ALBERT

Description / Table of Contents: Our understanding of rock forming geological processes and thereby of geodynamic processes depends largely on a sound basis of knowledge of minerals. Due to the application of new analytical techniques, the number of newly discovered minerals increases steadily, and what used to be a simple mineral may have turned into a complex group. A continuous update is necessary, and the Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry series excellently fulfills this requirement. The epidote minerals have not yet been covered and we felt that this gap should be filled. The epidote mineral group consists of important rock-forming minerals such as clinozoisite and epidote, geochemical important accessory minerals such as allanite, and minerals typical for rare bulk compositions such as hancockite. Zoisite, the orthorhombic polymorph of clinozoisite, is included here because of its strong structural and paragenetic similarity to the epidote minerals. Epidote minerals occur in a wide variety of rocks, from near-surface conditions up to high- and ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic rocks and as liquidus phases in magmatic systems. They can be regarded as the low-temperature and high-pressure equivalent of Ca-rich plagioclase, and thus are equally important as this feldspar for petrogenetic purposes. In addition, they belong to the most important Fe3+ bearing minerals, and give important information about the oxygen fugacity and the oxidation state of a rock. Last but not least, they can incorporate geochemically relevant minor and trace elements such as Sr, Pb, REE, V, and Mn. The epidote minerals are undoubtedly very important from a petrogenetic and geochemical point of view, and have received a lot of attention in the last years from several working groups in the field of experimental studies and spectroscopic work. As a result, the thermodynamic database of epidote minerals has been significantly enlarged during the last decade. Recent studies have revealed the importance of zoisite in subduction zone processes as a carrier of H2O and suggested zoisite to be the main H2O source in the pressure interval between about 2.0 and 3.0 GPa. Many studies have shown that an understanding of trace element geochemical processes in high-pressure rocks is impossible without understanding the geochemical influence of the epidote minerals. Recent advances in microanalytical techniques have also shown that epidote minerals record detailed information on their geological environment. W. A. Deer, R. A. Howie and J. Zussmann edited the last comprehensive review on this mineral group almost 20 years ago in 1986. In 1990, on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the discovery of the famous Knappenwand locality in the Tauern/Austria, an epidote conference was held in Neukirchen/Austria organized by the Austrian Mineralogical Society by V. Höck and F. Koller. In 1999, there was a special symposium at the EUG 10 in Strasbourg, convened by R. Gieré and F. Oberli, entitled Recent advances in studies of the epidote group that highlighted the relevance of the epidote minerals for Earth science. However, there are many open questions in the community regarding the epidote minerals and there is a need for a new overview that brings together the recent knowledge on this interesting group of minerals. The present volume of the Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry reviews the current state of knowledge on the epidote minerals with special emphasis on the advances that were made since the comprehensive review of Deer et al. (1986). We hope that it will serve to outline the open questions and direction of future research. In the Introduction, we review the structure, optical data and crystal chemistry of this mineral group, all of which form the basis for understanding much of the following material in the volume. In addition, we provide some information on special topics, such as morphology and growth, deformation behavior, and gemology. Thermodynamic properties (Chapter 2, Gottschalk), the spectroscopy of the epidote minerals (Chapter 3, Liebscher) and a review of the experimental studies (Chapter 4, Poli and Schmidt) constitute the first section of chapters. These fields are closely related, and all three chapters show the significant progress over the last years, but that some of the critical questions such as the problem of miscibility and miscibility gaps are still not completely solved. This section concludes with a review of fluid inclusion studies (Chapter 5, Klemd), a topic that turned out to be of large interest for petrogenetic interpretation, and leads to the description of natural epidote occurrences in the second section of the book. These following chapters review the geological environments of the epdiote minerals, from low temperature in geothermal fields (Chapter 6, Bird and Spieler), to common metamorphic rocks (Chapter 7, Grapes and Hoskin) and to high- and ultrahigh pressure (Chapter 8, Enami, Liou and Mattinson) and the magmatic regime (Chapter 9, Schmidt and Poli). Allanite (Chapter 10, Gieré and Sorensen) and piemontite (Chapter 11, Bonazzi and Menchetti), on which a large amount of information is now available, are reviewed in separate chapters. Finally trace element (Chapter 12, Frei, Liebscher, Franz and Dulski) and isotopic studies, both stable and radiogenic isotopes (Chapter 13, Morrison) are considered. We found it unavoidable that there is some overlap between individual chapters. This is an inherited problem in a mineral group such as the epidote minerals, which forms intensive solid solutions between the major components of rock forming minerals as well as with trace elements.

Description / Table of Contents: Phase transformations occur in most types of materials, including ceramics, metals, polymers, diverse organic and inorganic compounds, minerals, and even crystalline viruses. They have been studied in almost all branches of science, but particularly in physics, chemistry, engineering, materials science and earth sciences. In some cases the objective has been to produce materials in which phase transformations are suppressed, to preserve the structural integrity of some engineering product, for example, while in other cases the objective is to maximise the effects of a transformation, so as to enhance properties such as superconductivity, for example. A long tradition of studying transformation processes in minerals has evolved from the need to understand the physical and thermodynamic properties of minerals in the bulk earth and in the natural environment at its surface. The processes of interest have included magnetism, ferroelasticity, ferroelectricity, atomic ordering, radiation damage, polymorphism, amorphisation and many others-in fact there are very few minerals which show no influence of transformation processes in the critical range of pressures and temperatures relevant to the earth. As in all other areas of science, an intense effort has been made to tum qualitative understanding into quantitative description and prediction via the simultaneous development of theory, experiments and simulations. In the last few years rather fast progress has been made in this context, largely through an interdisciplinary effort, and it seemed to us to be timely to produce a review volume for the benefit of the wider scientific community which summarises the current state of the art. The selection of transformation processes covered here is by no means comprehensive, but represents a coherent view of some of the most important processes which occur specifically in minerals.

Description / Table of Contents: The scientific discoveries that have been made with noble gas geochemistry are of such a profound and fundamental nature that earth science textbooks should be full of examples. Surprisingly, this really is not so. The "first discoveries" include presolar components in our _ solar system, extinct radionuclides, primordial volatiles in the Earth, the degassing history of Mars, secular changes in the solar wind, reliable present day mantle degassing fluxes, the fluxes of extraterrestrial material to Earth, groundwater paleotemperatures and the ages of the oldest landscapes on Earth. Noble gas geochemistry has scored so many such "firsts" or "home runs" that it should permeate a lot of earth science thinking and teaching. Yet rather surprisingly it does not. Noble gas geochemistry also is a broader and more versatile field than almost any other area of geochemistry. It pervades cosmochemistry, Earth sciences, ocean sciences, climate studies and environmental sciences. Yet most modern Earth, planetary and environmental science departments do not consider noble gas geochemistry to be at the top of their list in terms of hiring priorities these days. Furthermore, with the exception of Ar geochronologists, noble gas geochemists are a surprisingly rare breed. Why is the above the case? Perhaps the reasons lie in the nature of the field itself. First, although noble gas geochemists work on big problems, the context of their data is often woefully under-constrained so that it becomes hard to make progress beyond the first order fundamental discoveries. Noble gas data are often difficult to interpret. Although some concepts are straightforward and striking in their immediate implications (e.g. mantle 3He in the oceans), others are to this day shrouded in lack of clarity. The simple reason for this is that in many situations it is only the noble gases that offer any real insights at all and the context of other constraints simply does not exist. Some examples of the big issues being addressed by noble gases are as follows and I have deliberately posed these as major unresolved questions that only exist because noble gas geochemistry has opened windows through which to view large-scale issues and processes that otherwise would be obscure. (1) Is the presolar noble gas component present in a tiny fraction of submicroscopic meteoritic C or is it ubiquitously distributed? (2) How did solar noble gases get incorporated into the Earth? (3) How did solar noble gases survive the protracted accretion of the Earth via giant impacts? (4) What is the origin of the noble gas pattern in the Earth's atmosphere? (5) Why are the Earth and Mars almost opposites in terms of the relative isotopic differences between atmosphere and mantle? (6) What is the Eresent source of Earth's primordial helium? Can we ignore the core? (7) What is the 2~e/ 2Ne of the mantle, how was it acquired and why is it different from the atmosphere? (8) How does one reconcile the stronlJ fractionation in terrestrial Xe with data for other noble gases? (9) How much radiogenic Ar should the Earth have? How well do we know KIU? (10) Are the light isotopes of Xe the same in the mantle and the atmosphere? If not, why not? (11) How are noble gases transported through the creeping solid earth? (12) How does one explain the heat - helium paradox? (13) How incompatible are the noble gases during melting? (14) How are atmospheric components incorporated into volcanic samples? (15) How are the excess air components incorporated into groundwater? (16) Why are continental noble gas paleotemperature records offset from oceanic temperature records? Noble gas data tell us that the Earth and solar system represent very complex environments. When we make our simple first order conclusions and models we are only at the tip of the iceberg of discoveries that are needed to arrive at a thorough understanding of the behavior of volatiles in the solar system. Who wants to hear that things are complicated? Who wants to hire in a field that will involve decades of data acquisition and analysis in order to sort out the solar system? Sadly, too few these days. This is the stuff of deep scientific giants and bold, technically difficult long-term research programs. It is not for those who prefer superficiality and quick, glamorous, slick answers. Noble gas geochemists work in many areas where progress is slow and difficult even though the issues are huge. This probably plays a part in the limited marketability of noble gas geochemistry to the nonspecialist. Second, noble gases is a technically difficult subject. That is, noble gas geochemists need to be adept 11t technique development and this has to include skills acquired through innovation in the lab. Nobody can learn this stuff merely with a book or practical guide. Reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (by Robert Pirsig) would give you a clearer picture. This magnificent MSA-GS volume is going to be enormously useful but on its own it won't make anybody into a noble gas geochemist. Although the mass spectrometry principles are not complex, the tricks involved in getting better data are often self taught or passed on by working with individuals who themselves are pushing the boundaries further. Furthermore, much of the exciting new science is linked with technical developments that allow us to move beyond the current measurement capabilities. Be they better crushing devices, laser resonance time of flight, multiple collection or compressor sources - the technical issues are central to progress. Lastly, noble gas geochemists need a broad range of other skills in order to make progress. They have to be good at mass spectrometry as already stated. However, nowadays they also need to be able to understand fields as different as mantle geochemistry, stellar evolution, cosmochemistry, crustal fluids, oceanography and glaciology. They are kind of "Renaissance" individuals. Therefore, if you are thinking broadly about hiring scientists who love science and stand a good chance of making a major difference to our understanding of the solar system, earth and its environment - I would recommend you hire a really good noble gas geochemist. However, the results may take a while. If you want somebody who will crank out papers at high speed and quickly increase the publication numbers of your department then you may need to think about somebody else. The two are not mutually exclusive but think hard about what is really important. There was no short course associated with this volume, although an attempt was undertaken to get the volume printed in time for the V. M. Goldschmidt conference in Davos, Switzerland (mid-August 2002) at which there was a major symposium on noble gases.

Description / Table of Contents: The first half-century of X-ray crystallography, beginning with the elucidation of the sodium chloride structure in 1914, was devoted principally to the determination of increasingly complex atomic topologies at ambient conditions. The pioneering work of the Braggs, Pauling, Wyckoff, Zachariasen and many other investigators revealed the structural details and underlying crystal chemical principles for most rock-forming minerals (see, for example, Crystallography in North America, edited by D. McLachlan and J. P. Glusker, NY, American Crystallographic Association, 1983). These studies laid the crystallographic foundation for modem mineralogy. The past three decades have seen a dramatic expansion of this traditional crystallographic role to the study of the relatively subtle variations of crystal structure as a function of temperature, pressure, or composition. Special sessions on "High temperature crystal chemistry" were first held at the Spring Meeting of the American Geophysical Union (April 19, 1972) and the Ninth International Congress of Crystallography (August 30, 1972). The Mineralogical Society of America subsequently published a special 11-paper section of American Mineralogist entitled "High Temperature Crystal Chemistry," which appeared as Volume 58, Numbers 5 and 6, Part I in July-August, 1973. The first complete three-dimensional structure refinements of minerals at high pressure were completed in the same year on calcite (Merrill and Bassett, Acta Crystallographica B31, 343-349, 1975) and on gillespite (Hazen and Burnham, American Mineralogist 59, 1166-1176, 1974). Rapid advances in the field of non-ambient crystallography prompted Hazen and Finger to prepare the monograph Comparative Crystal Chemistry: Temperature, Pressure, Composition and the Variation of Crystal Structure (New York: Wiley, 1982). At the time, only about 50 publications documenting the three-dimensional variation of crystal structures at high temperature or pressure had been published, though general crystal chemical trends were beginning to emerge. That work, though increasingly out of date, remained in print until recently as the only comprehensive overview of experimental techniques, data analysis, and results for this crystallographic sub-discipline. This Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry volume was conceived as an updated version of Comparative Crystal Chemistry. A preliminary chapter outline was drafted at the Fall 1998 American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco by Ross Angel, Robert Downs, Larry Finger, Robert Hazen, Charles Prewitt and Nancy Ross. In a sense, this volume was seen as a "changing of the guard" in the study of crystal structures at high temperature and pressure. Larry Finger retired from the Geophysical Laboratory in July, 1999, at which time Robert Hazen had shifted his research focus to mineral-mediated organic synthesis. Many other scientists, including most of the authors in this volume, are now advancing the field by expanding the available range of temperature and pressure, increasing the precision and accuracy of structural refinements at non-ambient conditions, and studying ever more complex structures. The principal objective of this volume is to serve as a comprehensive introduction to the field of high-temperature and high-pressure crystal chemistry, both as a guide to the dramatically improved techniques and as a summary of the voluminous crystal chemical literature on minerals at high temperature and pressure. The book is largely tutorial in style and presentation, though a basic knowledge of X-ray crystallographic techniques and crystal chemical principles is assumed. The book is divided into three parts. Part I introduces crystal chemical considerations of special relevance to non-ambient crystallographic studies. Chapter 1 treats systematic trends in the variation of structural parameters, including bond distances, cation coordination, and order-disorder with temperature and pressure, while Chapter 2 considers P-V-T equation-of-state formulations relevant to x-ray structure data. Chapter 3 reviews the variation of thermal displacement parameters with temperature and pressure. Chapter 4 describes a method for producing revealing movies of structural variations with pressure, temperature or composition, and features a series of "flip-book" animations. These animations and other structural movies are also available as a supplement to this volume on the Mineralogical Society of America web site at RiMG041 Programs. Part II reviews the temperature- and pressure-variation of structures in major mineral groups. Chapter 5 presents crystal chemical systematics of high-pressure silicate structures with six-coordinated silicon. Subsequent chapters highlight temperature- and pressure variations of dense oxides (Chapter 6), orthosilicates (Chapter 7), pyroxenes and other chain silicates (Chapter 8), framework and other rigid-mode structures (Chapter 9), and carbonates (Chapter 10). Finally, the variation of hydrous phases and hydrogen bonding are reviewed in Chapter 11, while molecular solids are summarized in Chapter 12. Part III presents experimental techniques for high-temperature and high-pressure studies of single crystals (Chapters 13 and 14, respectively) and polycrystalline samples (Chapter 15). Special considerations relating to diffractometry on samples at non-ambient conditions are treated in Chapter 16. Tables in these chapters list sources for relevant hardware, including commercially available furnaces and diamond-anvil cells. Crystallographic software packages, including diffractometer operating systems, have been placed on the Mineralogical Society web site for this volume. This volume is not exhaustive and opportunities exist for additional publications that review and summarize research on other mineral groups. A significant literature on the high-temperature and high-pressure structural variation of sulfides, for example, is not covered here. Also missing from this compilation are references to a variety of studies of halides, layered oxide superconductors, metal alloys, and a number of unusual silicate structures.

Description / Table of Contents: This volume was prepared for Short Course on Stable Isotope Geochemistry presented November 2-4, 2001 in conjunction with the annual meetings of the Geological Society of America in Boston, Massachusetts. This volume follows the 1986 Reviews in Mineralogy (Vol. 16) in approach but reflects significant changes in the field of Stable Isotope Geochemistry. In terms of new technology, new sub-disciplines, and numbers of researchers, the field has changed more in the past decade than in any other since that of its birth. Unlike the 1986 volume, which was restricted to high temperature fields, this book covers a wider range of disciplines. However, it would not be possible to fit a comprehensive review into a single volume. Our goal is to provide state-ofthe-art reviews in chosen subjects that have emerged or advanced greatly since 1986. The field of Stable Isotope Geochemistry was born of a good idea and nurtured by technology. In 1947, Harold Urey published his calculated values of reduced partition function for oxygen isotopes and his idea (a good one!) that the fractionation of oxygen isotopes between calcite and water might provide a means to estimate the temperatures of geologic events. Building on wartime advances in electronics, Alfred Nier then designed and built the dual-inlet, gassource mass-spectrometer capable of making measurements of sufficient precision and accuracy. This basic instrument and the associated extraction techniques, mostly from the 1950s, are still in use in many labs today. These techniques have become "conventional" in the sense of traditional, and they provide the benchmark against which the accuracy of other techniques is compared. The 1986 volume was based almost exclusively on natural data obtained solely from conventional techniques. Since then, revolutionary changes in sample size, accuracy, and cost have resulted from advances in continuous flow massspectrometry, laser heating, ion microprobes, and computer automation. The impact of new technology has differed by discipline. Some areas have benefited from vastly enlarged data sets, while others have capitalized on in situ analysis and/or micro- to nanogram size samples, and others have developed because formerly intractable samples can now be analyzed. Just as Stable Isotope Geochemistry is being reborn by new good ideas, it is still being nurtured by new technology. The organization of the chapters in this book follows the didactic approach of the 2001 short course in Boston. The first three chapters present the principles and data base for equilibrium isotope fractionation and for kinetic processes of exchange. Both inorganic and biological aspects are considered. The next chapter reviews isotope compositions throughout the solar system including massindependent fractionations that are increasingly being recognized on Earth. The fifth chapter covers the primitive compositions of the mantle and subtle variations found in basalts. This is followed by three chapters on metamorphism, isotope thermometry, fluid flow, and hydrothermal alteration. The next chapter considers water cycling in the atmosphere and the ice record. And finally, there are four chapters on the carbon cycle, the sulfur cycle, organic isotope geochemistry and extinctions in the geochemical record.

Description / Table of Contents: Mineralogy and Geology of Natural Zeolites was published in 1977. Dr. Fred Mumpton, a leader of the natural zeolite community for more than three decades, edited the original volume. Since the time of the original MSA zeolite short course in November 1977, there have been major developments concerning almost all aspects of natural zeolites. There has been an explosion in our knowledge of the crystal chemistry and structures of natural zeolites (Chapters 1 and 2), due in part to the now-common Rietveld method that allows treatment of powder diffraction data. Studies on the geochemistry of natural zeolites have also greatly increased, partly as a result of the interests related to the disposal of radioactive wastes, and Chapters 3, 4, 5, 13, and 14 detail the latest results in this important area. Until the latter part of the 20th century, zeolites were often looked upon as a geological curiosity, but they are now known to be widespread throughout the world in sedimentary and igneous deposits and in soils (Chapters 6-12). Likewise, borrowing from new knowledge gained from studies of synthetic zeolites and properties of natural zeolites, the application of natural zeolites has greatly expanded since the first zeolite volume. Chapter 15 details the use of natural zeolites for removal of ammonium ions, heavy metals, radioactive cations, and organic molecules from natural waters, wastewaters, and soils. Similarly, Chapter 16 describes the use of natural zeolites as building blocks and cements in the building industry, Chapter 17 outlines their use in solar energy storage, heating, and cooling applications, and Chapter 18 describes their use in a variety of agricultural applications, including as soil conditioners, slow-release fertilizers, soil-less substrates, carriers for insecticides and pesticides, and remediation agents in contaminated soils. Most of the material in this volume is entirely new, and Natural Zeolites: Occurrence, Properties, Applications presents a fresh and expanded look at many of the subjects contained in Volume 4. It is our hope that this new, expanded volume will rekindle interest in this fascinating and technologically important group of minerals, in part through the 'Suggestions for Further Research' section in each chapter.

Description / Table of Contents: This volume was prepared in conjunction with a short course, "Nanoparticles in the Environment and Technology," convened on the campus of the University of California, Davis, CA on December 8 and 9, 2001. Over the years, volumes in this series have taken a variety of forms. Many have focused on mature fields of investigation to draw together a comprehensive body of work and provide a definitive, up to date reference. A few, however, have sought to provide enough coverage of an emerging or re-emerging field to allow the reader to identify important and exciting gaps in current knowledge and opportunities for new research. This volume falls into the later category. Our primary goal in convening the short course and assembling this text is to invigorate future research. Early Reviews in Mineralogy dealt with specific groups of minerals, one (or two) volumes at a time. In contrast, this volume deals explicitly with the topic of crystal size in many different systems. Until recently, the special and complicated nature of the very smallest particles rendered them nearly impossible to study by conventional methods. Even today, the challenges associated with evaluating the size-dependence of a mineral's bulk and surface structures, properties, and reactivity are significant. However, ongoing improvements in sophisticated characterization, theory, and data analysis make particles previously described (often inaccurately) as "amorphous" (or even more mysteriously as "X-ray amorphous") amenable to quantitative evaluation. Thermochemical, crystal chemical, and computational chemical approaches must be combined to understand particles with diameters of 1 to 100 nanometers. Determination of the variation of structure, properties, and reaction kinetics with crystal size requires careful synthesis of size- and perhaps morphology-specific samples. These problems demand integration of mineralogical and geochemical approaches. Thus, it is appropriate that the current issue belongs to the era of Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry. Nanoparticles and the Environment targets naturally occurring, finely particulate minerals, many of which form at low temperature. Thus, many of the compounds of interest are those of the "clay fraction". Of course, there have been decades of critical work on the structures, microstructures, and reactivity of finely crystalline or amorphous minerals, especially oxides, oxyhydroxides, hydroxides, and clays. We will not summarize what is known in general about these (for this, the reader is referred to earlier Reviews in Mineralogy volumes). Rather, our goal is to focus on the features of these materials that stem directly or indirectly from their size. The term "nanoparticles" is much more than a re-labeling designed to align "clay" (sized) minerals with nanotechnology and its goals. The term signifies that the substance has physical dimensions that are small enough to ensure that the structure and/or properties and/or reactivity are measurably particle size dependent, yet the particle is large enough to warrant its distinction from aqueous ions, complexes, or clusters. The chemistry, physics, and geology of particles at this intermediate scale are unique, fascinating, and important. Of particular interest are those properties that emerge only after a cluster of atoms has grown beyond some specific size, and disappear once the particle passes out of the "nanoparticle" size regime. There are some compelling examples of size-dependent phenomena. It is well known that the melting temperature of nanocrystals (defined as crystals having properties intermediate between molecular and crystalline) decreases dramatically as the radius of the cluster decreases. Absorption and luminescence spectra for small crystals are determined by the quantum-size effect. Decreasing nanocrystal size correlates with increased total energy of band edge optical transitions. As a consequence, the color of some nanocrystals correlates strongly with their particle size. Current world-wide interest in "nanotechnology" and "nanomaterials" offers a unique opportunity for the Earth sciences. Both the level of visibility and the explosion of synthesis and characterization techniques in physics, chemistry, and materials science provide mineralogy and geochemistry with new opportunities. It is important for us to show that the "nano" field consists of more than micromachines and electronic devices, and that nanoscale phenomena permeate and often control natural processes. Why all the fuss about nanoparticles now? As increasing attention in engineering is focused on making smaller and smaller machines, questions about the fundamental processes that govern nanoparticle form, stability, and reactivity emerge. The geoscience community is well equipped to tackle the basic science concepts associated with these questions. However, we have our own reasons to study size-dependent phenomena. Size-dependent structure and properties of Earth materials impact the geological processes they participate in. This topic has not been fully explored to date. Chapters in this volume contain descriptions of the inorganic and biological processes by which nanoparticles form, information about the distribution of nanoparticles in the atmosphere, aqueous environments, and soils, discussion of the impact of size on nanoparticle structure, thermodynamics, and reaction kinetics, consideration of the nature of the smallest nanoparticles and molecular clusters, pathways for crystal growth and colloid formation, analysis of the size-dependence of phase stability and magnetic properties, and descriptions of methods for the study of nanoparticles. These questions are explored through both theoretical and experimental approaches. Nanoparticles participate in every crystallization reaction and they constitute a major source of surface area in environments where virtually every important reaction takes place on a surface. They are components of enzymes and key biomolecules and their presence may record the early existence of life. How can we not be fascinated by these remarkable, and special, forms of matter?

Description / Table of Contents: This volume highlights some of the frontiers in the study of plastic deformation of minerals and rocks. The research into the plastic properties of minerals and rocks had a major peak in late 1960s to early 1970s, largely stimulated by research in the laboratory of D. T. Griggs and his students and associates. It is the same time when the theory of plate tectonics was established and provided a first quantitative theoretical framework for understanding geological processes. The theory of plate tectonics stimulated the study of deformation properties of Earth materials, both in the brittle and the ductile regimes. Many of the foundations of plastic deformation of minerals and rocks were established during this period. Also, new experimental techniques were developed, including deformation apparatus for high-pressure and high-temperature conditions, electron micros-copy study of defects in minerals, and the X-ray technique of deformation fabric analysis. The field benefited greatly from materials science concepts of deformation that were introduced, including the models of point defects and their interaction with dislocations. A summary of progress is given by the volume Flow and Fracture of Rocks: The Griggs Volume, published in 1972 by the American Geophysical Union. Since then, the scope of Earth sciences has greatly expanded. Geodynamics became concerned with the Earth's deep interior where seismologists discovered heterogeneities and anisotropy at all scales that were previously thought to be typical of the crust and the upper mantle. Investigations of the solar system documented new mineral phases and rocks far beyond the Earth. Both domains have received a lot of attention from mineralogists (e.g., summarized in MSA's Reviews in Mineralogy, Volume 36, Planetary Materials and Volume 37, Ultra-High Pressure Mineralogy). Most attention was directed towards crystal chemistry and phase relations, yet an understanding of the deformation behavior is essential for interpreting the dynamic geological processes from geological and geophysical observations. This was largely the reason for a rebirth of the study of rock plasticity, leading to new approaches that include experiments at extreme conditions and modeling of deformation behavior based on physical principles. A wide spectrum of communities emerged that need to use information about mineral plasticity, including mineralogy, petrology, structural geology, seismology, geodynamics and engineering. This was the motivation to organize a workshop, in December 2002 in Emeryville, California, to bridge the very diverse disciplines and facilitate communication. This volume written for this workshop should help one to become familiar with a notoriously difficult subject, and the various contributions represent some of the important progress that has been achieved. The spectrum is broad. High-resolution tomographic images of Earth's interior obtained from seismology need to be interpreted on the bases of materials properties to understand their geodynamic significance. Key issues include the influence of deformation on seismic signatures, such as attenuation and anisotropy, and a new generation of experimental and theoretical studies on rock plasticity has contributed to a better understanding. Extensive space exploration has revealed a variety of tectonic styles on planets and their satellites, underlining the uniqueness of the Earth. To understand why plate tectonics is unique to Earth, one needs to understand the physical mechanisms of localization of deformation at various scales and under different physical conditions. Also here important theoretical and experimental studies have been conducted. In both fields, studies on anisotropy and shear localization, large-strain deformation experiments and quantitative modeling are critical, and these have become available only recently. Complicated interplay among chemical reactions (including partial melting) is a key to understand the evolution of Earth. This book contains two chapters on the developments of new techniques of experimental studies: one is large-strain shear deformation (Chapter 1 by Mackwell and Paterson) and another is deformation experiments under ultrahigh pressures (Chapter 2 by Durham et al.). Both technical developments are the results of years of efforts that are opening up new avenues of research along which rich new results are expected to be obtained. Details of physical and chemical processes of deformation in the crust and the upper mantle are much better understood through the combination of well controlled laboratory experiments with observations on "real" rocks deformed in Earth. Chapter 3 by Tullis and Chapter 4 by Hirth address the issues of deformation of crustal rocks and the upper mantle, respectively. In Chapter 5 Kohlstedt reviews the interplay of partial melting and deformation, an important subject in understanding the chemical evolution of Earth. Cordier presents in Chapter 6 an overview of the new results of ultrahigh pressure deformation of deep mantle minerals and discusses microscopic mechanisms controlling the variation of deformation mechanisms with minerals in the deep mantle. Green and Marone review in Chapter 7 the stability of deformation under deep mantle conditions with special reference to phase transformations and their relationship to the origin of intermediate depth and deep-focus earthquakes. In Chapter 8 Schulson provides a detailed description of fracture mechanisms of ice, including the critical brittle-ductile transition that is relevant not only for glaciology, planetology and engineering, but for structural geology as well. In Chapter 9 Cooper provides a review of experimental and theoretical studies on seismic wave attenuation, which is a critical element in interpreting distribution of seismic wave velocities and attenuation. Chapter 10 by Wenk reviews the relationship between crystal preferred orientation and macroscopic anisotropy, illustrating it with case studies. In Chapter 11 Dawson presents recent progress in poly-crystal plasticity to model the development of anisotropic fabrics both at the microscopic and macroscopic scale. Such studies form the basis for geodynamic interpretation of seismic anisotropy. Finally, in Chapter 12 Montagner and Guillot present a thorough review of seismic anisotropy of the upper mantle covering the vast regions of geodynamic interests, using a global surface wave data set. In Chapter 13 Bercovici and Karato summarize the theoretical aspects of shear localization. All chapters contain extensive reference lists to guide readers to the more specialized literature. Obviously this book does not cover all the areas related to plastic deformation of minerals and rocks. Important topics that are not fully covered in this book include mechanisms of semi-brittle deformation and the interplay between microstructure evolution and deformation at different levels, such as dislocation substructures and grain-size evolution ("self-organization"). However, we hope that this volume provides a good introduction for graduate students in Earth science or materials science as well as the researchers in these areas to enter this multidisciplinary field.

Description / Table of Contents: The editors and contributing authors of this volume participated in a short course on micas in Rome late in the year 2000. It was organised by Prof. Annibale Mottana and several colleagues (details in the Preface below) and underwritten by the Italian National Academy, Accademia Nationale dei Lincei (ANL). The Academy subsequently joined with the Mineralogical Society of America (MSA) in publishing this volume. MSA is grateful for their generous involvement. Micas are among the most common minerals in the Earth crust: 4.5% by volume. They are widespread in most if not all metamorphic rocks (abundance: 11 %), and common also in sediments and sedimentary and igneous rocks. Characteristically, micas form in the uppermost greenschist facies and remain stable to the lower crust, including anatectic rocks (the only exception: granulite facies racks). Moreover, some micas are stable in sediments and diagenetic rocks and crystallize in many types of lavas. In contrast, they are also present in association with minerals originating from the very deepest parts of the mantle-they are the most common minerals accompanying diamond in kimberlites. The number of research papers dedicated to micas is enormous, but knowledge of them is limited and not as extensive as that of other rock-forming minerals, for reasons mostly relating to their complex layer texture that makes obtaining crystals suitable for careful studies with modern methods time-consuming, painstaking work. Micas were reviewed extensively in 1984 (Reviews in Mineralogy 13, S.W. Bailey, editor). At that time, the "Micas" volume covered most if not all aspects of mica knowledge, thus producing a long shelf-life for this book. Yet, or perhaps because of that excellent review, mica research was vigorously renewed, and a vast array of new data has been gathered over the past 15 years. These data now need to be organized and reviewed. Furthermore, a Committee nominated by the International Mineralogical Association in the late 1970s concluded its long-lasting work (Rieder et al. 1998) by suggesting a new classification scheme which has stimulated new chemical and structural research on micas. To make a very long story short: the extraordinarily large, but intrinsically vague, mica nomenclature developed during the past two centuries has been reduced from 〉300 to just 37 species names and 6 series (see page xiii, preceding Chapter 1); the new nomenclature shows wide gaps that require data involving new chemical and structural work; the suggestion of using adjectival modifiers for those varieties that deviate away from end-member compositions requires the need for new and accurate measurements, particularly for certain light elements and volatiles; the use of polytype suffixes based on the modified Gard symbolism created better ways of determining precise stacking sequences. This resulted in new polytypes being discovered. Indeed, all this has happened over the past few years in an almost tumultuous way. It was on the basis of these developments that four scientists (B. Zanettin, A. Mottana, F.P. Sassi and C. Cipriani) applied to Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei-the Italian National Academy-for a meeting on micas. An international meeting was convened in Rome on November 2-3, 2000 with the title Advances on Micas (Problems, Methods, Applications in Geodynamics). The topics of this meeting were the crystalchemical, petrological, and historical aspects of the micas. The organizers were both Academy members (C. Cipriani, A. Mottana, F.P. Sassi, W. Schreyer, lB. Thompson Jr., and B. Zanettin) and Italian scientists well-known for their studies on layer silicates (Professors M.F. Brigatti and G. Ferraris). Financial support in additional to that by the Academy was provided by C.N.R. (the Italian National Research Council), M.U.R.S.T. (the Italian Ministry for University, Scientific Research and Technology) and the University of Rome III. Approximately 200 scientists attended the meeting, most of them Italians, but with a sizeable international participation. Thirteen invited plenary lectures and six oral presentations were given, and fourteen posters were displayed. The amount of information presented was large, although the organizers made it very clear that the meeting was to be limited to only a few of the major topics of mica studies. Other topics are promised for a later meeting. Oral and poster presentations on novel aspects of mica research are being printed in the European Journal of Mineralogy, as a part of an individual thematic issue: indeed thirteen papers have appeared in the November 2001 issue. The plenary lectures, which consisted mostly of reviews, are presented in expanded detail in this volume. This book is the first a co-operative project between Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei and Mineralogical Society of America. Hopefully, future projects will involve reviews of the remaining aspects of mica research, and other aspects of mineralogy and geochemistry. The entire meeting was made successful through a co-operative effort. The editing of this book was achieved by a co-operative effort of two Italian Academy members from one side, and by two American scientists from the other side, one of them (JBT) being also a member of Lincei Academy. The entire editing process benefited from the goodwill of many referees, both from those attending the Rome meeting and from several who did not. In all cases the reviewers were distinguished experts of the international community of mica scholars. Their work, as well as our editing work, were aided greatly by RiMG Series Editor, Professor Paul Ribbe, who continuously supported the effort with all his professional experience and friendly advice. We, the co-editors, thank them all very warmly, but take upon ourselves all remaining shortcomings: we are aware that some shortcomings may be present in spite of all our efforts to avoid them. Moreover, we are aware that there are puzzling aspects of micas that are unresolved. Please consider all these as possible avenues for future research!

Description / Table of Contents: Several years ago, John Rakovan and John Hughes (colleagues at Miami of Ohio), and later Matt Kohn (at South Carolina), separately proposed short courses on phosphate minerals to the Council of the Mineralogical Society of America (MSA). Council suggested that they join forces. Thus this volume, Phosphates: Geochemical, Geobiological, and Materials Importance, was organized. It was prepared in advance of a short course of the same title, sponsored by MSA and presented at Golden, Colorado, October 25-27. We are pleased to present this volume entitled Phosphates: Geochemical, Geobiological and Materials Importance. Phosphate minerals are an integral component of geological and biological systems. They are found in virtually all rocks, are the major structural component of vertebrates, and when dissolved are critical for biological activity. This volume represents the work of many authors whose research illustrates how the unique chemical and physical behavior of phosphate minerals permits a wide range of applications that encompasses phosphate mineralogy, petrology, biomineralization, geochronology, and materials science. While diverse, these fields are all linked structurally, crystal-chemically and geochemically. As geoscientists turn their attention to the intersection of the biological, geological, and material science realms, there is no group of compounds more germane than the phosphates. The chapters of this book are grouped into five topics: Mineralogy and Crystal Chemistry, Petrology, Biomineralization, Geochronology, and Materials Applications. In the first section, three chapters are devoted to mineralogical aspects of apatite, a phase with both inorganic and organic origins, the most abundant phosphate mineral on earth, and the main mineral phase in the human body. Monazite and xenotime are highlighted in a fourth chapter, which includes their potential use as solid-state radioactive waste repositories. The Mineralogy and Crystal Chemistry section concludes with a detailed examination of the crystal chemistry of 244 other naturally-occurring phosphate phases and a listing of an additional 126 minerals. In the Petrology section, three chapters detail the igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary aspects of phosphate minerals. A fourth chapter provides a close look at analyzing phosphates for major, minor, and trace elements using the electron microprobe. A final chapter treats the global geochemical cycling of phosphate, a topic of intense, current geochemical interest. The Biomineralization section begins with a summary of the current state of research on bone, dentin and enamel phosphates, a topic that crosses disciplines that include mineralogical, medical, and dental research. The following two chapters treat the stable isotope and trace element compositions of modern and fossil biogenic phosphates, with applications to paleontology, paleoclimatology, and paleoecology. The Geochronology section focuses principally on apatite and monazite for U-ThPb, (U- Th)/He, and fission-track age determinations; it covers both classical geochronologic techniques as well as recent developments. The final section-Materials Applications-highlights how phosphate phases play key roles in fields such as optics, luminescence, medical engineering and prosthetics, and engineering of radionuclide repositories. These chapters provide a glimpse of the use of natural phases in engineering and biomedical applications and illustrate fruitful areas of future research in geochemical, geobiological and materials science. We hope all chapters in this volume encourage researchers to expand their work on all aspects of natural and synthetic phosphate compounds.