The Joint 6th Biennial SGA-SEG Meeting was held in Krakow in August 2001. This volume contains 274 extended abstracts, grouped thematically under 18 session titles covering topics such as lead-zinc deposits; metamorphism affecting mineral deposits; and the environmental aspects of mining.

This book by Vietnamese and Russian authors is the first of its kind and combines the extensive knowledge on the petrology and metallogeny of the late Paleozoic – early Mesozoic and Cenozoic periods in North Vietnam. The Permian – Triassic and Paleogene volcano-plutonic and plutonic associations are two important geological events in the evolutionary history of Southeast Asia, including the 260 – 250 Ma Emeishan mantle plume and Indian-Eurasia collision at 60 – 55 M. The volume includes 9 chapters, divided into 3 parts. Part 1 introduces the geological structure of North Vietnam; Part 2 covers the Permian – Triassic magma associations and metallogeny; and Part 3 focuses on the Cenozoic magma associations and metallogeny. In each chapter, the geological setting of magmas, classification of different geological structures, and composition characteristics, such as mineralogy, geochemistry, isotope systematics and geochronology are discussed. This book represents an important reference document for international and Vietnamese geologists engaged in the geological history and metallogeny of Vietnam, an important area of the Asian continent. The monograph also has a practical significance in contributing new premises and to assess rare and precious mineral prospects. In addition, it can be regarded as a necessary data base for petrological and metallogenic projects and university courses.

Volume 50 of Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry treats Beryllium and its cosmogenic isotopes. This volume includes an overview of Be studies in the earth sciences and a systematic classification of Be minerals based on their crystal structure. It treats the analysis of these minerals by the secondary ion mass spectroscopy as well as experimental studies of systems involving Be. Moreover, this volume reviews the behavior of Be in the Solar System, with an emphasis on meteorites, the Moon and Mars, and the implications of this behavior for the evolution of the solar system. It gives an overview of the terrestrial geochemistry of Be and discusses the contamination of the environment by this anthropogenic toxin. It reports use of the longer lived Be-10 to assess erosion rates and other surficial processes and how this isotope can yield independent temporal records of geomagnetic field variations for comparison with records obtained by measuring natural remnant magnetization, be a chemical tracer for processes in convergent margins, and can date events in Cenozoic tectonics. It reviews applications of the shorter lived isotope Be-7 in environmental studies as well. Residual phases include acidic plutonic and volcanic rocks, whose geochemistry and evolution are covered, while granitic pegmatites, which are well-known for their remarkable, if localized, Be enrichments and a wide variety of Be mineral assemblages, are reviewed. Not all Be concentrations have obvious magmatic affinities; for example, one class of emerald deposits results from Be being introduced by heated brines. Pelitic rocks are an important reservoir of Be in the Earth's crust and their metamorphism plays a critical role in recycling of Be in subduction zones, eventually, anatectic processes complete the cycle, providing a source of Be for granitic rocks.