A microscope slice of Marlborough schist, 3 millimetres across, viewed under polarized light. There is a very strong alignment of minerals, with an alternation of coarser and finer-grained layers. The larger grains (white to dark grey) are quartz and feldspar, whereas the smaller, coloured grains are mainly mica.
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GNS Science
Photograph by Nick Mortimer
Permission of GNS Science must be obtained before any use of this image.
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