Zircon is the main mineral in the majority of igneous and metamorphic rocks with Zr as an essential structural constituent. It is a host for significant fractions of the whole-rock abundance of U, Th, Hf, and the REE (Sawka 1988, Bea 1996, O’Hara et al. 2001). These elements are important geochemically as process indicators or parent isotopes for age determination. The importance of zircon in crustal evolution studies is underscored by its predominant use in U-Th-Pb geochronology and investigations of the temporal evolution of both the crust and lithospheric mantle. In the past decade an increasing interest in the composition of zircon, trace-elements in particular, has been motivated by the effort to better constrain in situ microprobe-acquired isotopic ages. Electron-beam compositional imaging and isotope-ratio measurement by in situ beam techniques—and the micrometer-scale spatial resolution that is possible—has revealed in many cases that single zircon crystals contain a record of multiple geologic events. Such events can either be zircon-consuming, alteration, or zircon-forming and may be separated in time by millions or billions of years. In many cases, calculated zircon isotopic ages do not coincide with ages of geologic events determined from other minerals or from whole-rock analysis. To interpret the geologic validity and significance of multiple ages, and ages unsupported by independent analysis of other isotopic systems, has been the impetus for most past investigations of zircon composition. Some recent compositional investigations of zircon have not been directly related to geochronology, but to the ability of zircon to influence or record petrogenetic processes in igneous and metamorphic systems.

Sedimentary rocks may also contain a significant fraction of zircon. Although authigenic zircon has been reported (Saxena 1966, Baruah et al. 1995, Hower et al. 1999), it appears to be very rare and may in fact be related to …

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The Composition of Zircon and Igneous and Metamorphic Petrogenesis

https://par.nsf.gov/servlets/purl/10107309

ShengBTE: A solver of the Boltzmann transport equation for phonons ☆

Manganese oxide minerals have been used for thousands of years—by the ancients for pigments and to clarify glass, and today as ores of Mn metal, catalysts, and battery material. More than 30 Mn oxide minerals occur in a wide variety of geological settings. They are major components of Mn nodules that pave huge areas of the ocean floor and bottoms of many fresh-water lakes. Mn oxide minerals are ubiquitous in soils and sediments and participate in a variety of chemical reactions that affect groundwater and bulk soil composition. Their typical occurrence as fine-grained mixtures makes it difficult to study their atomic structures and crystal chemistries. In recent years, however, investigations using transmission electron microscopy and powder x-ray and neutron diffraction methods have provided important new insights into the structures and properties of these materials. The crystal structures for todorokite and birnessite, two of the more common Mn oxide minerals in terrestrial deposits and ocean nodules, were determined by using powder x-ray diffraction data and the Rietveld refinement method. Because of the large tunnels in todorokite and related structures there is considerable interest in the use of these materials and synthetic analogues as catalysts and cation exchange agents. Birnessite-group minerals have layer structures and readily undergo oxidation reduction and cation-exchange reactions and play a major role in controlling groundwater chemistry.

https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/96/7/3447.full.pdf

Manganese oxide minerals: Crystal structures and economic and environmental significance

I. Introduction. Background. Focus of the review. Review procedure and results. The NEA-TDB data base system. Presentation of the selected data. II. Standards and Conventions. Symbols, terminology and nomenclature. Units and conversion factors. Standard and reference conditions. Fundamental physical constants. III. Selected Uranium Data. IV. Selected Auxiliary Data. V. Discussion of Data Selection. Elemental uranium. Aqua ions. Oxide, hydride and hydroxide species. VI. Discussion of Auxiliary Data Selection. Reference list. Authors list. Formula list. Discussion of selected references. Ionic strength corrections. Assigned uncertainties. The estimation of entropies.

Chemical thermodynamics of uranium

The mid-, near-, and far-infrared (IR) spectra of synthetic, single-phase calcium silicate hydrates (C-S-H) with Ca/Si ratios (C/S) of 0.41–1.85, 1.4 nm tobermorite, 1.1 nm tobermorite, and jennite confirm the similarity of the structure of these phases and provide important new insight into their H2O and OH environments. The main mid-IR bands occur at 950–1100, 810–830, 660–670, and 440–450 cm−1, consistent with single silicate chain structures. For the C-S-H samples, the mid-IR bands change systematically with increasing C/S ratio, consistent with decreasing silicate polymerization and with an increasing content of jennite-like structural environments of C/S ratios >1.2. The 950–1100 cm−1 group of bands due to Si-O stretching shifts first to lower wave number due to decreasing polymerization and then to higher wave numbers, possibly reflecting an increase in jennite-like structural environments. Because IR spectroscopy is a local structural probe, the spatial distribution of the jennite-like domains cannot be determined from these data. A shoulder at ∼1200 cm−1 due to Si-O stretching vibrations in Q3 sites occurs only at C/S lessthan equal to 0.7. The 660–670 cm−1 band due to Si-O-Si bending broadens and decreases in intensity for samples with C/S > 0.88, consistent with depolymerization and decreased structural order. In the near-IR region, the combination band at 4567 cm−1 due to Si-OH stretching plus O-H stretching decreases in intensity and is absent at C/S greater than ∼1.2, indicating the absence of Si-OH linkages at C/S ratios greater than this. The primary Si-OH band at 3740 cm-1 decreases in a similar way. In the far-IR region, C-S-H samples with C/S ratio greater than ∼1.3 have increased absorption intensity at ∼300 cm−1, indicating the presence of CaOH environments, even though portlandite cannot be detected by X-ray diffraction for C/S ratios <1.5. These results, in combination with our previous NMR and Raman spectroscopic studies of the same samples, provide the basis for a more complete structural model for this type of C-S-H, which is described.

Structure of Calcium Silicate Hydrate (C‐S‐H): Near‐, Mid‐, and Far‐Infrared Spectroscopy

From introduction: "Pending publication of this volume and in response to a widespread demand among workers in uranium and thorium mineralogy, the X-ray powder diffraction data for the known minerals that contain uranium or thorium as an essential constituent are presented here. The coverage is complete except for a few minerals for which there are no reliable data owing to lack of authentic specimens."

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X-ray powder data for uranium and thorium minerals

The polymerization of silica in water solution to form quartz fibers proceeds by a dehydration process, analogous to condensation polymerization in organic high-polymers, in which monomeric Si(OH)4 groups unite through Si−O−Si bonds with the elimination of H2O. The resulting fibers are structurally polar along the direction of elongation, are enantiomorphous, and generally shown stereospecific twisting around the direction of elongation. In these regards the fibers are analogues of biopolymers such as RNA and DNA. Quartz also possesses specific adsorptive relations to a wide range of organic substances including monomer amino acids, short-chain polypeptides, and proteins. These involve hydrogen-bonding between (OH) or silanoi groups on the surface of the quartz with active side-groups on the organic molecules and in part are epitaxial through dimensional coincidences in the interface.

Quartz fibers as templates for biopolymers.

The ill-defined uranium mineral phosphuranylite, hitherto known only from North Carolina on the basis of the original description by Genth (1879) and a later optical description by Larsen (1921), is redescribed from twelve new localities. Phosphuranylite is isostructural with dewindtite, PbB(UOt5(PO4)o(OH)a' 10H2O, and its ideal formula is presumed to be Cas(UO)s(POn)r(OH)o 10HrO. Analyses show much less calcium than required by this formula. It occurs as dense, golden-yellow films composed of microscopic rectangular plates, and is found principally in the weathered zone of pegmatites containing uraninite. Crystallization tetragonal or orthorhombic. Optically biaxial negative with somewhat variable indices: nX:t.660 to 1.690 (colorless to pale yellow) , nY:1.696 to 1.724 (golden yellow), nZ:1.698 to 1.724 (golden yellow); 2V:0' to 35\"; rla strong. Lead substitutes for caicium in some varieties with accompanying increase in indices of refraction.

Studies of uranium minerals (V): Phosphuranylite

Johannsenite and manganoan hortonolite from Franklin, N. J.

Frsurn, D. J. (i966) Cacoxenite from Arkansas. Amey. MineraL,5l, 1811-1814. FnoNntr, Crrrrorl (1949) The dufrenite problem. Amer. MineroL., 34, 513 540. Hrrr, W. L., W. H. Anurcrn, ar.ro S. D. Goocn (1950) Some properties of pseudowavellite from Florida. Min. Eng., 187, 699-702. O'wrtNs, I.B.,Z.S. Ar-rscnur.rn, enn R. Bnuax (1960) Millisite in phosphorite from Florida. Amer. Mi.neral,.. 45. 547-561. Prr.ecrt, C., H. BnxrunN, AND C. Fnononl (1951) System oJ Mineralogy , Vol 2. John Wiley and Sons, New York, New York. Wlrson, T. L. eNo S. D. Gooor (1918) Vivianite from the land pebble phosphate deposits of Flor ida. J.Wash. Acad. Sci . .8. 82 88.

Clifford Frondel

Papers

X-ray powder data for uranium and thorium minerals

Quartz fibers as templates for biopolymers.

Studies of uranium minerals (V): Phosphuranylite

Johannsenite and manganoan hortonolite from Franklin, N. J.

Synthesis of the scandium analogue of beryl: Errata