Corsi di studi in Scienze Geologiche (L-34 e LM-74)

The course, organized in two modules, aims to provide students with fundamental knowledge on two important issues of Economic Geology: ornamental stones and metallic ores.
The first module aims to provide students with the basic knowledge about the problems of nomenclature of ornamental stones, the characterization of their properties and their use in buildings of historical and contemporary. Emphasis will be given to: definition of natural stone, with special attention to Alpine and Italian stone materials and with hints to the contemporary international market; description of the extraction cycle, transformation and use, with considerations on durability and degradation; knowledge of rocks of historical and contemporary use belonging to different economicand commercial categories.

The second module aims to provide the student with the basic notions relating to the petrographic characterization of stone materials used in industrial processes and the definition of criteria for the research of raw materials. The concept of geomaterial will be defined, with particular attention to synthetic materials produced from minerals and rocks.

The contents proposed within the course contribute to the achievement of the educational objectives of the Master's Degree with regard to the characterization and / or certification, from the mineral-petrographic point of view, of geomaterials and the modeling of transformation processes in the industrial field.

Knowledge and ability to understand

At the end of this course the student will have to:
- know the main analytical techniques for characterizing the "economic minerals" used in the various industrial processes;
- know the classification criteria of the ornamental stones of the contemporary market, as well as their petrophysical and mechanical properties and the normative aspects;
- know the classification criteria of the geomaterials used in the industry and the related regulatory aspects;
- know the main analytical techniques of characterization of "economic minerals" used in the different industrial processes;
- know the criteria for identifying the origin of raw materials;
- know the industrial processes of transformation for the production of glasses, ceramic materials, mortars, cements and concretes.

Ability to apply knowledge and understanding

At the end of this course the student will be able:
- to use the appropriate terminology in the description of the geomaterials used in the construction sector;
- to recognize the main types of ornamental stones and (with particular reference to the Italian situation) trace back to the geographical and geological provenance setting;
- use an appropriate terminology in the description of the geomaterials used in the industrial environment;
- recognize the main types of geomaterials and (with particular reference to the Italian situation) trace back to the geological context of origin;
- identify the main industrial applications of the materials studied;
- autonomously manage elementary aspects of geomaterial use planning according to the process of interest.

Autonomy of judgment

At the end of the course the student will be able to make a judgment:
- on the most suitable survey methods for the characterization of "economic minerals" and ornamental stones;
- on the quality of the acquired data and on the correctness of the elaborations carried out on them.

Communication skills

At the end of the course the student must be able:
- to use correctly the technical language in the fields of applied petrography and mining exploration;
- to coordinate with the various professional figures working in the fields of stone characterization and search and exploitation of raw materials.

Learning ability

At the end of this course the student will have the ability to study autonomously and critically evaluate the types of investigations to be used for the characterization and search of non-renewable raw materials.

Introduction to "economic minerals" and "industrial minerals". History of use. Classification criteria. Petrographic methods of investigation in different fields of application.

Qualitative and quantitative properties: color, pattern, grain, defects, specific weight, porosity, permeability, thermal and mechanical properties, hardness.

Search and characterization of deposits. Exploitation constraints, geological, environmental, economic and legislative factors. Processing cycle of stone materials: volume and surface treatments. Machines and equipment

Main ornamental varieties of the Italian and international contemporary market. The Geological Map of italian ornamental stones. Examples of historical and contemporary uses

Piedmont and Italian marbles. Classification criteria: petrographic, isotopic and geochemical analysis

The alpine ornamental rocks: geological classification and petrographic description, with particular reference to the stone materials used in the historical and contemporary buildings of Turin

Italian and international  market of ornamental stones. Economic - commercial considerations.

Rocks and minerals used in building in different areas, with a particular regard to materials used as insulation and ornamentation stone.
Dimension stones of the contemporary market: analysis and petrographic considerations on the different commercial categories: definition of marble, granite, stone and travertine. Criteria for classification and certification; areas of application; regulatory issues.
The degradation of rock history. The durability of the contemporary stones.
Field excursions: macroscopic recognition of ornamental historical and contemporary architecture in Turin and regional level.

Introduction to "economic minerals" and "industrial minerals". Classification criteria. Petrographic survey methods in the different fields of application.

The glass industry. Mineralogy and geology of raw materials. The production cycle. Main industrial glass and their use.

Mortars and concretes. Aerial and hydraulic mortar. Aggregates for concretes. Portland cement. Mineralogy and geology of raw materials. The production cycle. pozzolanic cements.

Clay and clay minerals. Mineral-chemical properties of raw materials. The production cycle of bricks. Main industrial uses.

The main talc deposits in Italy with particular regard to the talc of  Germanasca Valley.

The course includes lessons, exercises during which will be carried out the macroscopic recognition of representative samples of ornamental rocks and a part of  laboratory during which the optical microscope in polarized light for the recognition of rock samples by  thin section will be illustrated.
The teaching methodology employed consists of:

Module A: Lectures: n. 16 hours Tutorials: n. 16 hours 
Module B: Lectures: n. 16 hours Lab: n. 16 hours

The teaching material will be published on moodle

The exam consists of:

1) a written test consisting of an exercise on calculating mineral resources and two open-ended questions to verify the knowledge acquired on mineral processing and mineral exploration.

2) an oral test during which the acquisition of basic notions and terminology will be verified, as well as the learning level achieved by the student. During the test, the recognition of rock samples will also be requested, and considerations regarding the possible extraction basin of origin and geological context will be made.

Primavori P. (1999) - Pianeta Pietra. Zusi Editore, Verona. 326 pp. 

Electronic handouts provided by teachers.

website: www.pietreditorino.com