Reyerite is found in close association with gyrolite in the metamorphic aureole of the volcanic plug of 'S Airde Beinn, northern Mull, and has apparently been formed by metamorphism of the gyrolite. The gyrolite, with a composition close to Ca16Si24O60(OH)3.14H2O, closely approaches trigonal symmetry with a 9·76±0·02 Å and c 3 × 22·26±0·1 Å; biaxial with a small 2V and α 1·537, β 1·547, γ 1·549. The reyerite is trigonal with a 9·76±0·02 Å, c 19·10±0·04 Å and space group Pω 1·568 and ε 1·563, and the unit cell contains about 14 atoms of Ca, 24 of Si (with some substitution by 4(OH)−), and 14H2O as (OH)− and H2O.

When crocidolite (fibrous riebeckite, Na2Fe3+2Fe2+2·6Mg0·4Si8O22(OH)2 approx.) is heated in argon or nitrogen at 50–400°C, uncombined water is lost. The tensile strength drops sharply at 300–400°C. At 500–600°C under static, or 570–700°C under dynamic conditions, an endothermic dehydroxylation yields an anhydride with a structure close to that of the initial material. At about 800°C, the anhydride decomposes endothermically, giving acmite, cristobalite, a spinel, and liquid. At 950–1000°C the acmite decomposes. Melting is extensive by 1050°C.

On heating crocidolite in oxygen or air, uncombined water is again lost below 400°C. At 300–450°C (static), or 400–600°C (dynamic), hydrogen ions and electrons are lost, to give an oxyamphibole, Na2Fe3+4Fe2+0·6Mg0·4Si8O24. The process is exothermic and probably occurs by proton and electron migration, as suggested by Addison et al. (1962). At 600–950°C the oxyamphibole decomposes endothermically, and most of the remaining Fe2+ is oxidized, giving acmite, hematite, cristobalite, and a spinel. The spinel has largely disappeared by about 950°C, while at 975–1000°C the acmite also decomposes and melting begins.

When crocidolite is heated in hydrogen, no change is detectable by X-rays below 530°C, when the amphibole decomposes to give mainly a pyroxene, metallic iron, cristobalite, and liquid. The same products are detectable up to at least 850°C; the proportion of metallic iron increases with temperature.

With the exception of metallic iron, all the crystalline products formed, whether under neutral, oxidizing, or reducing conditions, show varying degrees of preferred orientation. This could be explained if the reactions occur mainly by the migration of cations through relatively undisturbed oxygen frameworks.

The thermal disintegration of crocidolite has been investigated with X-ray powder and rotation photographs. Initial disintegration products include monoclinic pyroxene, iron oxide phases, and eristobalite as a pseudomorph of the original fibre bundles but at about 1000° C fusion occurs due to incongruent melting of the pyroxene. The products are strongly oriented along the fibre axis and full orientation relationships have been deduced with the aid of structural models. From these relationships it is suggested that regions of the amphibole structure on (100) are retained in the product phases without change in orientation.

Uvarovite and its relationships with grossular and andradite have been studied in order to understand better the geochemistry of uvarovite. Synthese have been carried out under both dry and hydrothermal conditions; a solid solution with grossular was obtained under both conditions, but with andradite only under hydrothermal conditions. The results are discussed in relation to the chemistry of uvarovite.

The four principles governing the cation distribution in various octahedral metal sites in the amphibole structure are: Ionic size—the M4 position prefers large cations like Ca2+, Na+; charge balance—when the M4 position is occupied by a monovalent ion, like Na+, Li+, the neighbouring M2 position is occupied by a trivalent ion like Al3+, Fe3+; role of the strongly polarizing cations—cations like Fe2+ prefer the M4 site, since they tend to form covalent bonds with the O4 oxygens; and the role of the (OH) ions—these form part of the brucite layer and repel large or strongly polarizing cations, which tend to distort the regularity of the sheet structure.

The Al-Si distribution in the two different tetrahedral sites are governed by three principles: relief of the Si-O-Si bond strain—Al3+ in the Si1 site causes fewer Si4+ cations to share more than two anions with other Si4+ cations; charge balance—with the introduction of alkali ions in the ‘A’ position, Al3+ is introduced in the Si1 position, since the coordinating oxygens around the A position mostly belong to Si1; and steric considerations—occupation of the M4 site by a large cation tends to rotate the Si2 tetrahedron anticlockwise; Al3+ substitution in the Si1 site rotates the Si1 tetrahedron clockwise and thus the regularity and the constancy of the repeat distance of the silicate double chain is maintained.

Based on these principles, a scheme of cation distribution in the M1, M2, M3, M4, A, Si1, and Si2 positions in the amphibole structure has been derived for most of the common amphibole varieties, except richterite, whose position is anomalous from a crystallochemical point of view.

Flood basalts of the Isle of Mull were sampled in areas outside the metamorphic aureole of the central intrusions. Alteration products of olivine and pyroxene in these rocks are talc, chlorite, serpentine, iron oxides, brucite, calcite, and ‘iddingsite’. Plagioclase feldspar in the same rocks is unaltered. ‘Iddingsite’ is less common than mixtures of chlorite and serpentine.

In two flows the only alteration product near the bottom is ‘iddingsite’ but at higher levels in the same flow green ehloritic material replaces olivine. This variation is accompanied by an increase in the FeO/Fe2O3 ratio in the rock towards the flow top. Green alteration products may be converted to material optically identicaI with ‘iddingsite’ by heating in air at 600° C. Zoned patches of chloritic material have formed by crystallization of the late stage magmatic fluid, modified in composition by reactions with olivine and pyroxene.

Rhombohedral (3R) molybdenite has hitherto been reported from only one locality. Its mode of occurrence at a new locality is reported in this paper. At Panasqueira it occurs as a rare accessory in greisenized granite with which wolframite-cassiterite-quartz veins are associated. In the veins themselves only normal hexagonal (2H) molybdenite has been detected.

Two nickel arsenates from South Terras mine, St. Stephen-in-Brannell, Cornwall, have been shown to be identical with the minerals xanthiosite and aerugite, described by C. Bergemann in 1858, and with two synthetic products described by J. B. Taylor and R. D. Heyding (1958). Xanthiosite is pure golden-yellow, monoclinic, with a 10·174, b 9·548, c 5·766 Å, β 92° 58½′, space group P21/a; with D154=5·42±0·10, the unit cell contains 4[Ni3(AsO4)2] (Dcalc 5·388±0·003). Aerugite is deep blue-green, monoclinic, with a 10·29, b 5·95, c 9·79 Å, β 110° 19′, space-group C2, Cm, or C2/m; the ideal unit cell formula is 2[Ni9As3O16], with one-sixth of the arsenic trivalent; the natural mineral has a lower Ni:As ratio, around 2·6. Both xanthiosite and aerugite are minerals new to Britain.

Pyrite concretions from an arid area of Southern Israel are described. The alteration products include alunite, gypsum, jarosite, baryte, celestine, goethite, hematite, sulphur, and sideronatrite. Sideronatrite is described in detail. The pyrite alteration is considered to be recent and the sideronatrite is preserved owing to climatic aridity. The puzzling appearance of sulphur is tentatively explained by microbiological reduction of the sulphates.

The distribution of As and Sb in a series of Skaergaard rocks and some of their minerals has been investigated using neutron activation analysis, and the geochemical behaviour of these elements during the fractionation of a basic magma is discussed.

It is concluded that As3+ is probably accepted into octahedral lattice sites usually occupied by Fe3+, Mg2+, Ti4+, and Al3+, and that there is also some substitution of As5+ for Si4+ and Al3+ in tetrahedral sites. There is a strong tendency for the element to concentrate in both interstitial and late-stage liquids.

Sb seems to show a marked preferential entry into early (magnesian) olivines, as in the case of Ni. The analytical results indicate that the substitution of Sb3+ for Fe2+ probably accounts for most of the Sb in silicate and oxide minerals. The tendency for Sb to concentrate in the residual Skaergaard liquids is less marked than in the case of As, but greater than in the cases of V, Cr, and Ni.

As and Sb have also been determined in four chondritic meteorites, in which the As/Sb ratio ranges from 8·5–12·4. Analyses for As and Sb in the standard rock powders G-1 and W-1 have also been made.

This paper describes a technique for the identification and quantitative determination of crystalline phases in granulated blast-furnace slag by means of incident light microscopy on polished and etched samples. The crystalline phases (including periclase) observed in high-magnesia granulates are reported and their mode of occurrence illustrated.

A detailed study of ilmenite concentrates from Chavara and Manaalakurichi deposits has brought to light several interesting textures traceable to exsolution, eutectic crystallization, and replacement and alteration. Magnetite-ilmenite, magnetite-ilmenite-picotite, ilmenite-picotite, ilmenite-hematite, and ilmenite-rutile exhibit exsolution intergrowths. Part of the ilmenite seems to have been formed either by oxidation of ulvöspinel or from a cubic phase of ilmenite by monotropic inversion. Some of the ilmenite-hematite intergrowths display either an emulsoid or a triangular type of texture. Subgraphic intergrowth is observed between ilmenite-magnetite and ilmenite-rutile, suggesting an eutectic relationship between them.

Magnetite-hematite, magnetite-goethite, and magnetite-maghemite intergrowths are the result of alteration of magnetite. Sphene also partly replaces some ilmenite grains.

The proportion of ilmenite grains with and without intergrowths and the probable origin of the intergrowths and their effect on the marketability of ilmenite concentrates are discussed in the paper.

The transformation of manganite during heating has been studied by single crystal X-ray diffraction methods. It is observed that manganite transforms into pyrolusite keeping its original axial directions parallel to those of the transformed phase. Pyrolusite then transforms into Mn2O3 with its [001] ‖ [110] or [100] of Mn2O3; of Mn2O3 and [010] ‖ [001] of Mn2O3. Evidence of an intermediate product in the pyrolusite → Mn2O3 reaction has been found.

A rock from the Mt. Painter area, South Australia, consists essentially of corundophilite (anal., X-ray) and corundum, with accessory boehmite, sapphirine, cordierite, muscovite, and rutile. The rock probably crystallized at 500 to 700°C under 20 000 Ib/in.2 pressure, boehmite being formed by retrogressive metamorphism at 120 to 280° C.

A spherulitic mineral occurring as veins and nodules in celestine-bearing secondary limestones in the Lower Purbeck Beds at Durlston Head, Swanage, Dorset, is identified as calciostrontianite, a mineralnot previously recorded from Britain. Textural relationships indicate that it was formed from the alteration of celestine and was in part converted back into celestine. The calciostrontianite originated as an epigenetic mineral during the tectonic movement that gave rise to the Broken Beds.

The characteristics of a phlogopite and its weathering product, vermiculite, have been studied by X-ray, infra-red, electron-microscope, and chemical methods. Inclusions within these minerals have been identified as thin films rich in iron oxide (which impart a schiller effect), spinel (which may exist in a preferred orientation), and serpentine. The orientation relationship between the fresh mica and its weathering product has been established by single-crystal methods. The mechanism of transformation from a 1-layer to a 2-layer polytype is discussed.

Plagioclase feldspars in the peristerite range An2-An17 have been investigated by transmission electron-microscopy and electron diffraction. All except the more anorthite-rich specimens were found to be unmixed into albite and oligoclase lamellae, between a few hundred and several thousand Å thick and approximately parallel to . A discussion is given of the part played by these lamellae when optical schiller is exhibited; and the effect of heat treatment on the lamellar structure and optical schiller is described.

Mechanically strained, in contrast to annealed, MgO produced greater yields of forsterite and protoenstatite by solid-state reaction with a quartz–cristobalite mixture at 1200–1400° C. The specific surfaces of the strained and of the annealed MgO were similar. The strained MgO was more hygroscopic and similarity of the surface free energies was thus unlikely. The difference in the amounts of silicates produced from the two types of MgO decreased as the temperatures of synthesis increased. This was ascribed to loss of strain energy by unavoidable annealing before and after these temperatures had been reached.

Similar results were obtained when hydrated silica was substituted for the quartz-eristobalite mixture, but more forsterite was produced.