Mineralogical Society of America

2008 edition of le Regne Mineral

M. Jacques Patureau kindly sent me a copy of the 2008 edition of le Regne Mineral, which is dedicated to the geology and mineralogy of granitic pegmatites in the region of Monts d'Ambazac, central France. The publication, which is available from http://www.leregnemineral.fr/ contains several articles (including one by M. Patureau) that outline the general geology, zoning, common and exotic mineralogy, and likely processes behind the formation of granitic pegmatites containing beryl, topaz, oxides, autunite and other phosphates, and other minerals. The photographic quality is excellent, and more than similar magazines of its type, the common habits of minerals are illustrated along with the spectacular but not-so-representative pocket contents.

M. Patureau has previously contributed photographs of pegmatites near Margnac to the PIG site, and his posting remains on PIG for your viewing. I thank M. Patureau greatly for bringing the publication to the attention of the PIGs.

David London

Now available from the Mineralogical Association of Canada
Pegmatites
by David London

Canadian Mineralogist Special Publication 10, 368 p., 859 references, hundreds of color photos of mineral specimens and pegmatite dike sections, plus a CD containing photos and Mineralogical Association of Canada Short Course Notes 8, “Pegmatites in Science and Industry” (1982). Order on line at http://www.mineralogicalassociation.ca

Western Australia is a treasure trove. Emeralds, green tourmalines, purple lepidolite, lustrous black tantalite and other minerals are found in pegmatites scattered across the vastness of Western Australia. Fossickers, prospectors, and miners have searched out and mined these pegmatites since the late 1800s. Successive mineral booms for cassiterite, muscovite, beryl, lithium, feldspar and most recently tantalum during the 1990s resulted in further pegmatite exploration. The locations, directions to the deposits and descriptions of these localities are often buried in obscure or unpublished reports or even kept secret by a handful of fossickers. The Guidebook to the Pegmatites of Western Australia summarises the history, geology and mineralogy for all the known pegmatites in Western Australia. Most importantly, the book provides specific, geodetic locations of these deposits and their ownership where known. As such, this guidebook is an excellent first tool for planning recreational fossicking trips to Western Australian localities. For professional geologists first encountering Western Australia, the guidebook is an excellent introduction to the pegmatites and their economic minerals, containing first hand information, in some cases available no where else.

For armchair collectors with purchased mineral specimens, the guidebook will help clarify labels of minerals attributed to Western Australian pegmatites. More than 200 pegmatite groups are described with 75 maps and 100 pictures in 340 pages, completely referenced. Each pegmatite group is located, directions given to the locality, its mining history, geology and mineralogy. This book is an essential companion to Edward S. Simpson's 1948-52, Minerals of Western Australia, locating the sources of his described pegmatite minerals.

The authors of the guidebook know their subject. Mark Andrew Calderwood is a second generation pegmatite geologist-mineralogist, who started exploring and mining Western Australian pegmatites with his father in the 1970s. He has personally mined more than a few of the described localities and currently manages a tantalite deposit in Africa. Benjamin Alexander Grguric is a professional mineralogist and a life-long fossicker. Mark Ivan Jacobson is also a geologist-mineralogist with a specialty in pegmatites since the 1970s. These three have combined their experiences, providing the reader with the results of their searching and finding pegmatites in Western Australia.