Selected Papers from the 2nd International Electronic Conference on Mineral Science

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 November 2021) | Viewed by 9541

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Endowed Pevehouse Chair, Department of Geosciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409-1053, USA
Interests: laser ablation ICP-MS; automated SEM; accessory mineral geochronology; mineral geochemistry; ore mineralogy; shale mineralogy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue comprises selected papers from the 2nd International Electronic Conference on Mineral Science (IECMS2021), held from 1–15 March 2021, on sciforum.net, an online platform for hosting scholarly e-conferences and discussion groups.

The conference is organized around the following eight themes:

  • Session A: Mineral Processing and Metallurgy;
  • Session B: Mineral Deposit Genesis;
  • Session C: Environmental Mineralogy and Biomineralization;
  • Session D: Mineral Geochemistry and Geochronology;
  • Session E: Crystallography and Physical Chemistry of Minerals;
  • Session F: Mineral Exploration Methods;
  • Session G: Clays, Nanominerals and Engineered Nanomaterials;
  • Session H: Analysis and Visualization of Large Datasets in Mineralogy.

For more information on IECMS2021, please go to https://sciforum.net/conference/iecms2021.

Prof. Dr. Paul Sylvester
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

26 pages, 96100 KiB  
Article
Crystal Chemistry of Six Grossular Garnet Samples from Different Well-Known Localities
by Sytle M. Antao
Minerals 2021, 11(7), 767; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11070767 - 15 Jul 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3182
Abstract
Two isotropic grossular (ideally Ca3Al2Si3O12) samples from (1) Canada and (2) Tanzania, three optically anisotropic grossular samples (3, 4, 5) from Mexico, and one (6) anisotropic sample from Italy were studied. The crystal structure of [...] Read more.
Two isotropic grossular (ideally Ca3Al2Si3O12) samples from (1) Canada and (2) Tanzania, three optically anisotropic grossular samples (3, 4, 5) from Mexico, and one (6) anisotropic sample from Italy were studied. The crystal structure of the six samples was refined in the cubic space group Ia3¯d, using monochromatic synchrotron high-resolution powder X-ray diffraction (HRPXRD) data and the Rietveld method. The compositions of the samples were obtained from electron microprobe analyses (EPMA). The HRPXRD traces show a single cubic phase for two isotropic samples, whereas the four anisotropic samples contain two different cubic phases that were also resolved using X-ray elemental line scans, backscattered electron (BSE) images, and elemental maps. Structural mismatch from two cubic phases intergrown in the birefringent samples gives rise to strain-induced optical anisotropy. Considering the garnet general formula, [8]X3[6]Y2[4]Z3[4]O12, the results of this study show that with increasing unit-cell parameter, the Y-O distance increases linearly and rather steeply, the average <X-O> distance increases just slightly in response to substitution mainly on the Y site, while the Z-O distance remains nearly constant. The X and Z sites in grossular contain Ca and Si atoms, respectively; both sites show insignificant substitutions by other atoms, which is supported by a constant Z-O distance and only a slight increase in the average <X-O> distance. The main cation exchange is realized in the Y site, where Fe3+ (ionic radius = 0.645 Å) replaces Al3+ (ionic radius = 0.545 Å), so the Y-O distance increases the most. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 35748 KiB  
Article
Geopolymers Based on Mechanically Activated Fly Ash Blended with Dolomite
by Alexander M. Kalinkin, Basya I. Gurevich, Elena V. Kalinkina, Mikhail V. Chislov and Irina A. Zvereva
Minerals 2021, 11(7), 700; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11070700 - 29 Jun 2021
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2502
Abstract
This study reports the effect of natural dolomite addition to fly ash and the mechanical activation of this blend on the geopolymerization process. Dolomite was replaced with fly ash at 1, 3, 5, and 10 wt.%. Geopolymers were synthesized at ambient temperature using [...] Read more.
This study reports the effect of natural dolomite addition to fly ash and the mechanical activation of this blend on the geopolymerization process. Dolomite was replaced with fly ash at 1, 3, 5, and 10 wt.%. Geopolymers were synthesized at ambient temperature using NaOH solution as an alkaline agent. The geopolymerization process, reactivity of the raw material, compressive strength, and microstructure were studied using X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetry, and scanning electron microscopy. It was shown that blending fly ash with dolomite and mechanical activation improved the geopolymer strength, especially during the early age of curing. For geopolymers prepared using a 90% fly ash + 10% dolomite blend cured for 7 d, the strengths were 8.2-, 2.3-, and 1.4-fold higher than those for geopolymers prepared using 100% FA for 30 s, 180 s, and 400 s milling times, respectively. A simple method for evaluating the increments of mechanical activation, carbonate additives, and the synergistic effect in the increase in the compressive strength of the composite geopolymer is proposed. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 4407 KiB  
Article
Geochemical Fractions of Heavy Metals in Bottom Sediments of the Pobeda Hydrothermal Cluster in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (17°07′–17°08′ N)
by Liudmila Demina, Irina Gablina, Dmitry Budko, Olga Dara, Aleksandra Solomatina, Nina Gorkova and Tatiyana Smirnova
Minerals 2021, 11(6), 591; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11060591 - 31 May 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2466
Abstract
In this study, to better understand the influence of hydrothermal processes on ore metal accumulation in bottom sediments, we examined distribution of Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, As, and Pb in core of metalliferous sediments from the Pobeda hydrothermal cluster, and in core of [...] Read more.
In this study, to better understand the influence of hydrothermal processes on ore metal accumulation in bottom sediments, we examined distribution of Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, As, and Pb in core of metalliferous sediments from the Pobeda hydrothermal cluster, and in core of non-mineralized (background) carbonate sediments (located 69 km northwards). Mechanisms of Fe, Mn, Cu, and Zn accumulation in sediments (12 samples) were evaluated based on sequential extraction of geochemical fractions, including a conditional mobile (F-1, exchangeable complex; F-2, authigenic Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides and associated metals; F-3, metals bound to organic matter/sulfides), and residual (F-4), fixed in crystalline lattices ones. The element contents were determined by the XRF and AAS methods, total carbon (TC) and total organic carbon (TOC) were determined using a Shimadzu TOC-L-CPN. Mineral composition and maps of element distribution in sediment components were obtained using the XRD and SEM-micro-X-ray spectrometry methods, respectively. In metalliferous sediments, according to our data, the major Fe mineral phase was goethite FeOOH (37–44% on a carbonate-free basis, cfb). In the metalliferous core, average contents (cfb), of Fe and Mn were 32.1% and 0.29%, whereas those of Cu, Zn, Pb, and As, were 0.74%, 0.27%, 0.03%, and 0.02%, respectively. Metalliferous sediments are enriched in Fe, Cu, Zn, Pb, and As, relatively to background ones. The exception was Mn, for which no increased accumulation in metalliferous core was recorded. Essential mass of Fe (up to 70% of total content) was represented by the residual fraction composed of crystallized goethite, aluminosilicates, the minerals derived from bedrock destruction processes mineral debris. Among geochemically mobile fractions, to 80% Fe of the (F-1 + F-2 + F-3) sum was determined in the form of F-2, authigenic oxyhydroxides. The same fraction was a predominant host for Mn in both metalliferous and background sediments (to 85%). With these Fe and Mn fractions, a major portion of Cu, Zn, and Pb was associated, while a less their amount was found in sulfide/organic fraction. In the metalliferous sediment core, maximal concentrations of metals and their geochemically mobile fractions were recorded in the deeper core sediment layers, an observation that might be attributed to influence of hydrothermal diffused fluids. Our data suggested that ore metals are mostly accumulated in sediment cores in their contact zone with the underlying serpentinized peridotites. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop