Thermodynamic treatment of mineral equilibria, a topic central to mineralogical thermodynamics, can be traced back to the tum of the century, when J. H. Van't Hoff and his associates pioneered in applying thermodynamics to the mineral assemblages observed in the Stassfurt salt deposit. Although other renowned researchers joined forces to develop the subject - H. E. Boeke even tried to popularize it by giving an overview of the early developments in his "Grundlagen der physikalisch-chemischen Petrographie", Berlin, 1915 - it remained, on the whole, an esoteric subject for the majority of the contemporary geological community. Seen that way, mineralogical thermodynamics came of age during the last four decades, and evolved very rapidly into a mainstream discipline of geochemistry. It has contributed enormously to our understanding of the phase equilibria of mineral systems, and has helped put mineralogy and petrology on a firm quantitative basis. In the wake of these developments, academic curricula now require the students of geology to take a course in basic thermodynamics, traditionally offered by the departments of chemistry. Building on that foundation, a supplementary course is generally offered to familiarize the students with diverse mineralogical applications of thermo dynamics. This book draws from the author's experience in giving such a course, and has been tailored to cater to those who have had a previous exposure to the basic concepts of chemical thermodynamics.

This book covers the entire spectrum of mineralogy and consolidates its applications in different fields. Part I starts with the very basic concept of mineralogy describing in detail the implications of the various aspects of mineral chemistry, crystallographic structures and their effects producing different mineral properties. Part II of the book describes different aspects of mineralogy like geothermobarometry, mineral thermodynamics and phase diagrams, mineral exploration and analysis, and marine minerals. Finally Part III handles the applications in industrial, medicinal and environmental mineralogy along with precious and semiprecious stone studies. The various analytical techniques and their significance in handling specific types of mineralogical problems are also covered.

Of basic thermodynamic concepts : a refresher -- Measurement, evaluation, and tabulation of thermodynamic properties -- Equations of state for fluids and fluid mixtures -- Phase relations among end-member solids -- Phase relations among end-member solids and a pure fluid -- Phase relations among end-member solids and a binary fluid mixture -- Derivation of an internally consistent thermodynamic dataset by mathematical programming -- Thermodynamics of crystalline solutions -- Phase equilibria involving nonideal solutions and outlines of geothermometry and geobarometry.

Today large numbers of geoscientists apply thermodynamic theory to solu tions of a variety of problems in earth and planetary sciences. For most problems in chemistry, the application of thermodynamics is direct and rewarding. Geoscientists, however, deal with complex inorganic and organic substances. The complexities in the nature of mineralogical substances arise due to their involved crystal structure and multicomponental character. As a result, thermochemical solutions of many geological-planetological problems should be attempted only with a clear understanding of the crystal-chemical and thermochemical character of each mineral. The subject of physical geochemistry deals with the elucidation and application of physico-chemical principles to geosciences. Thermodynamics of mineral phases and crystalline solutions form an integral part of it. Developments in mineralogic thermody namics in recent years have been very encouraging, but do not easily reach many geoscientists interested mainly in applications. This series is to provide geoscientists and planetary scientists with current information on the develop ments in thermodynamics of mineral systems, and also provide the active researcher in this rapidly developing field with a forum through which he can popularize the important conclusions of his work. In the first several volumes, we plan to publish original contributions (with an abundant supply of back ground material for the uninitiated reader) and thoughtful reviews from a number of researchers on mineralogic thermodynamics, on the application of thermochemistry to planetary phase equilibria (including meteorites), and on kinetics of geochemical reactions.

This book presents the fundamental principles of thermodynamics for geosciences, based on the author’s own courses over a number of years. Many examples help to understand how mineralogical problems can be solved by applying thermodynamic principles.

Based on a university course, this book provides an exposition of a large spectrum of geological, geochemical and geophysical problems that are amenable to thermodynamic analysis. It also includes selected problems in planetary sciences, relationships between thermodynamics and microscopic properties, particle size effects, methods of approximation of thermodynamic properties of minerals, and some kinetic ramifications of entropy production. The textbook will enable graduate students and researchers alike to develop an appreciation of the fundamental principles of thermodynamics, and their wide ranging applications to natural processes and systems.

With an approach that stresses the fundamental solid state behaviour of minerals, this 1995 text surveys the physics and chemistry of earth materials.