The Stability of Minerals


Book Description

30% discount for members of The Mineralogical Society of Britain and Ireland This volume addresses the fundamental factors that underlie our understanding of mineral behaviour and crystal chemistry - a timely topic given current advances in research into the complex behaviour of solids and supercomputing.




Physical Geology


Book Description

This is a discount Black and white version. Some images may be unclear, please see BCCampus website for the digital version.This book was born out of a 2014 meeting of earth science educators representing most of the universities and colleges in British Columbia, and nurtured by a widely shared frustration that many students are not thriving in courses because textbooks have become too expensive for them to buy. But the real inspiration comes from a fascination for the spectacular geology of western Canada and the many decades that the author spent exploring this region along with colleagues, students, family, and friends. My goal has been to provide an accessible and comprehensive guide to the important topics of geology, richly illustrated with examples from western Canada. Although this text is intended to complement a typical first-year course in physical geology, its contents could be applied to numerous other related courses.







Petrogenesis of Metamorphic Rocks


Book Description

Metamorphic rocks are one of the three classes of rocks. Seen on a global scale they constitute the dominant material of the Earth. The understanding of the petrogenesis and significance of metamorphic of geological education. rocks is, therefore, a fundamental topic There are, of course, many different possible ways to lecture on this theme. This book addresses rock metamorphism from a relatively pragmatic view point. It has been written for the senior undergrad uate or graduate student who needs practical knowledge of how to interpret various groups of minerals found in metamorphic rocks. The book is also of interest for the non-specialist and non-petrolo gist professional who is interested in learning more about the geolo gical messages that metamorphic mineral assemblages are sending, as well as pressure and temperature conditions of formation. The book is organized into two parts. The first part introduces the different types of metamorphism, defines some names, terms and graphs used to describe metamorphic rocks, and discusses principal aspects of metamorphic processes. Part I introduces the causes of metamorphism on various scales in time and space, and some principles of chemical reactions in rocks that accompany metamorphism, but without treating these principles in detail, and presenting the thermodynamic basis for quantitative analysis of reactions and their equilibria in metamorphism. Part I also presents concepts of metamorphic grade or intensity of metamorphism, such as the metamorphic-facies concept.




An Introduction to Mineral Sciences


Book Description

The subject of mineralogy is moving away from the traditional systematic treatment of mineral groups toward the study of the behaviour of minerals in relation to geological processes. A knowledge of how minerals respond to a changing geological environment is fundamental to our understanding of many dynamic earth processes. By adopting a materials science approach, An Introduction to Mineral Sciences explains the principles underlying the modern study of minerals, discussing the behaviour of crystalline materials with changes in temperature, pressure and chemical environment. The concepts required to understand mineral behaviour are often complex, but are presented here in simple, non-mathematical terms for undergraduate mineralogy students. After introductory chapters describing the principles of diffraction, imaging and the spectroscopic methods used to study minerals, the structure and behaviour of the main groups of rock-forming minerals are covered, and the role of defects in the deformation and transformation of a mineral are explained. The energy changes and the rate of transformation processes are introduced using a descriptive approach rather than attempting a complete and rigorous treatment of the thermodynamics and kinetics. Examples and case histories from a range of mineral groups are set in an earth science context, such that the emphasis of this book is to allow the student to develop an intuitive understanding of the structural principles controlling the behaviour of minerals.




Sedimentary Carbonate Minerals


Book Description

and their identification obviates individual thermochemical studies on every genus. The stability relations among sedimentary carbonate minerals are now more or less well known. The common rock-forming minerals cal cite and dolomite are indeed stable phases in the pertinent systems. Most other carbonate minerals of similar composition which are known to occur in the younger sediments are metastable with respect to calcite, dolomite, and magnesite. This implies that the sedimentation of carbon ates is determined only in part by stability relations. Kinetic factors, which allow the formation of metastable minerals, appear to be more important. Although the diagenetic transformations leading to stable minerals take place by virtue of thermodynamic requirements, the reac tions themselves are triggered by kinetic factors as well. Some of the reactions leading from metastable to stable carbonate assemblages are susceptible to simulation in the laboratory; others (e. g. dolomitization) appear to be so slow that they can be studied only in analogous systems characterized by reasonable reaction rates. In all attempts to explain the possible mechanisms of such reactions, we must consider the crystal structures of the final products as well as of the starting materials. This is another viewpoint from which mineralogy is important to carbonate petrology, if we regard the crystal chemistry of minerals as a part of mineralogy. A certain parallelism with clay mineralogy suggests itself.







Manual of Mineral Science


Book Description

First published in 1848, authored by J.D. Dana, the Manual of Mineral Science now enters its 23rd edition. This new edition continues in the footsteps or its predecessors as the standard textbook in Mineralogy/Mineral Science/Earth Materials/Rocks and Minerals courses. This new edition contains 22 chapters, instead of 14 as in the prior edition. This is the result of having packaged coherent subject matter into smaller, more easily accessible units. Each chapter has a new and expanded introductory statement, which gives the user a quick overview of what is to come. Just before these introductions, each chapter features a new illustration that highlights some aspect of the subject in that particular chapter. All such changes make the text more readable, user-friendly and searchable. Many of the first 14 chapters are reasonably independent of each other, allowing for great flexibility in an instructor's preferred subject sequence. The majority of illustrations in this edition were re-rendered and/or redesigned and many new photographs, mainly of mineral specimens, were added. NEW Thoroughly Revised Lab Manual ISBN13: 978-0-471-77277-4 Also published by John Wiley & Sons, the thoroughly updated Laboratory Manual: Minerals and Rocks: Exercises in Crystal and Mineral Chemistry, Crystallography, X-ray Powder Diffraction, Mineral and Rock Identification, and Ore Mineralogy, 3e, is for use in the mineralogy laboratory and covers the subject matter in the same sequence as the Manual of Mineral Science, 23e.




Diagenesis, III


Book Description

The present volume is an intellectual agglomeration covering a variety of topics in diagenesis. It starts with the diagenesis of marine pore waters and soft-sediment deformations, followed by two chapters on sandstones - one on climatic influence in terrestrial sandstone diagenesis and the other on the deep-sea volcaniclastic sandstones. Diagenesis of carbonates is treated next, with one chapter on compactional diagenesis and another devoted to a case study (Aymestry Limestone Beds, UK). There are two chapters on the origin and migration of oil: (a) maturation of organic matter, and (b) relation of diagenesis to mineralization and hydrocarbon reservoir development, followed by a chapter on sedimentary ore genesis - banded iron-formation. In conclusion there are two chapters on paleosols. This book will be of interest to geologists, geochemists and petroleum engineers.




Earth Materials


Book Description

Earth Materials Earth materials encompass the minerals, rocks, soil and water that constitute our planet and the physical, chemical and biological processes that produce them. Since the expansion of computer technology in the last two decades of the twentieth century, many universities have compressed or eliminated individual course offerings such as mineralogy, optical mineralogy, igneous petrology, sedimentology and metamorphic petrology and replaced them with Earth materials courses. Earth materials courses have become an essential curricular component in the fields of geology, geoscience, Earth science, and many related areas of study. This textbook is designed to address the needs of a one- or two-semester Earth materials course, as well as individuals who want or need an expanded background in minerals, rocks, soils and water resources. Earth Materials, Second Edition, provides: Comprehensive descriptive analysis of Earth materials Color graphics and insightful text in a logical integrated format Field examples and regional relationships with graphics that illustrate concepts discussed Examples of how concepts discussed can be used to address real world issues Contemporary references from current scientific journals related to developments in Earth materials research Summative discussions of how Earth materials are interrelated with other science and non-science fields of study Additional resources, including detailed descriptions of major rock-forming minerals and keys for identifying minerals using macroscopic and/or optical methods, are available online at www.wiley.com/go/hefferan/earthmaterials Earth Materials, Second Edition, is an innovative, visually appealing, informative and readable textbook that addresses the full spectrum of Earth materials.