Theoretical and Systematics Mineralogy
Solid Solutions in Minerals: Mechanisms, Environmental Roles, and Metallogenesis
Co-Conveners
Xin Liu, China University of Geosciences (Beijing)
Jeffrey G. Catalano, Washington University in St. Louis
Yan Li, Peking University
Andrew Frierdich, Monash University
Huan Liu, Nanjing University
Solid solution is a common crystal-chemical feature in minerals and serves as a response to variations in temperature, pressure, and environmental medium conditions. It not only preserves environmental information from petrogenetic processes within its crystal lattice but also influences the surrounding environment through its unique physicochemical properties. Consequently, solid solution profoundly affects the geochemical behavior, distribution, and mobility of elements across diverse settings–from Earth’s crust and mantle to extraterrestrial systems. By incorporating trace and minor elements into mineral lattices, the formation mechanisms of solid solution govern key processes such as elemental partitioning, isotopic fractionation, and redox reactions. Understanding these formation processes and mechanisms is therefore essential not only for elucidating the (bio)geochemical cycling of elements but also for guiding environmental remediation strategies.
This session aims to bring together contributions that investigate the mechanisms driving solid solution behavior in both natural and synthetic minerals across multiple scales: atomic (individual substitutions), unit-cell (lattice variations), cluster (short-range ordering), and nano-scale (grain boundaries, interfaces, and nanoprecipitates). We welcome studies ranging from fundamental crystallographic and thermodynamic investigations to applied research in mineralogy, environmental geochemistry, and economic geology, including but not limited to:
1. Mechanisms of Element Substitution and Partitioning in Mineral Lattices
2. Atomic-scale Probing and Modeling of Elemental Substitution at Solid-Liquid Interfaces and Mineral Surfaces
3. Solid Solution Features as Tracers of Geological Processes
4. Geochemical Cycling and Critical Metal Mobility
5. Evolution Patterns of OpticalCrystallography, Physical, and Chemical Properties across Solid Solution Series
6. Advanced Modeling and Artificial Intelligence Approaches
This session seeks to foster interdisciplinary dialogue among mineralogists, geochemists, economic geologists, petrologists, planetary scientists, and materials scientists, with the goal of advancing our collective understanding of how solid solutions control element behavior in natural systems. Of particular interest are innovative approaches that combine advanced experimental techniques (e.g., HR-TEM, AFM, APT, synchrotron-based XAS & XRD) with computational modeling (e.g., first-principles calculations, machine learning algorithms, thermodynamic modeling of complex solid solutions) to unravel substitution mechanisms at the atomic level. By bridging experimental observations with theoretical predictions, we aim to highlight how the formation of mineral solid solutions contributes to mineralization, planetary exploration, and functional materials development.
