Synopses & Reviews
Polymineral-Metasomatic Crystallogenesis describes a large number of experiemtal systems in which mineral replacement processes take place. The book then goes onto outline the textural developments resulting from these mechanisms.
The production of crystals in polymineral ensembles is in stark contrast to conventional cases of monocrystal growth in mono- and bi-component systems. The polymineral ensemble growth process is complicated due to a metasomatic interaction of crystals via the surrounding solution (arising from different phases or having different isomorphic composition). The metasomatic interaction consists of i) co-ordinated dissolution and ii) elementary growth stages. In the case of the fully co-ordinated stages, this means a metasomatic replacement itself. Polymineral formation generally occurs via a combination of a replacement with either growth or dissolution of the crystal. Metasomatic replacement, both individually, and as a part of a combined process, facilitates peculiar phenomena which describe the metasomatic (topochemical) transformation of crystalline matter i.e. the joint growth of crystals belonging to different phases, mixed crystal formation, and recrystallization of the aggregate species.
Synopsis
Polymineral-Metasomatic Crystallogenesis is dedicated to the foundations of polymineral crystallogenesis in solutions typically occurring in nature. Effects, laws, and mechanisms of a metasomatic crystal replacement, joint crystal growth of different phases, mixed crystal formation, and aggregate re-crystallization as well as oriented overgrowth (epitaxy and quasi-epitaxy) and crystal habit origin are considered experimentally. The behaviour of these processes in nature are discussed in addition to pseudomorphs, poikilitic crystals (and other replacement forms), features of rapakivi structure, fluorite morphology, and many more. The concept is a generalization of the classic theory on crystallogenesis which is complicated by phase interaction in polymineral systems. Polymineral-Metasomatic Crystallogenesis is designed for chemists, geologists, physicists, and postgraduates and advanced undergraduate students of these fields.
Synopsis
This book draws on the foundations of polymineral crystallogenisis in solutions typically occurring in nature to describe a large number of experimental systems in which mineral replacement processes take place.
Table of Contents
Foreword Introduction: On the concept of polymineral-metasomatic crystallogenesis Chapter 1: Replacement of monocrystals 1.1. Natural and experimental products of replacement 1.2. Technique, terms and experimental results 1.3. Structural-morphological classification of replacement products 1.4. Genetic nature of replacement products Chapter 2: Joint growth of crystals of different phases 2.1. Growth and dissolution in supercooled solutions 2.2. Physico-chemical model Chapter 3: Mixed crystal formation in solutions 3.1. The specificity of the process 3.2. Substance balance and replacement mechanisms 3.3. Physico-chemical model 3.4. Morphological and kinetic phenomena Chapter 4: Physico-chemical analysis of the metasomatic crystallogenesis 4.1. Some general introductions 4.2. Isothermal replacement in ternary systems 4.3. Isothermal replacement in polycomponent systems and formation of poikilitic crystals 4.4. Polythermal processes 4.5. On the generality and distinction of the processes in the systems with isomorphic and non-isomorphic components 4.6. To the determination of the volume effect of a reaction Chapter 5: Metasomatic transformation of aggregates 5.1. On the replacement and growth of monocrystals at aggregate transformations 5.2. Genetic model of rapakivi-type structures 5.3. Recrystallisation of polymineral aggregates Chapter 6: Epitaxy and quasi-epitaxy in solutions 6.1. Principal phenomena 6.2. Technique 6.3. Laws of epitaxy on a growing and dissolving substrate 6.4. Laws of orientation of CaCO3 microcrystals at the adhesion 6.5. Model of formation of epitaxial and quasi-epitaxial textures Chapter 7: Crystal habit origin 7.1. Crystal habit at a stationary growth 7.2. Crystal habit at a non-stationary growth 7.3. Laws of formation of fluorite crystal habit 7.4. Structural-chemical model of crystal habit formation Conclusion: On the interconnection of crystallogenesis and mineralogy. References