The development of mineralogy, the evolutionary changes in compre hending the mineral substance of the earth are closely associated with the progress of research methods. Over a space of more than two and half centuries, from the goniometry of the mineral crystals to microscopic petrography and optical mineralogy, to crystal structure determinations, electron micros copy and electron diffraction and finally investigations into their electri cal, magnetic and mechanical properties, all this has led to the formation of the existing system of mineralogy, its notions, theories and to a proper description of minerals. However, no matter how great the variety of methods employed in mineralogy, they all come to a few aspects of substance characteristics. These are methods of determining the composition, structure and proper ties of the minerals. Thus the X-ray micro analyzer, the atom-absorption, neutron-activation, chromatographic and other analyses open up new opportunities for determining nothing else but the elementary com position of minerals.

The book is devoted to three types of laser-based spectroscopy of minerals, namely Laser-Induced Time-Resolved Luminescence, Laser-Induced Breakdown spectroscopy and Gated Raman Spectroscopy. This new edition presents the main new data, which have been received after the publication of the first edition ten years ago both by the authors and by other researchers. During this time, only the authors published more than 50 original papers devoted to laser-based spectroscopy of minerals. A lot of new data have been accumulated, both in fundamental and applied aspects, which are presented in new edition.

An up-to-date overview of cathodoluminescence microscopy and spectroscopy in the field of geosciences, including new important data on cathodoluminescence spectroscopy, physical parameters and systematic spectral analysis of doped minerals. Each chapter, written by a well-known specialist, covers classic and new fields of application such as carbonate diagenesis, silicates, brittle deformation in sandstones, gemstone recognition, biomineralization, economic geology or geochronology. Useful to all scientists, graduates and professional engineers throughout the geosciences community.

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.