Advances in Low-Temperature Mineralogy and Geochemistry

<p>Low-temperature mineralogy and geochemistry i.e. mineralogical and geochemical reactions occurring at temperatures below 300 °C provide challenging topics for the broad qualitative questions related to near-surface Earth processes. Low-temperature geochemical processes are ubiquitous in chemical weathering diagenesis very low-grade metamorphism and post-magmatic processes and enable the explanation of the P-T-X history of the Earth's crust. They involve mineral dissolution and the re-crystallization transformation mineralization chemical transfer and recycling of materials that occur at shallow levels of the Earth's crust and whose study must allow for characterizing crustal alteration evolution and growth.</p><p>In this way light stable and radiogenic isotope ratios are potentially powerful tracers of fluid-mineral interactions while thermobarometers based on fine mineralogical compositions make appropriate probes to reconstruct pro- and retro-grade mineralogical reactions. Furthermore remarkable advances have recently been made in understanding chemical elements recycling within the diagenesis and low-grade metamorphism environment hydrothermal systems and fluids circulation. Over the past decade analytical techniques have also advanced and offered a new vision to scientists in mineralogy and geochemistry making data available with an unparalleled analytical- and spatial-resolution.</p>