large quartz or calcite crystals in the raw material, which significantly influence the clinker formation process.  Understanding these structures helps us create stronger, more durable cement! 🏗️💪 🔍✨ What do you see in the structures? Let's dive deeper into the fascinating world of clinker microstructures! Share your insights and observations in the comments below. Together, we can unravel more about these essential building blocks of stronger, more resilient cement. 🌟💬 #EarthScience #Cement #CementQuality #MicroscopicMarvels #GeologicalEngineering #MaterialScience #BuildingMaterials #QualityControl #Petrography #Mineralogy

DIATOMITE DIATOMITE IS A CHALK-LIKE, SOFT, FRIABLE, EARTHY, VERY FINE-GRAINED, SILICEOUS SEDIMENTARY ROCK, USUALLY LIGHT IN COLOR. IT IS VERY FINELY POROUS, VERY LOW IN DENSITY AND ESSENTIALLY CHEMICALLY INERT IN MOST LIQUIDS AND GASES. IT ALSO HAS LOW THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY AND A RATHER HIGH FUSION POINT. DIATOMITE IS NOW USED PRINCIPALLY AS A FILTER AID; BUT IT HAS MANY OTHER APPLICATIONS, SUCH AS AN ABSORBENT FOR INDUSTRIAL SPILLS AND AS PET LITTER, A FILLER IN A VARIETY OF PRODUCTS FROM PAINTS TO DRY CHEMICALS, AN INSULATION MATERIAL AS SAWN AND MOLDED SHAPES AS WELL AS LOOSE GRANULAR, A MILD ABRASIVE IN POLISHES, AND A SILICA ADDITIVE IN CEMENT AND VARIOUS OTHER COMPOUNDS.

Silicate inhibition stabilizes shales in drilling fluids by: 1. Clay Stabilization: Reduces swelling of clay minerals when exposed to water. 2. Protective Film Formation: Creates a barrier on clay surfaces to prevent water penetration. 3. Ion Exchange: Replaces reactive ions with less reactive ones, enhancing clay stability. 4. pH Control: Maintains an alkaline pH, beneficial for certain clay types. 5. Reduced Fluid Loss: Minimizes fluid invasion into formations, improving wellbore stability. This technique is particularly useful for drilling through sensitive shale formations and is often more environmentally friendly than traditional inhibitors. #drilling_fluids

A sample collected during fieldwork on polymetallic deposits illustrates the classic alteration of lead sulfide (galena) to lead oxide (massicot). In quartz-calcite-hosted veins, the transformation of galena stringers into lead oxides like massicot is primarily driven by oxidation processes, surface weathering, and environmental conditions such as temperature and pH. These factors together promote the breakdown of sulfide minerals and the formation of more stable oxide minerals. The alteration occurs because lead-bearing minerals, such as galena (PbS), are exposed to oxygen, especially near the surface or in oxidizing environments, which initiates chemical reactions transforming them into lead oxides. The basic reaction for the oxidation of galena to massicot can be simplified as follows: 2PbS+3O2→2PbO+2SO2 #chinar_group_of_companies #chinar_mines_and_mineral_department #we_believe_in_relationships #earth_explorer_club #earth_explorer_pvt_limited #Never_Stop_Exploring #WORK_for_NATION #work_for_country #Safety_first #Gold_Rush #lead #massicot #jasper #chert #gemstone #decorative_stone #Placer_gold_base_metals

Coming up next in our SEM capabilities series, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) mapping! EDS can be used to create qualitative elemental maps for certain areas of thin sections or grain mounts. As shown below, these maps can in turn be overlain to create ‘false colour’ maps with even more elemental information. Using the false colour map below, can you guess the identity of the inclusions hosted inside this ilmenite grain? Book now if: - You want to understand elemental distributions within a sample. - You want to characterise a zoning profile. - You want to identify elemental hotspots within a thin section – aka find gold, zircon, apatite, or any other mineral of interest quickly AND understand its textural context. For any SEM enquiries or bookings, please email sem@rscmme.com #SEM #mineralogy

Diamond Impregnated Core Bits are the most commonly used bit in mineral exploration but they are anything but basic! Diamond Core bits from Dimatec have wide-spread applications, crown designs are less susceptible to damage and come in a range of sizes that are tailored for soft soil, as well as hard, abrasive and non-abrasive and fractured formations.

Compositional zoning can provide valuable information on mineralising processes. Not always is it as clearly visible as in these #weeklyreflections showing an outer rim of magnetite (brown) surrounding a core of chromite (darker grey, few brownish internal reflections) and an intermediate zone. Minor sulphides, including chalcopyrite (yellow) and pyrite (pale yellow) are present in and around the magnetite. Kambalda, Western Australia ppl, oil, 100X Leica DM2700P #mineralogy #microscopy #mineralexploration