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The Mineralogical Society of America (MSA) is professional membership organization open to any person interested in mineralogy, crystallography, geochemistry, petrology, or any allied science. The membership is international, and there is an appropriate grade of membership for every phase of your scientific and professional life, from student to retirement.

06/24/2026

American Mineralogist:
The bond-valence topological model I: The bond-valence topological map of tourmaline from Forshammar, Sweden
Peter Bačík
This publication develops the application of Bond Valence Topological Modeling to solve crystal-chemical problems and is the first attempt to model the structure of a real sample based on theoretical structural arrangements. The functional Bond Valence Topological Modeling, the connection of Structural Topology and Bond Valence Theory, can be used to reveal processes occurring at the deepest atomic-to-subatomic level that are involved in the crystallization of minerals.
https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2025-9920

06/23/2026

American Mineralogist:
Most nakhlite martian meteorites were magmas, not crystal cumulates
Allan H. Treiman
Most nakhlite Martian meteorites retain the compositions of their original magmas and are not accumulations of augite crystals. This recognition, that Mars produced pyroxenitic magma, means that Mars' mantle contains significant proportions of pyroxenite (at least locally), in addition to the expected peridotite. So, the Martian mantle is more complex than previously thought, and models of Martian magmatism must include contributions from mantle pyroxenite.
https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2025-9919

06/22/2026

Mineral Monday:
MSA Outreach at GSA and Other Meetings
By Andrea Koziol

At GSA (Geological Society of America) meetings and mineral shows, there is an opportunity for organizations to have a display. MSA has a booth (Fig. 1) with books for sale, but also displays of interesting minerals, their occurrences, and uses. It is a great way to reach out to the public.

You & your research can be featured in a future post. Send a short write-up and up to 4 photos to [email protected]

06/19/2026

American Mineralogist:
Hydrothermal rutile as a recorder of fluid evolution and W mineralization: Insights from the Northern Baoshan Block, China
Xiaobo Si, Xiang Sun, Ke Xiao, Qiang Li, Xu Zheng, Ke Miao, Yaqi Ye
The Wuchashu cassiterite and Shiganghe rutile yield U-Pb ages of 70.2 ± 2.1 Ma and 73.0 ± 5.5 Ma, respectively, indicating coeval W-Sn mineralization from the same magmatic-hydrothermal event. The Wuchashu rutile formed from ilmenite replacement driven by late-stage hydrothermal fluids, and the Shiganghe rutile crystallized directly from hydrothermal fluids and subsequently underwent alteration. The trace elements (e.g., Zr, Nb, Fe, Cr, V, Sb) in hydrothermal rutile can reveal variations in the physicochemical conditions (e.g., temperature and oxygen fugacity) of ore-forming fluids associated with W-Sn mineralization. Rutile can serve as an effective carrier for W, preventing its loss in F- and B-rich magmatic-hydrothermal systems and releasing W through a decrease in oxygen fugacity and alteration by late-stage fluids, thereby promoting W mineralization.
https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2025-9914

06/18/2026

Thin Section Thursday! Image and caption contributed by Bjorn Isaacson, UG student at James Madison University. This bright beautiful rock is a sample of Eclogite from California. Likely beginning its journey as mafic basalt, through high heats and even higher pressures this rock reached the eclogite metamorphic facies creating the large rich isotropic garnets. The true special feature here is the glaucophane that formed as this rock slowly entered retrograde back into the blueschist facies.

06/17/2026

American Mineralogist:
Super-hydrous arc magmas delay magnetite saturation and sulfide precipitation
Lanqin Li, Xingcheng Liu, Jintuan Wang, Zhongxing Sun, Xiaolin Xiong
This study reveals that high water in arc magmas (“super-hydrous” conditions) significantly delays the formation of key minerals: magnetite (iron oxide) and sulfides. This keeps iron and valuable ore-forming metals (such as copper and gold) dissolved in magma for longer, profoundly influencing how and where mineral deposits form. This is crucial for understanding Earth's metal distribution and for guiding mineral exploration.
https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2025-9896

06/16/2026

American Mineralogist:
Formation pathways of Zn-spinel nanoparticles in Zn-contaminated soils and sediments
Michael Schindler, Tessa Warkentine, Xinyang Li
Schindler et al. investigated abiotic pathways of zinc (Zn)-spinel formation at low temperatures in Zn-contaminated soils and sediments. Spinels commonly form in these environments as nanomaterials in porous organic matter and on surfaces of clay minerals and Fe-(hydr)oxides. TEM shows that franklinite formation in organic matter is often coupled to weathering of primary Zn-oxide and -sulfide phases emitted by a local smelter or released during mining activities. On the contrary, the formation of Zn-bearing magnetite on clay minerals is decoupled from the weathering process. It occurs primarily via the heterogeneous nucleation on the hydrophilic edges of their basal surfaces. This work suggests that sequestration of contaminants such as Zn via the formation of low-temperature spinels occurs more often than previously assumed.
https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2025-9873

06/15/2026

Mineral Monday!

Announcing: the 2027 MSA Annual Meeting
Tucson, AZ, USA, February 14-17, 2027.
Taking place at the end of the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show, this meeting will feature Breakfast with a Mineralogist, talks, posters, and field trips. Field trips will run on Feb. 18. Abstract deadline: end of October 2026. Look for future announcements as details are determined.

You & your research can be featured in a future post. Send a short write-up and up to 4 photos to [email protected]

06/12/2026

American Mineralogist:
From hydroxylbastnäsite to bastnäsite: A crystal chemistry perspective of the incomplete solid solution
Qifa Zhong, Jingui Xu, Wei Zhao, Dongzhou Zhang, Shanrong Zhang, Kai Wang, Bin Fu, Wenge Zhou, Dawei Fan
This is the first study to reveal: (1) the positions of hydrogen atoms in bastnäsite and hydroxylbastnäsite, as well as the order-disorder transition of hydrogen initiated by F-OH substitution in hydroxylbastnäsite, which explains the discrepancies in Raman spectroscopy between synthetic end-members and natural hydroxylbastnäsite; (2) the phase boundary between bastnäsite and hydroxylbastnäsite, with crystal structural data indicating a phase boundary at F = 0.41-0.52 apfu; and (3) the effect of F-OH substitution on the volume of the Bsn-Ce–Hbsn-Ce solid solution. This study is also the first attempt to establish a quantitative framework for describing the volume-composition behavior of incomplete solid solutions involving F-OH substitution.
https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2025-9859

06/11/2026

Thin Section Thursday! Photo and caption by Matthew Cruz, UG student at James Madison Univ.: Unakite is a metamorphic rock primarily composed of Epidote, Orthoclase, and Quartz minerals that can be found in Southwest Virginia. The vibrant colors (XPL) come from the interference colors of Epidote. Quartz and Orthoclase provide gray and white accents from their low interference colors. The black spots sprinkled throughout are extinct crystals that are aligned with the cross-polarized light. This rock is made through hydrothermal alteration of Granite.
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14200 Park Meadow Drive, Suite 310-S
Chantilly, VA
20151

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+17036529950

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http://msaweb.org/

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