The solid part of the Earth is made up of rocks. Rocks are made up of minerals. A mineral is a naturally
occurring inorganic solid. It has a specific chemical composition and a characteristic crystal structure.
Quartz is a very common mineral. Most beach sand is composed of quartz. It has the composition SiO2
and forms elongate 6-sided crystals that terminate at a point <...>

Minerals are intrinsically resistant to the processes that homogenize silicate liquids—their compositions thus yield an archive of volcanic and magmatic processes that are invisible at the whole rock scale. Minerals and their inclusions record diverse magma compositions, the depths and temperatures of magma storage, the nature of open system processes, and the rates at which magmas ascend.

This book arose from a series of lectures given at the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford during the Spring of 1966. The lectures were based on material compiled by the author between 1961 and 1965 and submitted in a Ph.D. dissertation to the University of California at Berkeley. At the time crystal field theory had become well established in chemical literature as a successful model for interpreting certain aspects of transition metal chemistry.

The Middle Miocene Orduzu volcanic suite, which is a part of the widespread Neogene Yamadag˘ volcanism of Eastern Anatolia, consists of a rhyolitic lava flow, rhyolitic dykes, a trachyandesitic lava flow and basaltic trachyandesitic dykes. Existence of mafic enclaves and globules in some of the volcanic rocks, and microtextures in phenocrysts indicate that magma mingling and mixing between andesitic and basaltic melts played an important role in the evolution of the volcanic suite. Major and trace element characteristics of the volcanic rocks are similar to those formed in convergent margin settings.

Crystal growth of diamonds at the Earth’s mantle depths of 150–800 km had been accompanied by a fragmentary capturing minerals, melts and volatile compounds (as diamond-hosted inclusions) from the parental melts. This indicates convincingly that diamonds were originated jointly with the phases of primary hermetic inclusions in a common parental medium. This opens up possibilities for evaluating the general chemistry of natural diamond-producing systems from the compositions of significantly different phases associated with diamonds in primary inclusions. Of particular value is that it has been made possible to determine the boundary compositions for the experimental systems which duplicate the natural ones responsible for genesis of diamonds and associated phases. As a consequence, the principal problems of diamond genetic mineralogy may be formulated. It became apparent, that the methodology of physico-chemical experiments is of crucial importance in solution of the genetic problems for diamonds and associated phases. <...>

This atlas has been prepared for students of earth science, geology, mineralogy and physical geography who requ~re a text for practical classes on rocks and mInerals under the minoscope. While the book's prime purpose is as an introduction to the subject for college and university students as an essential part of their course, we hope that amateur geologists and mineralogists will also find it useful and attractrve.

In this chapter, we review the principles and basic tools of crystallography. A thorough understanding of crystallography is a prerequisite for anybody who wishes to learn transmission electron microscopy (ТЕМ) and its applications to solid (mostly inorganic) materials. All diffraction techniques, whether they use x-rays, neutrons, or electrons, make extensive use of the concept of reciprocal space and, as we shall see repeatedly later on in this book, ТЕМ is a unique tool for directly probing this space. Hence, it is important that the ТЕМ user become as familiar with reciprocal space as with direct or crystal space.

Almost every human endeavor is influenced by minerals. Many natural resources used in the manufacture of goods on which civilization and our lives depend begin as minerals in the ground. The crops that we eat are grown in soil composed of minerals. The safety and stability of structures such as buildings, roads, and bridges depend on the mechanical properties of the minerals that make up the rocks and soil on which they are built. In addition, the chemical composition, structure, and texture of the minerals that compose the rocks beneath our feet provide myriad clues that guide geoscientists as they attempt to decipher the history of the earth.

Происхождение корундов остается одним из актуальных вопросов геммологии. К благородным разновидностям корунда многие годы сохраняется практический интерес, продиктованный особенностями рынка. Благоприятные условия для спокойного роста прозрачных кристаллов рубина и сапфира весьма редки. Подавляющее большинство известных промышленных месторождений рубина и сапфира представлено аллювиальными, делювиально-аллювиальными россыпями или остаточными древними корами химического выветривания рубино- или сапфироносных горных пород, образующих группу элювиальных и элювиально-делювиальных россыпей.