Olivine flakes. Polarised light micrograph showing several 'fishes' of olivine crystals (coloured) in a schistose matrix rock that was originally a lh

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Olivine flakes. Polarised light micrograph showing several 'fishes' of olivine crystals (coloured) in a schistose matrix rock that was originally a lherzolite. The term 'fishes' in geology refers to small-scale deformation structures resulting from high pressure and temperature shear forces acting on the rock. The direction of the 'fishes' shows the direction of the forces. This image has been obtained using cross-polarised light (or 'crossed nichols').

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Size: 4736px × 3762px
Photo credit: © DIRK WIERSMA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: cross, cross-polarised, cross-polarized, crossed, crystal, crystalline, crystals, deformation, deformed, earth, fish, fishes, forces, geological, geology, lherzolite, light, lm, matrix, micrograph, microscope, microscopy, mineral, mineralogy, minerals, nichols, olivine, plm, polarised, polarized, pressure, rock, rocks, schistose, science, section, sectioned, shear, stress