Data on the distribution of the precious metals (Au, Ag and the platinum=group elements Ru, Rh, Pd, Os, Ir, Pt) are rapidly accumulating as a consequence of the application of microbeam analytical techniques such as the electron microprobe, the proton microprobe, and the ion microprobe. The new data obtained with these techniques build on knowledge accumulated over the last 140 years using bulk analytical methods (e.g. spectrographic). The nature of the occurrence, the concentrations, and the variation in amount s of precious metals in minerals and mineral products are reviewed with comments as to the significance of the results with respect to industrial and environmental concerns. Future directions in mineral-specific analysis of trace precious-metal concentrations and applications outside of process mineralogy are discussed.

The upper 35 m of a thick (≤175 m) Early Jurassic North Mountain Basalt flow at KcKay Head contains 25 cm thick differentiated layers that are separated by 130 cm sections of basalt. The lower layers are mafic, pegmatitic, and contain thin (2 cm), fine-grained 'rhyolite' bands. Evidence that the rhyolite represents a Si-rich immiscible liquid includes: (1) textures such as fiine-grained globules of Ferich pyroxene (once Fe-rich liquid) bordering pegmatite feldspar grains; (2) structureless, microcrystalline, interstitial, polygonal patches of Si-rich minerals and similar areas of Fe-rich stilpnomelane surrounding skeletal Fe-Ti oxide grains, with bulk chemical compositions (to a first approximation), relative proportions and total modat percentages suggesting they were once Si-rich and Fe-rich glasses respectively; (3) basalt and pegmatite compositions (particularly their Fe, and Ti contents) similar to rocks known to contain immiscible liquids; (4) rhyolite major element compositions generally consistent with formation from an immiscible Si-rich liquid; (5) mineral compositions and temperature of pegmatite formation compatible with immiscibility; (6) the inability of mass balance calculations (crystal fractionation) to explain rhyolite formation unless mesostasis stilpnomelane (representing the Fe-rich liquid) is included in the caculations. If, as we suggest, these rocks are the result of immiscibility, they shed light on the incipient formation of granophyres in mafic intrusions and support liquid immiscibility as an important rock-forming process.

The gabbro-anorthosite complex of SW Angola and Namibia (Kunene Complex) is dominated by anorthosite-troctolite cumulates. Other broadly gabbroic rock types are subordinate. An-rich plagioclase (max. An85) and Fo-rich olivine (max. Fo79) are common in the western area of the complex with plagioclase becoming gradually less anorthitic (min. An45) and olivine less forsteritic (min. Fo62) toward the east. This cryptic change is more pronounced in the northern half of the complex where rocks are darker, fresh, and the rhythmic layering is also more conspicuous. Within the white 'massive' anorthosite type, which is largely restricted to the southern half of the intrusion, cryptic layering is less pronounced. Textures indicate that rocks cooled very slowly and the co-existing mineral compositions indicate re-equilibration to usually low temperatures.

New data on the composition of cumulus phases in the Belhelvie intrusion presented by Wadsworth (1991) are discussed in the light of existing data and of knowledge on the form and internal structure of the intrusion. The relevance of the Rustenburg Layered suite of the Bushveld Complex as a model for the 'single intrusion' hypothesis for the layered basic intrusions in NE Scotland is examined: current knowledge of the Rustenburg Layered Suite and related intrusions suggests that similar crystallisation sequences of cumulus phases and ranges of cryptic variation do not give any case for a single intrusion hypothesis.

Fluids trapped inside fluid inclusions in quartz from the multiphase Starav monzogranite in Etive, Argyll, were extracted under vacuum and quantitative data for H2O and CO2 were obtained manometrically. Na and K were determined on an aqueous leach from the decrepitated grains. A bivariate diagram of H2O/CO2 versus Na/K discriminates between magma pulses and mirrors the whole-rock trace-element chemistry. This work shows that compositional variations of fluids in quartz from a weakly mineralised granitoid intrusion are sensitive indicators of its magmatic history and identify subtle changes in its mineralogical composition.

Högbomite is reported from two upper-amphibolite and granulite-facies, sapphirine-bearing, Al–Mg–Fe-rich and silica-poor lens-shaped layers within the Bamble Sector, south Norway. Primary assemblages, indicating peak metamorphic conditions of 773-844°C at 7 kbar (Mg–Fe exchange thermometry), are spinel–sapphirine–biotite–gedrite, spinel–corundum–sapphirine–cordierite and orthopyroxene–biotite–cordierite–plagioclase. Högbomite formed by hydrous alteration and oxidation of primary spinel and rutile and/or ilmenite according to the generalised reaction:

Suggested conditions of högbomite formation are 550–620°C and 6–7 kbar. The högbomites contain 10.2–14.7 wt.% MgO, 04).3 wt.% ZnO, 58.9–62.1 wt.% Al2O3 and 15.6-17.6 wt.% Fe as FeO. The two högbomite may belong to different polytypes, as suggested by their differing TiO2 (9.9-10.1 versus 5.7–5.8 wt. %) and calculated Fe3+ – and H2O–contents. The partitioning of Zn between spinel and högbomite is not uniform and is considered to depend upon prevailing fo2 and aH2O.

Clinotobermorite, Ca5Si6(O,OH)18·5H2O, has been found as a vein-forming mineral in gehlenitespurrite skarns at Fuka, Okayama Prefecture. It is associated with tobermorite, plombierite, apophyllite, and calcite. The clinotobermorite is colourless or white and occurs as tabular or acicular crystals. It is monoclinic with the space group Cc or C2/c. The unit cell dimensions are a 11.331, b 7.353, c 22.67 Å, β 96.59°. Microtwinning and stacking disorder on (001) are observed. On heating the clinotobermorite at 300°C the 002 spacing is reduced from 11.3 to 9.3 Å. Its refractive indices are α 1.575, β 1.580, γ 1.585, and the density 2.58 g/cm3 (meas.), 2.69 g/cm3 (calc). The Moh's hardness is 4.5. Calculation of the analytical data on the basis of six tetrahedral cations shows that this mineral has a simplified chemical formula Ca5.3Si6(O,OH,F)18·5H2O. The chemical composition and the unit cell are closely related to those of tobermorite. It is most likely that clinotobermorite is a low-temperature polymorph of tobermorite.

The stabilities of antierite, Cu3SO4(OH)4, and a synthetic compound whose stoichiometry is here established as Cu3SO4(OH)4.2H2O, have been determined at 5°C intervals between 10°C and 45°C using solution methods. The results of the experiments show that antlerite is stable with respect to the compound Cu3SO4(OH)4.2H2O only at temperatures above 30°C Below 30°C a change in the relative stabilities of these two basic copper(II) sulfates occurs, and the compound Cu3SO4(OH)4.2H2O, although unknown at present as a mineral, instead, is stable. Under these conditions, it does not react to give antlerite if kept in contact with water. Once isolated from its mother liquor, however, the dihydrate undergoes rapid dehydration to yield antlerite. Thermodynamic quantities for the two phases have been derived from equilibrium measurements. At 298.2K, values of AfG° for the compounds Cu3SO4(OH)4.2H2O(s ) and antlerite are −1919.6(14) and −1445.0(10) kJ mol−1, respectively. The results have been used to construct stability field diagrams for the system CuO—H2O–SO3 at 25°C and at 35°C These diagrams have been used to illustrate the chemical conditions under which the two compounds might be expected to form in the oxidised zones of cupriferous base metal orebodies.

Chernikovite, (H3O)2(UO2)2(PO4)2, was synthesized and subsequently transformed into metauranocircite II, Ba(UO2)2(PO4)2.6H2O, by ion-exchange experiments. The crystals are lemon-yellow and strongly fluorescent. From solubility data a mean pKs value at 25°C was determined as 51.79 ± 0.21. For a cell volume of 16.31.7 Å3 and Z = 4 the density was calculated as 3.970 g/cm3 whereas the measured density is 3.964 g/cm 3. The X-ray powder pattern shows the following strongest lines: 3.609(60)(114), 3.470(60)(123), 2.9272(90)(132)2.9006(90)(312), 2.6065(80)(116), 2.4581(75)(233), 2.2015(100)(143 ; 143), 2.1869(100) (241 ; 226 ;241).

Pressures of 10 GPa and above can bring about phase transformations in many oxides, an effect of great interest to geochemists and geophysicists. We can interpret such behaviour as due to the differential compressibility of 'anion' and 'cation' leading to a progressive rise in radius ratio with pressure, and hence, on the classic crystallochemical picture, eventually to an increase in co-ordination number (though with complications which make prediction difficult). More generally, pressure affects Gibbs free energy G directly; for oxides a pressure of 5 GPa gives, very roughly, the same contribution to G as 100°C in temperature (though with opposite sign). Thus high pressure significantly affects the shape and structure of phase diagrams, showing increasingly important effects above, say, 10 GPa—but again prediction can be difficult. However these two complementary approaches to the effects of pressure, helpful though they can be conceptually, are 'crystal-based' and totally neglect another rather littleknown but potentially important effect--the formation of amorphous solids; 'polymers' and glasses. Since amorphous materials are 'non-equilibrium' they are not readily dealt with theoretically; also, since they are difficult to detect by standard crystallographic techniques, they can be overlooked experimentally. The pressure-induced formation of amorphous solids could have significant implications for both geochemistry and geophysics.

Numerous small octahedra of a black, brittle, magnetic mineral were found in calciphyre and brucite marble, occurring in the northern part of the exocontact zone of the Kondyor ultramafic-alkalic massif (south-eastern part of the Aldan Shield, 250 km north west of sea port Ayan). Their composition corresponds to the group from titanium magnesioferrite (11.53% TiO2) to titanium-rich magnesian spinel (27.34% TiO2), similar to spinellide found in Greenland (Gittins et al., 1982) and in Iraq (Al-Hermezi, 1985) and approved by the Commission on New Minerals as a new mineral named qandilite. Hardness, specific gravity, and reflectance of Kondyor qandilite are similar to those of the Iraq mineral. Peaks of IR-absorption spectra are equal to 580-590 cm−1 (v2) and 431-438 cm−1 (v2). There is a positive correlation between lattice parameters and the amount of Mg2TiO4: from 8.368 Å at 26.6% to 8.429 Å at 60.4%. Kondyor qandilite crystallized together with geikielite, oxidized alumina spinel (8.55% Fe2O3, ftotal : 16.5%), periclase, and forsterite.

Amphiboles of the tremolite-ferro-actinolite series from the Bergslagen district in central Sweden have between 0 and 46% of their M1-M3 sites occupied by Mn. These amphiboles are divided into two groups; (1) a group characterised by Mn (M1-M3) > (Mg or Fe) (M1-M3), and (2) a group with much lower contents of Mn (M1-M3), showing the following chemical characteristics: (a) Mn (M1-M3) never exceeds Fe (M1-M3); (b) in Mg-rich members of the group [Mg (M1-M3) > (Mn or Fe) (M1- M3)], the highest amounts of Mn (M1-M3) occur in amphiboles with about 2.20 Mg (M1-M3) per formula unit (pfu); in Fe-rich members of the group Fe [(M1-M3) > (Mg or Mn) (M1-M3)] high amounts of Mn (M1-M3) [> 0.4 Mn (MI-M3)] pfu only occur in amphiboles with >3.40 Fe (M1-M3) pfu; (d) the lowest amounts of Mn (M1-M3) occur in amphiboles with Mg (M1-M3) = Fe (M1-M3).

Mn (M4) increases with increasing amounts of Mn (M1-M3), indicating that solid solution towards the tirodite-dannemorite series is enhanced by incorporation of Mn (M1-M3).

The crystal structure of the displacive ferroelectric mineral russellite, Bi2WO6, has been determined using Rietveld profile refinement of high-resolution, time of flight, neutron powder diffraction data on the synthetic compound. Russellite is orthorhombic, Pca21, with a 5.43726(2) Å, b 16.43018(5) Å, c 5.458422) Å, Z = 4 and is isostructural with the bismuth molybdate mineral koechlinite, Bi2MoO6. The structure consists of layers of tilted WO6 octahedra sandwiched between layers of bismuth and oxygen with the tungsten displaced from the centre of the octahedron by 0.278 Å. The orientations of the lone-pair electrons in the Bi3+ cations have been inferred from the 3.0 Å coordination shells of both crystallographically independent bismuths, and have been found to be non-centrosymmetric, an effect which may give rise to the tilting of the WO6 octahedra. New laboratory source X-ray powder diffraction data are presented for russellite, which, with supplementary synchrotron powder diffractometry, corroborate the new space group and structure determination.

The crystal structure of klyuchevskite, K3Cu3(Fe,Al)O2(SO4)4, was determined in space group I2 using the total of 715 independent reflections up to R 0.12. Klyuchevskite is a structural analogue of piypite (caratiite) K4Cu4O2(SO4)4MeCl with the substitution K+ + Cu2+ → (Fe3+,Al) + MeCl. Compared to piypite, the ordering of Cu2+ and Fe3+ cations in the klyuchevskite structure results in the distortion of the unit cell and in lowering the symmetry of the chains to 1.

This brings about a more compact packing of the chains. The chain-like arrangement of the structure determines physical properties of the mineral, its acicular habit, perfect cleavage, strong anisotropy of optical properties and orientation of optical indicatrix.