Principles of Mineralogy
Principles of Mineralogy covers minerals, their physical and chemical properties, crystallography, and geologic significance.
Summary
Past student reviews · Huifang Xu
Students reported significant memorization requirements for mineralogy and found exams very hard, noting the textbook was necessary for success.
What you’ll be able to do
Use a petrographic microscope for mineral identification.
Identify around 40 common minerals (around 30 silicate minerals, and around 10 oxide, carbonate, and sulfide minerals).
Describe and apply concepts of phase transformations and solid solutions in minerals and factors that control the changes.
Determine the history (formation condition and possible changes / reactions) of a rock based on associated minerals and textures.
Write reports based on thin section observations.
Determine and correlate mineralogical changes with seismic discontinuities in the Earth’s mantle based on crystal chemistry principles.
Explain the basics of nano-phase minerals in earth surface environments and their potential impacts on/in water and air.
Evaluate relevant scientific literature related to mineralogy and crystallography.
Source: UW Guide 1· UW Guide 2
Grade history
↗All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors
Prerequisites
Course map(GEOSCI 100 or ENVIR ST/GEOSCI 106) and (CHEM 103, 109, 115, or concurrent enrollment), graduate/professional standing, or member of Engineering Guest Students
- take one
- take one
- graduate/professional standing
- member of Engineering Guest Students
“Used by” includes alternatives; linked courses may have other requirements. This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.
Prerequisite text tree
- Any of
- All of
- graduate/professional standing
- member of Engineering Guest Students
Professors
Spring 2027No instructors recorded for this selection.
Historical instructors & teaching patterns
HUIFANG XU is recorded teaching in Fall 2010, Fall 2012, Fall 2013, Fall 2014, Fall 2015, Fall 2016, Fall 2017, Fall 2018, Fall 2019, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Fall 2023, Fall 2024, Fall 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
PHILIP BROWN is recorded teaching in Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Fall 2012, Fall 2013, Fall 2014, Fall 2015, Fall 2016, Fall 2017, Fall 2018. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
Calendar & sections
Spring 2027Schedule loads here as you scroll.
| Section | Mode | Enrolled / capacity | Waitlist |
|---|
Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections.
Meeting source records
Student experience
the class
Past student reviews · Phil Brown, Huifang Xu
The course is challenging but engaging, with instructors who make difficult concepts more accessible through humor and dedicated support.
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 3.48 GPA, 76.0% A/AB (n=25 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.37 GPA, 66.7% A/AB (n=15 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.43 GPA, 81.0% A/AB (n=21 letter grades).
difficulty & workload
Past student reviews · Huifang Xu
Students reported significant memorization requirements for mineralogy and found exams very hard, noting the textbook was necessary for success.
Past student reviews · Huifang Xu, Phil Brown
Past students found lectures occasionally confusing due to rants or slide overload, but valued the helpfulness of professors during office hours.
Topics
- Physical and chemical properties of minerals
- Crystallography
- Geologic significance of minerals
- Phase transformations and solid solutions in minerals
- Nano-phase minerals in earth surface environments
Skills
- Use a petrographic microscope for mineral identification
- Identify around 40 common minerals including silicates, oxides, carbonates, and sulfides
- Apply concepts of phase transformations and solid solutions in minerals
- Write reports based on thin section observations
- Evaluate scientific literature related to mineralogy and crystallography
Grades
Latest available · Fall 2025— not enough history to project Spring 2027.
Grade distribution · % of letter grades
Grades over time
Through Fall 2025
More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data
Not enough comparable courses for Spring 2027 in UW–Madison.
Sources & history
Catalog & offerings
Descriptions, prerequisites, and recorded course offerings.
Catalog observation history
Observations at scan time; dates do not imply when a catalog change took effect.
Selected offering source records
No offering records for the selected term.
Raw records
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Student reviews
Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.
Read original reviews
Grade history
Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.
Explore recorded gradesRecorded 2026-10-14
Model outputs & technical records
LLM outputs across runs
Full model traces
Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.
Model & dataset provenance
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"requirements_status": "needs_review",
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