Olivine, a ferromagnesian orthosilicate, is the most abundant mineral in Earth’s upper mantle but also in Mars' and Venus'. The olivine atomic structure is also used to manufacture lithium batteries. Like any other crystalline solid, olivine never occurs with a perfect crystalline structure: defects in various dimensions are ubiquitous. In this contribution, I review the current state of the art of defects in olivine and several implications for key processes in geodynamics.

Carbonophosphates (sidorenkite, bonshtedtite, and bradleyite) with the general formula Na₃MCO₃PO₄ (M is Mn, Fe, and Mg) are often found in inclusions of carbonatite and kimberlite minerals. This article presents the results of Raman spectroscopic study and a simple algorithm for diagnosing mineral phases of the carbonophosphate group. This work may be of interest both to researchers of carbonatites and/or kimberlites and to a wide range of specialists in the field of Raman spectroscopy.

We developed a new method for quantifying elemental concentrations in natural and synthetic fluid inclusions and gas bubbles using a laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) method with no internal standard. The method may be applied to estimate trace (metal and metalloid) elemental concentrations in hydrous carbonic (C–O–H) fluid inclusions and bubbles with uncertainty below 25 %.

Zeolites are used in several technological applications. Knowledge of their genetic mechanisms in geological deposits can help to understand the type of zeolite forming in specific conditions and their sector of possible use. The pyroclastic deposit Tufo Rosso a Scorie Nere (Vico volcano, Latium, Italy) exhibits intense zeolitization processes at chabazite and phillipsite. This abundant presence makes the deposit worthy of being considered for possible exploitation.

The low-temperature transformations of phosphate and sulfate sequences in the fossil guano from a Romanian cave were investigated using a mineralogical and chemical approach, resulting in the finding of a quite exotic mineral association, including the rare minerals francoanellite and monetite. The dehydration process of primary guano minerals seems driven by exothermic reactions at local scale (e.g., oxidation of ammonia, organic matter, allogenic pyrite or other organic compounds).