Volume 13 of Reviews in Mineralogy attempts to gather together much of our knowledge of micas, the most abundant phyllosilicate, and to indicate promising areas of future research. Chapters 1-3 lay the foundations of the classification, structures, and crystal chemistry of micas. Chapter 4 treats bonding and electrostatic modeling of micas. Chapters 5 and 6 cover spectroscopic and optical properties. Chapters 7-13, the bulk of the volume, are devoted to geochemistry and petrology. These include phase equilibria and the occurrences, chemistry, and petrology of micas in igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks, pegmatites, and certain ore deposits. Some treatments are exhaustive. All are at the forefront of our present knowledge, and indicate clearly the practical applications'of the study of micas to ascertaining various parameters of origin and crystallization history, as well as the many problems that still exist. The aim of this type of treatment is to provide a reference volume for teachers and students and to enable researchers to pick more easily those directions and problems for which future research is most needed or is apt to be most productive or most challenging.
