The vicinity of the 490 Ma Cashel gabbroic intrusion experienced pressures of about 4.05 ± 0.2 kbar and temperatures in excess of 850 °C. These conditions caused intense hornfelsing and partial melting of the surrounding Dalradian metasediments. From the study of the progressively changed composition of the aureole hornfelses it is deduced that elements were fractionated into the melts as follows: Si>K>Na>Ca>Mn>Al>Fe>Mg and Rb>Ba>Sr>Ga>Cr,Ni,Co. This order of fractionation, which is the opposite to that in magmatic crystallization, provides a detailed picture of the mode of interaction between a mantle derived basic magma and mid-crustal rocks, illustrating how one type of S-type granite can be produced. The rare earth elements (REE) were both removed and fractionated but Eu largely remained in the crystal fractions giving increasing positive Eu anomalies with rising partial melting and these trends can be explained by the extraction of a granitic melt from the hornfelses. Fission track mapping of U is used to study the behaviour of U within the aureole and the metamorphic recrystallization of detrital brown zircon to pink new zircon. The S-type Cashel microgranite sill is shown to have been derived by anatexis from the Dalradian rocks, to have preserved the Sr isotope ratios of the metasediments at 490 Ma, and not to be of the same composition as the leucosomes in the metasediments.

The UG1 Footwall unit is a layered pyroxenite-norite-leuconorite-anorthosite sequence between the Middle Group 4 and Upper Group 1 chromitites of the Upper Critical Zone, and is c. 300 m thick at Rustenburg Platinum Mines, Union Section, where it shows an oscillatory fluctuation in whole-rock Mg/(Mg + Fe), Cr/Co, Ni/V and Fe/Ti ratios with stratigraphic height. This permits subdivision into 8 sub-cycles which match a subdivision based on cyclical variations in orthopyroxene and feldspar compositions. Constituent pyroxene grains of pyroxenites, norites and leuconorites alike contain rounded and embayed plagioclase inclusions in abundance. Sr-isotope disequilibrium prevails in some samples between the orthopyroxene and feldspar populations. Chemical and isotopic data support a model of pulsatory injection of limited volumes of a more primitive, mafic liquid into a resident column of depleted residua, from which sodic labradorite and Mg-poor bronzite were crystallizing. The depleted liquid is equated with the supernatant liquid residuum of buried cumulates (Sric. 0.7054) and the primitive liquid with magma parental to the UG1-UG2 lineage (Sri ⩾ 0.7068). The increase in leucocratic character of the 300 m column, with height, is attributed to the rising of low-density liquids enriched in the components of feldspar during separation of the pyroxenites. Deposition of the UG1 chromitite layers is attributed to mixing of a major influx of primitive liquid with a feldspathic residuum at the top of the UG1 Footwall unit. There is no evidence to indicate the participation of a discrete A-type liquid (Irvine and Sharpe, 1982) in this process.

The Kruidfontein volcanic complex is a Proterozoic collapsed carbonatitic caldera structure, the inner caldera of which is filled with carbonatitic bedded volcaniclastic rocks cut by carbonatite dykes, and the outer with bedded silicate tuffs. As well as numerous fragments of phonolitic pumice in the silicate tuffs, there are unusual banded fragments composed of alternating silicate and carbonate compositions which appear to have been originally glasses, and which give evidence for mechanical mixing of magmas which may originally have been magmas separated by liquid immiscibility. The fragments have also been strongly fenitized with the introduction of K and the replacement of Al by Fe.

The Prins Christians Sund rapakivi granite pluton in South Greenland is a member of the early Proterozoic ‘Rapakivi Suite’ and is emplaced into early Proterozoic Ketilidian migmatites. The pluton is composed predominantly of black or dark brown monzonites and quartz monzonites (collectively, rapakivi granites), although a localised white facies is developed adjacent to metasedimentary xenoliths. The back rapakivi granites are extremely fresh and have an anhydrous primary mafic mineralogy of olivine and orthopyroxene, with rare inverted pigeonite and clinopyroxene; minor amounts of biotite and amphibole occur in most fayalite-bearing rapakivi granites. Feldspars in these rocks are black and non-turbid. The white rapakivi granites have a wholly hydrous mafic silicate assemblage and turbid, white or cream-coloured feldspars. Electron microprobe analyses of the mafic silicates in the black rapakivi granites show that they are Fe-rich, comprising fayalite (Fa93−96.5), orthopyroxene (Fs77−81), ferro-pargasitic and ferro-edenitic hornblende (Fe/(Fe + Mg) = 0.72−0.93), and biotite (Fe/(Fe + Mg) = 0.77−0.88). Both biotite and amphibole crystallised subsolidus, and often adopt symplectic morphologies. Biotite has formed in response to a fayalite-consuming reaction at temperatures below 650–700°C and fO2, of 10−16.5 to 10−17.5 bars, and continued to grow under reducing conditions below the QFM buffer to temperatures below 450–500°C. Orthopyroxene formed in response to a low-pressure fayalite-consuming reaction in the melt. The correlation of black, pristine feldspar with anhydrous mafic silicates, and of turbid feldspar with hydrous phases suggests either that the feldspars reflect the anhydrous nature of the parent magma, or more likely that the mafic mineralogy of the white rapakivi granites is secondary.

Dissolution rates of small forsterite spheres in superheated melts of basalt, andesite and rhyolite composition have been measured at 1300°C, atmospheric pressure. The rate is constant (83 µm hr−1) in the basalt, regardless of run duration. In the andesite the initial dissolution rate is 200µm hr−1, followed by a decrease to a constant value of 16µmhr−1 in 2–3 hours. Dissolution rate in the rhyolite decreases from an initial value of 1.7 to <0.1 µmhr−1 over 280 hours and never reaches a constant rate. Once the rate of dissolution has become constant, the film of contaminated melt that forms in melt about a crystal does not thicken with time, indicating attainment of a steady-state condition. Steady state is attributed to natural convection arising from the difference in density between the film of contaminated melt surrounding a crystal and that beyond. The density difference is approximately 2% of the density of the rock melt.

Manganian andalusite occurs abundantly as porphyroblasts in manganiferous metasediments subjected to contact metamorphism under hornblende hornfels facies at the contact of a picrodolerite dyke near Manbazar, Purulia District, India. The Mn2O3 content of andalusite varies from 13.2% to 19.17%, corresponding to 14.8 and 21.14 mole per cent of ‘Mn2SiO5’ respectively. Based on the analysis showing maximum amount of Mn2O3 in andalusite, the mineral formula may be represented as follows:

Other minerals in the assemblage are muscovite, manganophyllite, spessartine, piemontite, quartz, braunite, hematite and rutile. The manganian andalusite is completely fresh and appears to have formed at the expense of spessartine, piemontite and braunite during contact metamorphism. The manganian andalusite probably formed at about 600°C at around 3 kbar pressure. This is another rare example of andalusite with very high Mn2O3 (and Fe2O3) as well as that of an occurrence of abundant manganian andalusite.

A new occurrence of barium silicates has been found in unmetamorphosed sedimentary rocks of central North Greenland. Two different barium minerals have been identified, the Ba-feldspar hyalophane, and an unknown and hitherto undescribed hydrated Ba-silicate with an anhydrous chemical composition identical to cymrite but with about 4 moles of water in the mineral structure. Both silicates are found in a black organic-rich chert sequence in close association with baryte. No replacement textures are observed between the three Ba-minerals.

The hydrated Ba-silicate in the unmetamorphosed rock sequence of the Navarana Fjord area is considered to represent a member in a sequence of Ba-silicates from the unknown Ba-silicate with four H2O in the structure (BaAl2Si2O8·4H2O), through cymrite with one H2O (BaAl2Si2O2O8·H2O) to celsian with none (BaAl2Si2O8). This sequence might reflect the continuous release of water during prograde diagenesis and metamorphism. The association between chert and Ba minerals in the sedimentary rocks of the Navarana Fjord area is believed to reflect an addition of silica and barium by hydrothermal solutions.

A zeolite found in a soil profile developed in Danian chalk was studied. The results showed that it is a heulandite, temperature-stable to above 600°C with a Si/Al ratio of 2.88 and almost completely K-exchanged. The mineral probably formed under burial diagenetic conditions in the chalk formation.

The unstable glassy component of the Oligocene tuffaceous sediments of the Metaxades area, Thrace, Greece, has undergone extensive zeolitic diagenetic alteration. The authigenic minerals occur as crypto- to micro-crystalline aggregates making up most of the matrix in the altered tuffs and as precipitates in cavities produced by dissolved glass fragments. Glass-shard pseudomorphs are ubiquitous and most of them are partly filled by one or more of the minerals smectite, heulandite, mordenite and silica.

The heulandite group zeolites are mostly high-silica calcium-rich heulandites showing intermediate thermal behaviour between most heulandites and clinoptilolites. Their Si/Al ratios are similar to clinoptilolite (4.74–5.19) but their divalent/monovalent cation ratios (1.5–3.24) are partly superposed onto the ratios of heulandite group 1 and 2 and differ considerably from the values of the relevant ratio in clinoptilolite. Rare K-rich clinoptilolite crystals have been identified in one sample only.

Based on field observations, compositions and paragenetic relationships of coexisting authigenic minerals and the absence of critical phases such as laumontite, analcime or authigenic albite, it is suggested that the Metaxades pyroclastic rocks underwent burial diagenesis intermediate between Iijima's (1978) zones II and III commonly developed in silica saturated environments.

Sakhaite from the Kombat Mine in Namibia is cubic, with a = 14.749(1)Å; the space group is a subgroup of Fd3m, the density is 2.88 g/cm3, and the index of refraction is n = 1.642(2). It is apparently more highly hydrated than previously described sakhaite, and has more aluminosilicate substitution. The idealized composition is Ca24Mg8(BO3)8[(BO3)y{AlSi4(O,OH)<16}x](CO3)8.< 8H2O with x = 0.73 and y = 5.0.

In the Gåsborn area, West Bergslagen, central Sweden, Fe-rich, indium-bearing (0.1–2.0wt.% In) sphalerite is replaced by Fe-poor sphalerite containing minute inclusions of chalcopyrite, roquesite and an unnamed In-Zn-rich phase. Fe-rich, In-bearing sphalerite is primary; indium occurs as a roquesite molecule in solid solution. Fe-poor sphalerite, roquesite, chalcopyrite and the unnamed In-Zn-rich phase were formed from In-bearing sphalerite by secondary processes, characterized by the so-called ‘chalcopyrite disease’.

Uranium-lead isotope dating of two zircon inclusions in sapphires from the Central Province, NSW. gives ages of 35.9 ± 1.9 and 33.7 ± 2.1 million years (Ma). These ages fall within the range of basalt potassium-argon ages of 19 to 38Ma and zircon fission track ages of 2 to 49Ma for the timing of volcanism of the Central Province, NSW. These data, combined with the observation that corundum is found associated with many alkali basaltic provinces, indicate a genetic link between the growth of large corundum crystals and the processes involved in alkali basaltic magma generation. The reported failure of experimental attempts to grow corundum from a corundum-bearing basaltic composition, and more significantly, the abundance of incompatible elements such as U, Th, Zr, Nb and Ta in inclusion minerals indicate that the crystallization process is not simple. Corundum and the other minerals found as its inclusions (zircon, columbite, thorite, uranium pyrochlore, alkali feldspar etc.) could not have crystallized from most basaltic compositions. A more complex process must occur in which crystallization takes place when there are high proportions of incompatible elements and volatiles in the melt. These crystallization products are then carried to the surface by upward movement of later magmas. The extent of this process presumably determines whether a particular basaltic province carries sufficient corundum to be worked into economic concentrations of sapphire.

The dehydration of gypsum CaSO4.2H2O has been studied, at negligible water vapour pressure, by in situ infrared (IR) spectroscopy and by thermogravimetry to determine whether intermediate phases (CaSO4.nH2O) exist, other than the hemihydrate with n=0.5, and also to compare the mechanism of the dehydration process when measured by two techniques with very different correlation lengths. Thermogravimetry shows an apparently continuous water loss with an activation energy of 90.3 kJ.mol−1, with no changes in the activation energy as a function of the degree of dehydration. IR spectroscopy on the other hand, clearly shows the existence of three discrete phases, gypsum CaSO4.2H2O, hemihydrate CaSO4.0.5H2O and γ-CaSO4, with nucleation of each successive phase as dehydration proceeds. There is no evidence to suggest the presence of phases with any intermediate water content.