Pegmatite enthusiasts will be happy to know that a new book, “Pegmatites and their Gem Minerals”, is now available. Michael Menzies and Jeffrey Scovil have teamed up to provide a systematic coverage of the topic. The volume provides a comprehensive description of the geology, worldwide occurrence and formation of gemstone-bearing pegmatites and their gem minerals. It features 40+ worldwide localities, and 40+ gem minerals and other important pegmatite species. The 616 pages are lavishly illustrated with more than 600 maps, diagrams, locality photos and photos of mineral specimens and gems.
Special Publication 15 of The Canadian Mineralogist builds on the fundamental concepts of pegmatite formation provided in SP10, Pegmatites, by David London (2008). The two volumes are complementary. Pegmatites are here described with a greater emphasis on mineralogy, presented at an intermediate level. There is a strong emphasis on locality descriptions, which make up more than half of the volume. The localities chosen are well known for their miarolitic pegmatites, from which gemstones have been recovered. There is thus a bias in this volume in favor of Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic pegmatites that crystallized in the upper crust, where cavities are more likely to form. All continents are represented. Included also are localities where the body of pegmatite has been desilicated by interaction with wallrock or has formed from a silica-undersaturated magma, producing nepheline syenite pegmatite. In every case, there is a strong focus on mineral specimens, gem crystals and gems. The intent is to broaden the readership to include mineral and gem enthusiasts and collectors, museum professionals, and others interested in nature's treasures, as well as earth-science students and graduate students.