University of Basrah Organizes a Course on Clay Mineralogy
The Marine Science Center at the University of Basrah organized a course entitled "Methods of Preparing and Utilizing Clay Mineral Slides."
The course aimed to develop the practical and scientific skills of participants in preparing and analyzing clay mineral samples, a crucial skill in several geological and industrial disciplines.
The course, presented by Dr. Zainab Abdul-Ridha Hamid and a number of researchers, covered the precise preparation of slides and taught participants the practical steps for preparing high-quality clay sample slides suitable for microscopic or X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. This included sedimentation of clay grains based on grain size, mastering the preparation of oriented and unoriented slides—a critical step for identifying clay minerals—and chemically and thermally treating the samples, such as glycerin saturation or heating, to differentiate between various mineral types.
The course addressed the link between preparation and diagnosis, enabling participants to understand how the quality of slide preparation affects the accuracy of subsequent analytical results, particularly using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It also aimed to develop the ability to interpret data and patterns resulting from analyses to extract information about the type and properties of the clay mineral.
Department of Media and Government Communication
