Synneusis, the drifting together and systematic attachment of crystals in a melt, is involved in three of the known origins for mantled feldspars: (1) overgrowth, (2) exsolution, and (3) filling of skeletal plagioclase. Quartz latite dikes of the Chocolate Mountains, California, contain plagioclase crystals in parallel and twinned synneusis. Sanidine mantles consisting of segments, each crystal...

The decay features of thirty-nine monuments built with granite stones and presenting diverse architectural characteristics, date of construction and environment characteristics (including exposition conditions, traffic intensity, etc) are compare in order to discuss decay patterns and susceptibility of granite types applied in architectural works. Decay patterns of biotite-rich medium to fine-g...

Abiotic reductive dechlorination of chlorinated ethylenes (tetrachloroethylene (PCE), trichloroethylene (TCE), cis-dichloroethylene (c-DCE), and vinylchloride (VC)) by iron-bearing phyllosilicates (biotite, vermiculite, and montmorillonite) was characterized to obtain better understanding of the behavior of these contaminants in systems undergoing remediation by natural attenuation and redox ma...

The Xihuashan granitic complex (southern China) is mainly composed of coarse-grained porphyritic biotite granite (G–a), medium-grained porphyritic biotite granite (G–b), and mediumto fine-grained porphyritic biotite granite (G–c). The G–a granite is characterized by monazite-(Ce) and xenotime-(Y), in addition to commonly observed zircon and uranoan thorite. In the G–b and G–c intrusive units, m...

We estimated the water fugacity (f H2O) in the trachytic magma of Phlegrean Fields using the biotite–magnetite–sanidine equilibrium. We confirm that the partly ionic model is the most appropriate to estimate annite activity (aannite) for the experimental biotite. Crystallization experiments were carried out on a representative sample of trachytic Breccia Museo eruption, Naples, Italy. Experimen...

The formation of porphyroblasts by replacement and displacement of pre-existing S surfaces is examined in the light of textural evidence displayed by sediments hornfelsed by the Bushveld Igneous Complex. Helicitic biotite, staurolite, and cordierite all show replacement and displacement textures, the former being more common. The evidence indicates that porphyroblasts arc capable of creating lo...

Individual 1-3 mm biotite and muscovite clasts from Hanford sediment were contacted with 0.08 M CsNO3. They were examined using electron or X-ray microprobe methods, as intact specimens or sectioned perpendicular to their basal planes. Cs+ was observed to preferentially sorb to mica edges, steps on mica surfaces, or fractured regions. The localization of Cs conformed to hypothesized strong bind...