Journal of Applied Crystallography
The title Monteregian treasures and the
appearance suggest a 'coffee-table'
book, and indeed it contains the wealth
of beautiful colour photographs one
might expect in such a book. But there
is much more besides. The book is a
classic of topograhical descriptive
mineralogy, reviewing their available
information on the minerals of a particular
area, a type of book which seems
to be enjoying a welcome revival after a
long lapse from popularity.
Mont Saint-Hilaire, one of the
Monteregian Hills about 40 km east of
Montreal, is one of the mineralogical
treasure troves of the world. It has
yielded some of the most remarkable
and beautiful mineral specimens and
many examples of rare species. The
book brings together for the first time
the known data on the 221 mineral
species found at Mont Saint-Hilaire
which include examples of many rare
carbonates and silicates.
The book begins with an introduction
to the geology, petrology and geochemistry
of the area; the minerals
which occur there, their chemical
classes and the different types of geological
environment in which they occur.
The main part of the book is devoted to
the description of each of the minerals
found at Mont Saint-Hilaire and covers
Form and habit, Physical properties,
Occurrence and associated minerals,
Optical properties, Chemical data, Crystallographic
data and Distinguishing
features. There are coloured or blackand-
white photomicrographs to illustrate
the habit of many of the minerals
described. Appendices contain (A)
single-crystal data arranged in alphabetical
order of mineral species and in
'Crystal Data' order by crystal system
and axial ratios; (B) powder diffraction
data (six strongest lines) in order of
mineral species and in Hanawalt order;
(C) mineral occurrences in the different
types of geological environment; (D)
mineral species by chemical classification;
(E) chemical analyses of the
minerals.
The book is a most comprehensive
reference work: the mineral collectors
and museum workers for whom it must
be mainly intended will find it invaluable
as an aid to mineral identification
and as a source of data on the rarer
minerals generally. Mineralogists are
fortunate that their subject allows them
a reference book like this, whose clarity
of layout and colour photographs will
make it a delight to use or just look
through.
-JAMES E. CHISHOLM
|
