The properties of matter at extreme length scales can differ markedly from those at length scales accessible to human observation. Nanogeoscience is described here: analytical techniques ranging from atomic force microscopy, nanoscale SIMS, TEM and EELS, to recent developments in nano-scale resolution in synchrotron radiation.
This volume of the EMU Notes in Mineralogy is one of the outcomes of a school in planetary mineralogy that was held in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2014. The school was inspired by the recent advances in our understanding of the nature and evolution of our Solar System that have come from the missions to study and sample asteroids and comets, and the very successful Mars orbiters and landers. At the same time our horizons have expanded greatly with the discovery of extrasolar protoplanetary disks, planets and planetary systems by space telescopes. The continued success of such telescopic and robotic exploration requires a supply of highly skilled people and so one of the goals of the Glasgow school was to help build a community of early-career planetary scientists and space engineers.
The editors have gathered in this book, reviews of past and current studies of mineral groups that have played important roles in geology, environmental science and health science. The various chapters cover the application of TEM and related techniques to: mineral groups in which TEM investigations have been extensive and crucial to the understanding of their mineralogy, namely pyriboles, serpentines, clays, micas and other metamorphic phyllosilicates, oxides and oxyhydroxides, sulfides and carbonates. Some research fields for which TEM is particularly suitable and which have produced significant advances, in particular, are inclusions and traces, extraterrestrial material, deformation processes, non-stoichiometry and superstructures, and biominerals. Nowadays, we are witnessing the push for the improvement of detectors for imaging (direct detection of electrons) and X-rays (silicon drift detectors and annular high solid-angle of collection detectors), the development of new support materials (e.g. graphene) and liquid cells for TEMs. Most of these new technologies have not yet been applied to mineralogical problems but we hope they will be in the near future.
Spectroscopic methods such as Raman are used to investigate the structure and dynamics of matter. They are essential for the study of the different types of mineral or organic materials produced at the Earths surface or interior. As a result of technological improvements in gratings, detectors, filters and personal computers in the last decade, many micro-Raman spectrometers have become plug-and-play instruments, very easy to use and available at a lower cost than the early Raman microprobes. Thus, many laboratories in Earth Sciences and Cultural Heritage are equipped with these new spectrometers. Commercial, portable Raman spectrometers working in the field have also contributed to the spread of Raman spectroscopy. Poor levels of education in terms of Raman spectroscopy in undergraduate courses in Earth Sciences make it difficult for individuals to obtain information of the highest quality relevant to Earth sciences and Cultural Heritage. This volume is, therefore, timely. Four main topics are addressed: Theory; Methodology, including the instrumentation; Experimental aspects; and Application.
In a sense, all mineralogy is environmental mineralogy. However, the term environmental has come to be employed (particularly in combination with terms such as science, issue or problem) to refer to those systems at or near the surface of the Earth where the geosphere comes into contact with the hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere. This is, of course, the environment upon which the human race depends for survival and, hence, is now sometimes referred to as the critical zone. Those systems containing minerals that constitute the most important or key environments are considered here: soils, modern sediments, atmospheric aerosols, and the interior or exterior parts of certain micro- and macro-organisms. Particularly important are the roles that minerals play in processes that act over time to control or influence the environment at various scales of observation. Both pure systems and those contaminated as a result of human activity are considered. The objectives for this volume are to help to define the subject of environmental mineralogy, and to provide an initial source of information both for mineralogists and other scientists who wish to understand or work in this field. It was hoped that it might also provide a text for use by those teaching courses in the subject at advanced undergraduate or graduate student level.
This book provides an updated review on the development of scanning probe microscopy and related techniques, and the availability of computational techniques not even imaginable a few decades ago. The 36 chapters cover instrumental aspects, theoretical models and selected experimental results, thus offering a broad panoramic view on fundamental issues in nanotribology which are currently being investigated. Compared to the first edition, several topics have been added, including triboluminescence, graphene mechanics, friction and wear in liquid environments, capillary condensation, and multiscale friction modeling. Particular care has been taken to avoid overlaps and guarantee the independence of the chapters. In this way, our book aims to become a key reference on this subject for the next five to ten years to come.
Natural nanomaterials and nanotechnologies are all around us, which inevitably leads to these questions: What are these natural nanomaterials made of? Where can we find them? What can they do? Answering these questions will facilitate new and environmentally friendly ways of creating and manipulating nanoscale materials for the next generation of new technologies. A truly multidisciplinary resource, this book brings together studies from astronomy, physics, chemistry, materials science, engineering, geology and geophysics, environmental science, agricultural science, entomology, molecular biology, and health and provides an invaluable resource for learning how various scientists approach similar problems.
Gold occurs in many settings, but the dynamic nature of Earth’s crust means overlapping and overprinting deposit styles are common. Characterization of mineralization from an early stage becomes important, particularly where the mineralization is complex, in order to maximize exploration and project development success and mining productivity. Various techniques are used at different stages of a project to characterize gold deposits. This Special Publication offers a cross-section of some specific techniques used to investigate a variety of gold deposit types. The papers highlight both the breadth of the available techniques and their utility in deposit characterization, but also the many significant remaining questions and problems related to the exploration and research of gold deposits. Several papers include suggestions of avenues for fruitful further research, including a paper discussing a new approach to classifying orogenic gold deposits, and a paper describing archaeological applications of natural gold analyses.
This volume examines important experimental techniques needed to characterise inorganic materials in order to elucidate their properties for practical application. Addressing methods that examine the structures and properties of materials over length scales ranging from local atomic order to long-range order on the meso- and macro-scopic scales, Multi Length-Scale Characterisation contains five detailed chapters: Measurement of Bulk Magnetic Properties Thermal Methods Atomic Force Microscopy Gas Sorption in the Analysis of Nanoporous Solids Dynamic Light Scattering Ideal as a complementary reference work to other volumes in the series (Local Structural Characterisation and Structure from Diffraction Methods) or as an examination of the specific characterisation techniques in their own right, Multi Length-Scale Characterisation is a valuable addition to the Inorganic Materials Series.
