MSA at 100 and why optical mineralogy still matters: The optical properties of talc

Abstract

Abstract MSA’s 100 years are memorialized herein with a combination of (1) events marking our centennial; (2) publications devoted to it; and (3) my series of six MSA president letters in Elements written specifically for this moment. In some of those letters, I stressed the importance of optical mineralogy and the role it played in areas outside of academics. As such, new optical data are presented herein on 20 well-characterized talc samples from other studies, as there appears to have been no thorough study of the optical properties of talc. Other than academic interest, these data will find use in the ongoing issue of the purported asbestos content of talc.