Zapiski Vserossijskogo mineralogičeskogo obŝestva

On the base of published data and results of original researches, there were revealed 21 mineral species of the amphibole supergroup minerals in the Lovozero alkaline massif (Kola peninsula, Russia). Among them, 11 species belong to sodium amphiboles, 4 species are sodium-calcium amphiboles and 6 species – calcium ones. Sodium amphiboles are widely present in alkaline rocks of all complexes in the Lovozero massif – layered, eudialyte, and poikilitic complexes, in pegmatites and hydrothermal veins, as well as in roof xenoliths of volcanoclastic rocks of the trap formation. Magnesio-arfvedsonite is the most widespread sodium amphibole, often it is the rock-forming and the main melanocratic mineral. Sodium-calcium amphiboles are found in the poikilitic complex and in xenoliths of volcanoclastic rocks. Calcium amphiboles occur only in xenoliths of volcanoclastic rocks altered metamorphically or metasomatically in different degree. There are analyzed morphology, chemical composition, isomorphic replacements and paragenetic associations of amphiboles in the Lovozero massif, their belonging to different types and complexes of rocks, and their abundance. The critical review of previously published data on amphiboles in the Lovozero massif is given according to the present nomenclature of the amphibole supergroup minerals.

The paper displays review of new minerals published in 2022. Data for each one mineral include its crystal-chemical formula, unit cell parameters, principal physical properties, chemical composition, type locality, etymology of its name, reference of the first publishing about it. In total, the review includes data on 106 newly discovered minerals approved by the IMA. There are also references for publications on questions of classification and nomenclature of minerals, improvements of composition and structure of known mineral species.

The typochemical features of spinels forming continuous series from Al–Cr spinels to Ti-magnetite and ulvöshpinel from basic-ultrabasic rocks of the North Siberian platform are considered. Their comparative characteristics are carried out with similar minerals of alkaline basalts of oceanic islands and Lunar marine basalts on the modified 3D-diagram Al–Cr–(Fe³⁺ + 2Ti)–Fe²⁺ proposed by the author. The identification of a continuous isomorphous series from chromian spinel to ulvöspinel is one of the mineralogical indicators of a possible paragenetic relationship between picrite-basalt, alkaline olivine-basalt, alkaline-ultrabasic, and kimberlite formations in the North Siberian platform. Using the Ballhaus-Berry-Green olivine-chromespinel oxythermobarometer, it was shown that for the studied rocks of the North Siberian platform, the oxygen volatility lg fO₂ is 2–4 orders of magnitude higher than that specified by the fayalite-magnetite-quartz (FMQ) buffer and corresponds to the oxidation state of platinum-bearing dunite-clinopyroxenite associations of rocks of the Ural-Alaskan and Aldan types.

The article is devoted to the history of ideas about the shape of the crystal polyhedron and its structure. It is shown how the ideas of face belts and crystal lattice naturally introduce infinities into the science of crystals, always finite in the practice of mineralogists. The article is timed to the 2000th anniversary of the birth of Pliny the Elder, the 385th – of N. Stenon, the 280th – of R.J. Haüy, the 180th – of P.G. Groth, the 170th – of V.M. Goldschmidt, E.S. Fedorov, and A.M. Schönflies. All of them in their work tried to master the seemingly infinite varieties of objects according to found principles.

Regular IX All-Russian symposium “Mineralogy and geochemistry of the landscape of mining” and the XVI All-Russian readings in the memory of Academician A.Ye. Fersman “Rational environmental management” and “Contemporary mineral-forming” become traditional scientific event carrying out since 2006 by the Institute of natural resources, ecology and cryology (INREC) of Siberian Division of the RAS, the Chita division of the Russian Mineralogical Society and Commission on contemporary mineral-forming processes, as well as by the Laboratory of mineralogy and geochemistry of the landscape, which was created by resolution of Scientific Councils of INREC and the Zabaikalsky state university in 2001 and is functioning on the non-for-profit base. These conferences have been carried out in Chita from August 26 to September 2, 2023, they were dedicated to the 300th Anniversary of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the same 300 years dating from discovery of Sherlova Gora (Schörl Mountain) – well known deposit of gem-stones and rare metals in the Southeastern Transbaikalia. The program of these events included the excursion in Adun-Chelon and the Schörl Mountain. Materials of these conferences are published in printing and in electronic format.