The Al2sio5 Polymorphs

The Al2SiO5 Polymorphs

Volume 22 of Reviews in Mineralogy is a book exclusively devoted to three minerals: the Al2SiO5 polymorphs - andalusite, sillimanite, and kyanite. It covers a wide variety of topics that must be considered in the analysis of metamorphic systems and illustrates the fact that modern metamorphic petrology demands an awareness of a wide spectrum of geologic variables and processes. This volume is intended to provide a comprehensive review, summarizing the methods, theories and pitfalls of the various contributions on the aluminum silicates. Several sections of this book present the chronological development of research on various topics, giving readers historical perspectives on the development of theories, models and biases on various problems regarding the aluminum silicates.

The Al2SiO5 Polymorphs

High Pressure Geochemistry & Mineral Physics

Significant achievements have been made at the cross-roads of physics and planetary science. In the second half of the twentieth century, the discipline of planetary sciences has witnessed three major episodes which have revolutionized its approach and content: (i) the plate-tectonic theory, (ii) human landing and discoveries in planetary astronomy and (iii) the extraordinary technical advancement in high P-T studies, which have been abetted by a vast improvement in computational methods. Using these new computational methods, such as first principles including ab initio models, calculations have been made for the electronic structure, bonding, thermal EOS, elasticity, melting, thermal conductivity and diffusivity. In this monograph, the boundaries of the definitions of a petrologist, geochemist, geophysicist or a mineralogist have been willfully eliminated to bring them all under the spectrum of "high-pressure geochemistry" when they deal with any material (quintessentially a chemical assemblage) - terrestrial or extraterrestrial - under the conditions of high-pressure and temperature. Thus, a petrologist using a spectrometer or any instrument for high-pressure studies of a rock or a mineral, or a geochemist using them for chemical synthesis and characterization, is better categorized as a "high-pressure geochemist" rather than any other kind of disciplinarian.The contents of this monograph bring together, under one cover, apparently disparate disciplines like solid-earth geophysics and geochemistry as well as material science and condensed-matter physics to present a thorough overview of high pressure geochemistry. Indeed, such interdisciplinary activities led to the discovery of new phenomena such as high P-T behaviour in metal oxides (e.g. Mott transition), novel transitions such as amorphization, changes in order-disorder in crystals and the anomalous properties of oxide melts.