Figure 3.02. Basalt thin section in plane polarized light (PPL). Notice that it consists of several minerals: plagioclase laths (clear), clinopyroxene (beige), olivine (clear but equant), opaque minerals (magnetite and ilmenite), and "mesostasis" (partially devitrified glass). This sample is a Columbia River basalt from Washington. Click the "XPL" button in the header bar for a crossed polarized light (XPL) view.
