Minerals with a French Connection

About this book

Systematic mineralogy has as its main goal a survey of crystalline species, the basic building blocks of all natural assemblages. As a nascent area of investigation under the guidance of such visionaries as Romé de l'Isle and René-Just Haüy, mineralogy consisted essentially of the systematic approach. Since then, the field has evolved and developed in multiple directions. Nevertheless, systematic mineralogy remains a solid core, enriched each year by discoveries of a hundred or so new species. Minerals with a French Connection offers an opportunity to illustrate this systematic approach in the context of mineral species with a French connection. François Fontan (1942-2007), research scientist (CNRS) at Université Paul Sabatier in Toulouse (France), undertook the project, and Robert Martin, Emeritus Professor of Geology at McGill University, Montreal (Canada), brought it to fruition. The profiles and discoveries of past and contemporary contributors to the vitality of mineralogy in France are highlighted, as is the geological context of the type localities.

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