Volume 50 of Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry treats Beryllium and its cosmogenic
isotopes. This volume includes an overview of Be studies in the earth sciences and a systematic
classification of Be minerals based on their crystal structure. It treats the analysis of these
minerals by the secondary ion mass spectroscopy as well as experimental studies of systems
involving Be. Moreover this volume reviews the behavior of Be in the Solar System with an
emphasis on meteorites the Moon and Mars and the implications of this behavior for the
evolution of the solar system. It gives an overview of the terrestrial geochemistry of Be and
discusses the contamination of the environment by this anthropogenic toxin. It reports use of
the longer lived Be-10 to assess erosion rates and other surficial processes and how this
isotope can yield independent temporal records of geomagnetic field variations for comparison
with records obtained by measuring natural remnant magnetization be a chemical tracer for
processes in convergent margins and can date events in Cenozoic tectonics. It reviews
applications of the shorter lived isotope Be-7 in environmental studies as well. Residual
phases include acidic plutonic and volcanic rocks whose geochemistry and evolution are covered
while granitic pegmatites which are well-known for their remarkable if localized Be
enrichments and a wide variety of Be mineral assemblages are reviewed. Not all Be
concentrations have obvious magmatic affinities for example one class of emerald deposits
results from Be being introduced by heated brines. Pelitic rocks are an important reservoir of
Be in the Earth's crust and their metamorphism plays a critical role in recycling of Be in
subduction zones eventually anatectic processes complete the cycle providing a source of Be
for granitic rocks.
