Understanding Minerals & Crystals

Front Cover
Penguin Random House South Africa, Sep 1, 2015 - Nature - 304 pages
Minerals are the building blocks of rocks – they make up the solid Earth’s crust. Understanding Minerals & Crystals takes a close look at minerals, how they form, why they differ and how to go about identifying them. It begins by examining the nature of atoms and the way they bind together to form minerals with distinctive crystal structures; and it discusses the nature and classification of these crystals, and includes a mineral identification key. The second part of the book contains detailed descriptions of some 80 common and important minerals, including how they were named, their properties, ID pointers, uses and where in the world they are found. All are lavishly illustrated with full-colour photographs. This book will be invaluable to those interested in any of the earth sciences, or in mineral/crystal collecting – from academics and students to general enthusiasts.
 

Contents

1 Introduction
6
The Building Blocks of Minerals
9
3 Chemical Bonding and the formation of minerals
22
4 The Formation of Crystalline Solids
31
5 The Morphology of Crystals
58
6 The Physical Characteristics of Minerals
78
7 Mineral Classification and Identification
98
8 Native Elements
110
13 Sulphates
200
14 Phosphates and Vanadates
209
15 Tungstates
216
16 Silicates
220
17 Mineraloids
292
Abundances of the elements
294
Making your own crystal models
296
Further reading and sources
302

9 Sulphides
122
10 Oxides and Hydroxides
145
11 Halides
167
12 Carbonates
172
Acknowledgements
303
Index
308
Back cover
313
Copyright

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

About the author (2015)

Bruce Cairncross is 'n professor en voorsitter in die Departement Geologie aan die Universiteit van Johannesburg. Hy is 'n kenner van Suider-Afrika se minerale, edelstene en geologiese erfenis. Benewens talle wetenskaplike publikasies, het hy vyf boeke oor die streek se geologie geskryf. Hy is ook 'n erkende fotograaf van gesteentes en minerale. Bruce Cairncross is Professor of Geology and Chairman of the Geology Department at the University of Johannesburg. He has a special interest in documenting and preserving southern Africa’s mineralogical heritage, and is the author or co-author of a number of books, including Field Guide to Rocks & Minerals of Southern Africa and Pocket Guide: Rocks & Minerals of Southern Africa. Terence McCarthy is 'n Professor in Minerale Geochemie aan die Universiteit van die Witwatersrand. Hy het 'n wye navorsingsbelangstelling in die aardwetenskappe, waaronder ekonomiese en omgewingsgeologie, geochemie en geomorfologie. Hy is 'n voorste kundige in die geologie van vleilande (veral die van die Okavango Delta in Botswana) en mede-outeur van die hoogaangeskrewe boek, The Story of Earth & Life. Terence McCarthy is a retired Professor of Mineral Geochemistry at the University of the Witwatersrand. He has wide research interests in the earth sciences, including economic and environmental geology, geochemistry and geomorphology, and is a leading expert on the geology of wetlands. He is co-author of The Story of Earth and Life and How on Earth?

Bibliographic information