Abstract
Examples of application of thermal analysis and calorimetry to the field of mineralogy and geochemistry are described. DTA has been used extensively for identification and characterization of clay minerals. But its importance in clay mineral study seems to have lowered much. New viewpoint in the interpretation of DTA curves is hoped to be established. Another use of DTA is for the study of phase equilibria of sulphide minerals.
Phase equilibria of minerals constitute an important basis of earth sciences. Although stability field of a mineral is usually determined by synthesizing it, thermodynamic calculations are often used as an alternative approach. Measurement of heat of dissolution at high temperatures is useful for studying phase relations of Al2SiO5. Free energy values are useful for constructing phase diagrams of the K2O-Al2O3-SiO2-H2O system at room temperature.
