Looking at Mountains Through Microscopes
The Microscopical Analysis of Rocks and Minerals

Wase U. Ahmed and James A. Nelson
Buehler, Ltd.
Lake Bluff, Illinois

May 14, 1997

The microstructural analysis of rock, sand, ores, coal and other natural materials is important to the mining, petroleum, refractory and other industries to locate raw materials and to control the various operations use to process them. Successful analysis of natural materials employs some unique forms of preparation and analysis to reveal their microstructure. Both reflected light and transmitted light optical microscopy including polarized light microscopy are used to characterize these materials. Techniques for the microscopical analysis of rocks and minerals are based on the original work of Henry Clifton Sorby in the mid 1800's are described and photomicrographs of various materials prepared by these methods are shown and discussed.

Bio Sketch
WASE U. AHMED Mineralogist/Petrographer
Wase Ahmed graduated from Pakistan's University of Sind where he received the Bachelor of Science degree in Earth Science. He was also awarded the Bachelor of Science degree from Northern Illinois University in De Kalb, Illinois. This was followed by postgraduate studies in Metallurgical Engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Mr. Ahmed joined Buehler in 1968 as Mineralogist responsible for the development of improved sample preparation techniques and products. As a member of the Institute for Microstructural Analysis, Mr. Ahmed teaches a course in Petrography conducted annually at the Lake Bluff facility. He has authored several papers on cement microscopy and on other non metal applications of microstructural analysis. He is a member of the International Metallographic Society, ASM International, the Geological Society of America, and the International Cement Association.

Bio Sketch
JAMES A. NELSON Manager, Educational Services
Jim Nelson attended Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and Penn State Extension in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, while he was Senior Metallographer at Westinghouse RID Laboratories in Pittsburgh.

In 1972 he joined Buehler, as the manager of their RID laboratory that developed new methods and products for microstructural analysis, provided customer service support, and performed product quality testing.

In 1985, Mr. Nelson founded the Institute for Microstructural Analysis, a Buehler-sponsored educational program to provide technical training to the materials community. He is a past chairman of the Chicago Northern Chapter of ASM and a current faculty member of the Cast Metals Institute in Des Plaines, Illinois. He has been active in the International Metallographic Society where he has been a standing Judge for the International Photomicrographic Contest for 22 years. In 1996 Jim received the IMS President's award for his educational activities at the annual conference in Pittsburgh.

He is also the author of numerous papers and articles that have appeared in various technical journals and technical proceedings. His involvement with the fastener industry includes presenting papers at two International Fastener Conferences and conducting three metallography seminars for the Taiwan Fastener Association. Mr. Nelson is also involved with the IPC (printed wiring boards) and has recently published a Buehler Digest on the microstructural analysis of printed wiring boards.