This handbook contains an almost complete dataset of thermal properties of
minerals. It can be considered as the summary of the author's life-long activity in
the thermal laboratory of the Hungarian Institute of Geology. A similar but much
less comprehensive book on the same subject was published by the author in
1986, in the series of methodological publications of the institute (MÁFI
Módszertani Közlemények, vol. 9). The mother of the author, Mária Földváriné
Vogl was a pioneer of the mineralogical application of thermal analysis. She
published the first manual of the thermal method in mineralogy in 1958. The
author herself is in many respects closely connected with the Department of
Mineralogy and Geology of Debrecen University. Her father, professor Aladár
Földvári (1906–1973) was one of the founders of this department. She obtained
her PhD degree there on the subject of thermal analysis under Professor Gyula
Szöőr. In addition, she participated in many common projects with members of
the university.
The present handbook consists of two main parts. The first, shorter part
discusses the methods applied. The second, main part contains the thermal
curves and data of the actual minerals, listed in systematic order. This part is
completed by a very rich bibliography comprising 1195 items and by an index of
mineral and rock names occurring in the text.
In the methodological part the tools and instruments involved and the
experimental procedures are only briefly mentioned. Some basic evaluation
processes are discussed in more detail, such as
– the application of stoichiometric factors in quantitative analysis,
– the second derivate of the TG curves,
– the analysis of the gases formed during heating, including mass spectrometry
thereof,
– the correction of the decomposition temperature according to the sample
amount.
The various ways water is bonded in minerals is discussed in detail in the book,
based on earlier studies of the author. Her results in this field were acknowledged
with the Vendl Mária Memorial Medal of the Hungarian Geological Society in
1997.
1788-2281/$ 20.00 © 2013 Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest
Central European Geology, Vol. 56/4, 397–400 (2013)
DOI: 10.1556/CEuGeol.56.2013.4.6
Book review
Földvári, Mária:
Handbook of the thermogravimetric system of minerals and its
use in geological practice
Occasional Papers of the Geological Institute of Hungary,
vol. 213, Budapest, 2011, 180 p.
She attempted to understand the theory behind the correlation between
decomposition temperature and electronegativity of the cations, as well as the
complexity of the structure.
The systematic part of the Handbook presents the thermo-analytical curves of
114 mineral types. All curves were selected from the author's own work in the
laboratory, from a total of 35 thousand measurements. Most of these basic
experimental data are today systematically arranged in a database of the
laboratory. All experimental curves published in the handbook appear in a
comparable, standardized way, accompanied by an explanation of the chemical
reactions observed. For each reaction the stoichiometric factors are given.
Examples of quantitative determination are shown using data taken from the
actual curves employed.
The mineral groups and species are treated in a uniform, standardized way;
however, one can find several interesting geologic applications and mineralogical
conclusions in the descriptions. Some examples are given below:
Oxides. Among the silica minerals there are “wet” and “dry” opals depending
on their water content.
Oxy-hydroxides. Ferrihydrite, a recently widely studied member of this group,
is discussed in detail in the book. Several hydroxides of Al, Fe and Mn are related
to bauxites and manganese ores which are typical Hungarian raw materials and
special analytical methods were developed in Hungary for their study. The book
includes the description of the quantitative analysis of bauxites and the
determination of the Al content of alumo-goethites.
Silicates. Obviously the most extensive chapter of the book deals with the
determination of phyllosilicates, including clay minerals.
Kaolinitic minerals. M. Földvári developed special methods to determine the
degree of ordering and water content of the disordered varieties. She shows that
genetic types of kaolinite may have different corrected decomposition
temperatures.
Smectite group. A considerable body of information was accumulated as a
result of earlier and current studies of bentonite deposits over the entire
Carpathian Basin. Special compositional types were identified, such as Fe-rich
beidellite in basalt bentonite and Fe-rich saponite (formerly called “mauritzite”)
found in basic and intermediate volcanic rocks. The book explains why the
dehydroxilation of the so-called “abnormal” montmorillonite proceeds in two
steps.
Mica clay minerals. The nomenclature and the chemical composition of the
mica clay minerals used by the author are not completely in accordance with the
recommendations of the IMA Nomenclature Committee (Rieder et al., 1998).
However, the deviation is actually inherent in the nature of thermal analysis.
Thermal analysis considers primarily the water content and the bonding energy
of the OH groups. On the other hand, definitions of minerals in the
recommendations are based on the layer charge and interlayer K contents. The
nomenclature used in the Handbook can be justified in this particular case
398 Book review
Central European Geology 56, 2013
because the correlation of these parameters with the water and OH content is not
well known and depends on several other factors. There is a minor error in the
classification of glauconite and celadonite which cannot be accepted: they are
classified in the book as di-trioctahedral minerals (Table T5.1.2). The correct
classification in this case is simply: dioctahedral.
Mixed-layer clay minerals. Generally structural details of this group cannot be
determined by thermal analysis. It is still possible, however, to find interesting
data in this monograph regarding a rare regularly mixed-layer phase, tosudite.
This mineral is found at Sukoró, Velence Mts.
Zeolites. The book contains a wide range of data relating various zeolite
minerals, all investigated by the author. Recently mineral associations of natrolite,
gonnardite and phillipsite occurring in the vesicles of Transdanubian basalts
were studied. Thanks to thermal methods the alteration products of rhyolite tuffs,
mordenite, heulandite and clinoptilolite, can be well differentiated.
Carbonates. Among the most common carbonate minerals, disordered and
non-stoichiometric varieties of calcite and dolomite can be identified by their
thermal behavior. They occur mostly in young sediments and soils. In travertine
the temperature of calcite formation can be related to the corrected
decomposition temperature measured on the thermal curve. The author points
out that special difficulties may arise during the quantitative determination of
siderite. On the other hand, in Fe-rich mixed carbonates the proportion of the
cations can be estimated by thermal methods (e.g. ankerite of “real composition”,
ferrous dolomite).
Sulfates. The atlas contains a high number of thermal curves of hydrous sulfate
phases based almost exclusively on the author's own measurements of materials
from Hungarian localities. These curves may be rather complex due to the
gradual loss of the water content in several steps.
Special applications. Thermal analysis can be successfully applied to the study
of natural raw materials that cannot be considered to be minerals. Examples are
the degree of coalification of brown and black coal, the water content of perlite
and the gas emission of natural glasses. The author emphasizes the importance of
joint application of thermal and XRD methods for the accurate quantitative
mineralogical analysis of rocks and raw materials.
The editors of the book, Olga Piros and Dezső Simonyi, have carried out their
work very carefully, with a minimum number of errors left. The style is very
concise, almost too sketchy. Obviously the author tried to compress a large
amount of knowledge into the limited framework of the book. The English
language is quite understandable, the language was reviewed by Richard
McIntosh. There are only a few instances of erroneous application of rock names
or other special terms. The Directorate of the Institute of Geology and the
Hungarian Academy of Sciences can be congratulated for having recognized the
importance of the subject and for supporting the publication of this work.
Book review 399
Central European Geology 56, 2013
In summary, the book is the result of the devoted work of a permanently high
standard of the author. Compared to similar manuals of thermal analysis
published before, the present book seems to be the most comprehensive, most
accurate and most clearly explained. In 2012 the Hungarian Geological Society
awarded the author the Szabó József Memorial Medal, the highest award of the
society, for this work.
István Viczián
400 Book review
Central European Geology 56, 2013