The second edition of this classic book provides an updated look at crystal field theory and its applications.

Significant achievements have been made at the cross-roads of physics and planetary science. In the second half of the twentieth century, the discipline of planetary sciences has witnessed three major episodes which have revolutionized its approach and content: (i) the plate-tectonic theory, (ii) human landing and discoveries in planetary astronomy and (iii) the extraordinary technical advancement in high P-T studies, which have been abetted by a vast improvement in computational methods. Using these new computational methods, such as first principles including ab initio models, calculations have been made for the electronic structure, bonding, thermal EOS, elasticity, melting, thermal conductivity and diffusivity. In this monograph, the boundaries of the definitions of a petrologist, geochemist, geophysicist or a mineralogist have been willfully eliminated to bring them all under the spectrum of "high-pressure geochemistry" when they deal with any material (quintessentially a chemical assemblage) - terrestrial or extraterrestrial - under the conditions of high-pressure and temperature. Thus, a petrologist using a spectrometer or any instrument for high-pressure studies of a rock or a mineral, or a geochemist using them for chemical synthesis and characterization, is better categorized as a "high-pressure geochemist" rather than any other kind of disciplinarian.The contents of this monograph bring together, under one cover, apparently disparate disciplines like solid-earth geophysics and geochemistry as well as material science and condensed-matter physics to present a thorough overview of high pressure geochemistry. Indeed, such interdisciplinary activities led to the discovery of new phenomena such as high P-T behaviour in metal oxides (e.g. Mott transition), novel transitions such as amorphization, changes in order-disorder in crystals and the anomalous properties of oxide melts.

Volume 18 of Reviews in Mineralogy provides a general introduction to the use of spectroscopic techniques in Earth Sciences. It gives an Introduction To Spectroscopic Methods and covers Symmetry, Group Theory And Quantum Mechanics; Spectrum-Fitting Methods; Infrared And Raman Spectroscopy; Inelastic Neutron Scattering; Vibrational Spectroscopy Of Hydrous Components; Optical Spectroscopy; Mossbauer Spectroscopy; MAS NMR Spectroscopy Of Minerals And Glasses; NMR Spectroscopy And Dynamic Processes In Mineralogy And Geochemistry; X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy: Applications In Mineralogy ind Geochemistry; Electron Paramagnetic Resonance; Auger Electron And X-Ray Photelectron Spectroscopies and Luminescence, X-Ray Emission and New Spectroscopies. The authors of this volume presented a short course, entitled "Spectroscopic Methods in Mineralogy and Geology", May 13-15, 1988, in Hunt Valley, Maryland.

Spectroscopic Methods in Mineralogy and Material Science covers significant advances in the technological aspects and applications of spectroscopic and microscopic techniques used in the Earth and Materials Sciences. The current volume compliments the now classic Volume 18, Spectroscopic Methods in Mineralogy and Geology, which became an essential resource to many scientists and educators for the past two decades. This volume updates techniques covered in Volume 18, and introduces new techniques available for probing the secrets of Earth materials, such as X-ray Raman and Brillouin spectroscopy. Other important topics including Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) are also covered.

This is a complete and authoritative reference text on an evolving field. Over 200 international scientists have written over 340 separate topics on different aspects of geochemistry including organics, trace elements, isotopes, high and low temperature geochemistry, and ore deposits, to name just a few.