The Palaeogene Slieve Gullion Igneous Complex comprises a layered central intrusion surrounded by a slightly older ring dyke. The ring dyke contains two major intrusive rock types. About 70% of the ring dyke is occupied by porphyritic granophyre and 30% by porphyritic felsite. Locally complex relationships between the two lithologies are observed. Major and trace element compositions suggest that there are two distinct chemical groups within each lithology: a Si-rich felsite, concentrated in a ~1 m wide zone at the outer margins of the dyke which grades into a less Si-rich felsite towards the interior. Similarly, a Si-rich granophyre, concentrated in the centre of the intrusion grades outwards into a Si-poor granophyre facies.

These rock relationships and geochemical variations suggest that a complex magma chamber hosted a stratified granitic magma body and various wall/floor magma facies. Low density, high-Si felsite magma from the top of the chamber was tapped first, followed by less Si-rich felsite magma as evacuation proceeded. The granophyres probably originate from the chamber walls/floor, representing more mushy equivalents of the felsite magma. Little granophyre magma was tapped during the early stages of the evacuation sequence. As evacuation continued, probably aided by trap-door caldera collapse, the ‘granophyre magmas’ intruded the already emplaced and slightly cooled felsite, forming the complexly zoned structure of the Slieve Gullion ring intrusion.

The Koktokay No. 3 granitic pegmatite, Altai, northwestern China, is a strongly zoned rare-element granitic pegmatite, where the petrographic zones were distinguished into two groups: outer zones (I to IV) and inner zones (V to IX). Nb-Ta oxides and zircon are investigated in this paper by using quantitative electron-microprobe analyses (EMPA) and backscattered-electron (BSE) imaging. Columbite-tantalite and zircon occur in most textural zones, whereas tapiolite and uranmicrolite are mainly restricted to zone VII. Manganocolumbite and zircon from the outer zones (zones II and IV) are homogeneous except for a few exceptions, whereas manganotantalite and hafnian zircon from the inner zones (V–VII) are obviously heterogeneous and strongly zoned. Chemically, Ta/(Nb+Ta) in columbite-tantalite and Hf/(Zr+Hf) in zircon increase from the outer to the inner zones on one hand, and from core to rim in single zoned crystals on the other hand. Observations of intra-zonal variations of the chemical composition of Nb-Ta oxides and zircon in the Koktokay No. 3 granitic pegmatite may suggest that the outer zones crystallize under magmatic conditions, whereas the inner zones crystallize under fluid-rich magmatic conditions, and locally under hydrothermal conditions. The extreme enrichments of columbite-tantalite in Ta, and of zircon in Hf, as well as the occurrence of uranmicrolite and tapiolite, indicate an elevated evolution of the Koktokay No. 3 granitic pegmatite.

Hydrothermal synthesis produced the new compound SrCo2(AsO4)(AsO3OH)(OH)(H2O). The compound belongs to the tsumcorite group (natural and synthetic compounds with the general formula M(1)M(2)2(XO4)2(H2O,OH)2; M(1)1+,2+,3+ = Na, K, Rb, Ag, NH4, Ca, Pb, Bi, Tl; M(2)2+,3+ = Al, Mn3+, Fe3+, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn; and X5+,6+ = P, As, V, S, Se, Mo). It represents (1) the first Sr member, (2) the until now unknown [7]-coordination for the M(1) position, (3) the first proof of (partially) protonated arsenate groups in this group of compounds, and (4) a new structure variant.

The crystal structure of the title compound was determined using single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. The compound is monoclinic, space group P21/a, with a = 9.139(2), b = 12.829(3), c = 7.522(2) Å, β = 114.33(3)°, V = 803.6(3) Å3, Z = 4 [wR2 = 0.065 for 3530 unique reflections]. The hydrogen atoms were located experimentally.

Metabasites in the Dalradian Argyll and Southern Highland Groups experienced multiphase deformation and coeval Barrovian-type prograde and retrograde metamorphism during the Caledonian Grampian orogeny. Metamorphic Ca-amphiboles crystallized with plagioclase,epidote,chlorite and quartz, and sometimes with garnet and clinopyroxene. The minor changes in metabasite mineral assemblages and systematic mineral-chemical variations in Ca-amphibole confirm the classical concept of increasing metamorphic grade in metapelitic Chlorite to Sillimanite zones. In the Chlorite zone, high-Ti brown amphibole enclosed by green Ca-amphibole is interpreted as a magmatic relic. In the Chlorite, Biotite,Garnet and Andalusite zones, Ca-amphibole displays zonation with actinolite in cores and magnesio-hornblende to tschermakite in rims. Poor amphibole zonations occur in the Kyanite and Sillimanite zones. Ca-amphibole zonations are best described in terms of IVAl, VIAl and Ti which semiquantitatively monitor temperature and pressure changes. Maximal IVAl in amphibole increase with metamorphic grade. Empirically calibrated amphibole equilibria enabled us to reconstruct coherent prograde P-T paths and maximal P and T from the mineral zones; with Tmax of 680±50°C in the Sillimanite zone and Pmax of 8±1.2 kbar in the Kyanite zone. Prograde P-T paths indicate that elevated geothermal gradients should be considered even at the beginning of the Grampian Barrovian metamorphism.

Lapilli and spatter of natrocarbonatite extruded from the T56B cone of Oldoinyo Lengai (Tanzania) in August 2003 are unusually rich in apatite, silicate, oxide and sulphide minerals. These minerals occur primarily within inclusions of quenched natrocarbonatite in gregoryite and fractures in nyerereite-gregoryite intergrowths. Silicates include members of the sodian cuspidine–niobian cuspidine–niocalite solid-solution series and manganoan monticellite. Oxides are represented by members of the magnesioferrite–jacobsite–magnetite solid-solution series. Sulphides occurring in decreasing order of abundance include: ferroan alabandite, manganoan ferroan sphalerite, galena and pyrrhotite. Petrographic and compositional data for these minerals are interpreted to indicate that all are high-temperature (<900–650°C), early-crystallizing phases from relatively-unevolved natrocarbonatite magma, with the sulphides forming prior to the silicates, and the latter before gregoryite. Sulphur fugacityand oxygen fugacity of natrocarbonatite magma are considered to decrease and increase, respectively, during the formation of the sulphide-oxide assemblage. Crystallization of cuspidine-niocalite, monticellite and Si-bearing apatite rapidly depletes natrocarbonatite magma of its initial low silica content, preventing crystallization of late-stage groundmass silicates.

Zircon- and reidite-type ZrSiO4 produced by shock recovery experiments at different pressures have been studied using infrared (IR) and Raman spectroscopy. The v3 vibration of the SiO4 group in shocked natural zircon shows a spectral change similar to that seen in radiation-damaged zircon: a decrease in frequency and increase in linewidth. The observation could imply a possible similar defective crystal structure between the damaged and shocked zircon. The shock-pressure-induced structural phase transition from zircon (I41/amd) to reidite (I41/a) is proven by the occurrence of additional IR and Raman bands. Although the SiO4 groups in both zircon- and reidite-ZrSiO4 are isolated, the more condensed scheelite gives rise to Si–O stretching bands at lower frequencies, suggesting a weakening of the bond strength. Low-temperature IR data of the reidite-type ZrSiO4 show an insignificant effect of cooling on the phonon modes, suggesting that the structural response of reidite to cooling-induced compression is weak and its thermal expansion is very small.

An investigation of the relative stabilities and equations of state of possible Fe3S polymorphs was conducted using first-principles pseudopotential calculations. These calculations were based on density functional theory and performed using ultrasoft Vanderbilt pseudopotentials within the generalized gradient approximation. In accord with experiment, we found that the tetragonal Fe3P-type polymorph is the only stable phase along the 0 K isotherm as a function of pressure. Fe3S exhibits permanent magnetism at ambient conditions (Fei et al., 2000), but magnetism is suppressed by pressure and temperature, and therefore non-magnetic data are appropriate ones to use for modelling planetary interiors. For this reason, and because the Fe3P-type polymorph of Fe3S contains 32 atoms per unit cell it was impractical to incorporate magnetic properties into the simulations of this phase, we studied the behaviour of the non-magnetic phase. We obtained values of 250 GPa for the bulk modulus, K0, and 4.61 for its first derivative withrespect to pressure, K0′, by fitting a 3rd order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state to the calculated internal energy as a function of volume for the non-magnetic Fe3P-type Fe3S. This suggests that a pressure far greater than that expected in the Martian interior would be needed to achieve a density comparable to that of the Martian core. We therefore conclude that it is unlikely that the core of Mars contains significant amounts of solid Fe3S.

We have studied the structures of Al/Si disordered leucite and bicchulite with a quantum mechanical version of the virtual crystal approximation, VCA. In leucite, the average tetrahedron has a composition of (AlSi2)O4, while bicchulite represents an extreme case with (Al2Si)O4 tetrahedra. Both structures are well described with the VCA. In conjunction with an earlier study, where we have shown that the (AlSi)O4 tetrahedra in gehlenite and Al,Si-disordered octahedra are also well reproduced, we have now established that the VCA gives a reliable description of the averaged structure of disordered aluminosilicates over the whole compositional range. The current calculations confirm that Al/Si ordering is not driving the cubic to tetragonal phase transformation in leucite. In bicchulite, the model calculations are consistent with hydrogen on Wyckoff position 8c, in agreement with the result of a single crystal X-ray diffraction study, but in variance with results based on a neutron powder diffraction study.

In 2004, the International Mineralogical Association (IMA) amended the IMA 97 amphibole classification and nomenclature scheme byadding a fifth group to include the recently discovered B(LiNa) amphiboles ferriwhittakeriite and ferri-ottoliniite, which cannot be fitted into the four major amphibole groups. New root-names such as sodic-pedrizite in the Mg-Fe-Mn-Li group and obertiite and dellaventuraite in the sodic group along with two new prefixes, parvo and magno have also been added. As result it has become necessary to modify the AMPH-IMA97 amphibole-naming program. The new program (AMPH-IMA04) allows single input or automatic input of as many amphibole analyses as are available following a set input format. Any of three different calculation schemes for dealing with an amphibole analysis can be chosen: (1) complete chemical analyses can be calculated to 24(O,OH,F,Cl); (2) analyses with determined FeO and Fe2O3, MnO and Mn2O3 but without H2O can be calculated to 23(O); and (3) electron microprobe analyses with only total Fe determined and without H2O can be calculated to 23(O) with IMA97-recommended normalization for Fe3+ and Fe2+ values. In addition a stoichiometric calculation of Mn2+ and Mn3+ is considered and implemented for the Mn-bearing sodic amphiboles in order to take care of electron microprobe analyses of such amphiboles where the total Mn is given as Mn2+.