Mineralogy is an integral part of the undergraduate education of geologists and it may also be part of a curriculum in materials science. One or several courses in mineralogy are generally required in a geology or earth science undergraduate program. These courses are meant as prerequisites to upper-level courses in petrology, geochemistry, economic geology, or mineralogy itself.

The review chapters in this volume were the basis for a two day short course on Medical Mineralogy and Geochemistry held at the United States Geological Survey in Menlo Park, California, U.S.A. (December 9-10, 2006) prior to the American Geophysical Union Meeting in San Francisco, California. This meeting and volume were sponsored by the Mineralogical Society of America, Geochemical Society, and the United States Department of Energy <...>

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 sediment 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.

Proceedings of the Eighth Biennial SGA Meeting Beijing, China, 18–21 August 2005

1. Tectonics, lithospheric, and deep mantle controls on global metallogenic provinces and giant ore deposits

2. Basin evolution: base and precious metal mineralization in sediments

3. Uranium deposits: metallogeny and exploration 

4. Magmas and base-metal ore deposits

5. Epigenetic gold systems

6. Submarine ore systems and ancient analogues: Global comparisons of VMS (IGCP 502)

7. Understanding or systems though precise geochronology,isotope tracing and microgeochemistry